Deciphering: Sher-Gil

Amrita Sher-Gil, born to a Hungarian mother and an Indian father, embraced India with elegance. Her paintings were imbued with culture and passion because she merged Indian traditions with Western insights and techniques. Her mix of styles from the West and East reflected binary selfhood, to show that India is changing by adopting both Americanized and traditional cultural systems.

Sher-Gil’s passion for European design and Indian themes converged, drawing from the visual languages of the Bengal School but growing into an integrated, romantic manner. She increasingly focused on the female aspect of South Asia. Thus, pieces such as Three Women depict Indian women with a melancholic beauty that she identifies with. This intense captivation has been analysed by many art theorists who consequently questioned her sexual orientation.

In the course, she also painted many self-portraits by concentrating on bright jewellery and clothes that would show her sociable or warm personality. The collection included a deliberate representation of a typical bourgeoisie woman complete with shining pearls, soft eyes and pride in some of them.

Before her death on December 5, 1941, she was recognized for her exceptional courage and skill as an artist, thus making her the first Indian woman ever to receive such an honour. The Indian government named her an artist of National Treasure status in 1976. India also released a stamp featuring “Hill Women” in 1978.

Two Women by Amrita Sher-Gil

This painting in 1936 was initially inspired by sketches of rural landscapes. In it, the artist’s illustration of two women has been represented. One woman is squatting with her knees tucked into her chest while her face is covered with a green cloth. Its particularly marvellous skin has Sindoor on it. The mention of Sindoor shows that Amrita Sher Gil has always respected Indian traditions and beliefs. Conversely, the woman stood clad in white; her eyes lifelessly gazing at the ground. The artist perhaps comprehends better how much pain and suffering women then used to feel. Again, still colours on the painting themselves bring out an overwhelming feeling of beauty.

Sumair by Amrita Sher-Gil

Sher-Gil’s vocation as a painter could be better summarized as faces and voids. Her most Rendered are some paintings of her self-portrait, relatives and friends—whomever she found interesting enough then. Sumair is an example of Gil’s cousin. The ability to hold emotions or unprocessed emotions is reflected in this painting. The lady’s facial expression tells stories of hardships and strength. The light on Sumair’s face in the picture attracts viewers while providing it with depth and character. Despite being dressed in a bright green saree and adorned with ornaments, her helplessness elicits the audience’s compassion about what could happen.

Three Girls by Amrita Sher-Gil

Sher-Gil’s Three Girls painting is an astonishing piece which comes with a combination of feminine attraction as well as depth in culture. In this picture, three young ladies are shown wearing different colours. The observer feels that all three girls in the painting are reacting in such a way that is a little beneath them. One of them appears calm and collected whereas another has slightly raised eyebrows and a dead look on their face. Through their contemplative faces, viewers are invited to think about the mystery behind these female characters.

In the painting, three vibrantly attired women are portrayed meditating over an unalterable fate. Instead of portraying her women sensuously, she depicted them as mighty, strong-willed individuals who could surmount a destiny that was beyond their control. Sher-Gil’s inspiration from the paintings of French painter Paul Gauguin is depicted in the artwork. Sher-Gil’s transition from the previous academic and realist style of painting that she had acquired in Paris to a flatter style with modern compositions highlighting line and colour is also evident. Three Girls does not depict the girls’ surroundings but instead communicates their condition through their body language, facial emotions and skilful employment of tones.

To sum it up…

Contrary to her previous portrayal approaches, she highlights female characters and their expressions in bright single colours, thereby bringing up the theme of sameness and melancholy of life rather than body issues.

In her early paintings, she painted animated European women who were quite energetic compared to the way she presents life now. Instead, we witness them performing routines; sitting on a bench or in a restroom and lying down on hard pallets after working it out for hours on end. They look thoughtful and lonely united by same-sex friendship sometimes; sometimes they look like those struggling to reconcile acceptance with desire.

In both her periods of work, Sher Gil has shown the various experiences and agencies of women across all social, economic, and cultural layers. She made her way from Hungary via France moving on to India where she disappeared leaving behind only memories of coming to Pakistan, she incarnated self-esteem and regret, enthusiasm and dullness, splendour and vacancy, self-confidence and introspection which women experience during their self-realisation journey.

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By Soumya Kotian