Jerzy Kosinski, a Polish- American novelist, once said that the principle of true art is to evoke rather than to portray. Works of art are meant to elicit a wave of emotion that opens your senses to the artist’s imagination, clearing the dust of realism. 

If you keep looking for reasons to like canvas art, you’ll never understand it because art isn’t meant to be liked; it’s meant to make you feel something. Artists like Subodh Gupta are pushing the boundaries of modern art by creating spectacular sculptures and artworks out of everyday objects. Modern art, often known as contemporary art, is breaking down barriers in the art world, bringing extremely beautiful paintings and sculptures to life. 

Contemporary Indian Art: History of Contemporary Art in India

Indian art is a kaleidoscope of colors, shapes, elements, and compositions, resulting from centuries of cultural and religious diversity. For centuries, the artistic expression of Indian artists has both amazed and perplexed the rest of the world, whether it is a relic of the Harappan Civilization or a relic of the Mughal era. 

The country is full of inspiration, and young Indian artists have attained worldwide fame and acclaim. Indian contemporary art is now rubbing elbows with the world’s elite in fancy galleries and museums all around the world. 

In fact, Indian art collectors and galleries, such as the National Gallery of Modern Art, are honoring and supporting recognized pieces of art and artists, assisting them in not just gaining recognition but also making a livelihood from their craft. This is a proud moment for the many artists who have worked hard for years to reach this level of success. 

The Indian Modern Art Movement 

A new period of artistic revolution was formed in the land of cultural colors and colonization in the late nineteenth century in Calcutta, India. While freedom fighters were armed and dragging the British out of India, artists were conveying the misery of their countrymen and the beauty of a nation formerly known as the golden bird somewhere in the dark alleys of the unknown. 

Traditional Indian art was being revived with some western influence in the new art schools established by the British, particularly in Bengal. Artists like Raja Ravi Verma used easel painting and oil paint to create amazing works of art like Shakuntala, which is one of the most well-known works of the era. 

With new techniques and oil paints obtained from the western world, the revivalists of this era attempted to revive the art world’s tradition of epics and mythology. However, their lack of originality and social conscience in understanding both ancient and contemporary art did not help the movement much. 

In 1947, after India obtained independence from the British Raj, a group known as the Progressive Artist’s Group was formed. The name signifies that the artists in this group wanted to break away from the Indian art world’s traditional path and create something new and more ambitious. 

The artworks of this era are highly influenced by Indian ideas and culture, yet they also contain strokes of western influence. Following the 1990s economic liberalization, new art traditions emerged, such as Devajyoti Ray’s Pseudo realism, and access to modern ideas and tools paved the way for more contemplative and expressive artworks. 

Indian painters explored new means to express their imagination in the post-colonial age under the great leadership of prodigies like H. A. Gade, M. F. Husain, K. H. Ara, S. K. Bakre, S. H. Raza, and F. N. Souza. The Progressive Artist’s Group breathed new life into India’s dying art tradition and helped it gain international prominence. 

F. N. Souza’s expressionistic technique and M. F. Hussain’s modified Cubist style, both of which he used to create story paintings that were unfamiliar to Indian art fans, rose to prominence on the vibrant canvas of the country’s art culture.  

Jayasri Burman is one of the most well-known names in Indian art, and her post-colonial paintings were like a breath of fresh air. Her paintings transformed the unassailable Indian woman into powerful gods and half-animal, half-human beings. 

Despite the artist’s refusal to be labeled a feminist, her work is powerful and, in some ways, represents the Age of Aquarius, which is an astrological age associated with the strengthening of female authority or the growth of feminism around the world. 

These are just a few of the artists that didn’t merely proclaim popularity at a period when the country was experiencing big changes in numerous disciplines and writing about them all in one post would transform this blog into a thesis. The point is that these artists purchased a revolution, and their participation is invaluable. 

Without the efforts of these artists, contemporary Indian artists who are currently creating a name for themselves in the international art world would not have succeeded. The timeless works of these outstanding artists continue to inspire young artists who are attempting to expand their wings in order to soar high and gain an audience among the beautiful art world’s elites. 

Architecture and fashion are examples of modern Indian art

Apart from paintings and sculptures, India’s fashion and architecture industries grew rapidly during the 1980s. Admission applications to prestigious fashion and architecture schools were pouring in, and new schools were springing up to fulfil the rising demand for professional courses in both fields. 

Traditional professional paths were being abandoned in favor of promising opportunities in the worlds of fashion and architecture, and both businesses grew significantly during this period. The greater exposure to the western world through contemporary art, as well as the expansion of mass media, were undoubtedly the causes of these occurrences. 

The rise of modern art paintings on canvas in the country benefited a variety of businesses, and it can be stated that it was a major element in the country’s rapid expansion and development in recent decades.