Amrita Sher-Gil was one of the first modern Indian painter to tackle subjects related to women
Priceless: Amrita Sher Gil's self portrait
As we question the systems of representation that stereotype women in ways that perpetuate gender roles prescribed by hegemonic patriarchal systems, the role of the subversive artist, particularly the woman artist, becomes significant. We see the artist as a symbol of resistance and subversion of dominant ideology. A glance over the last century of Indian art would reveal that there have been many significant moments where women artists have emerged as significant symbols of cultural upsurge.
One of the first modern Indian painter who worked with a very contemporary sensibility was Amrita SherGil. Her work is a milestone not only for women’s art in India but for contemporary art as a whole. She introduced an earthiness and vitality into her feminine figures, which reflected her concerns. The idea of sisterhood, sharing, the strength of mother daughter bonds were focal points of her artistic productions. The feminism that imbues her works is powerful in terms of their subject matter though her work itself was not part of the feminist project.
After Amrita Sher-Gil’s death in 1941, prominent women artists were few and far in between till the late 1960’s. In the post independence period women’s art, taken as a whole has progressed both in terms of agenda and volume. Almost all women artists today are dealing with questions of gender and identity, in some form or the other. It is also true that there are not many of them who are actively involved in the feminist movement. Unlike the west there is no organised movement of radical feminist artists.
Despite the lack of a formal engagement with the feminist movement, Indian women artists have been carving out and recovering spaces as their own. The feminisation of themes, the experimentations with style, uniqueness of sensibility, are all hallmarks of women’s art in India today. This is not to suggest that art produced and conceptualised by women artists is homogenous and monolithic it is in fact, just the opposite diverse and vibrant, mirroring the diversity of artists themselves.
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