Art collector Karl Khandalavala, whom Amrita Sher-Gil met in 1936, initiated her towards Indian art. She was influenced by her visits to Ajanta and Ellora. Her subsequent body of work reflected her growing urge to create a modern style of painting, entirely her own yet quintessentially Indian yet. From the late 1930s onwards, her paintings became slightly more naive in style, the colors richer, and the figures further simplified.
The representation of secluded women in their moments of private thought was a recurring theme in her oeuvre as she became acquainted with the isolated lifestyles of lonely women in India living on feudal estates. Her paintings evoked this inner realm of resignation, boredom and idle pastimes. She returned to Hungary in June 1938 to marry her cousin, Victor Egan. Her last unfinished painting shows a view from the window of her Lahore studio, where they finally settled.
Many of her paintings in the early 1930s in the European style included several self portraits, apart from paintings of her life in Paris, still life studied, nude studies, and portraits of her friends. The self portraits captured the own persona in many moods, revealing a curious streak in her personality. The artist also yearned for her home country, and her roots. She came back home in 1934.
She appropriated in particular the language of miniatures. Her return to the homeland became a kind of self-discovery voyage, after her confrontation with art scene here and her own sexuality. Her female protagonists, often portrayed in their own secluded private spaces, were mostly from humble backgrounds. The legendary artist died at the age of 29 in 1941 in Lahore.
Her enchanting oeuvre is a unique blend of sharp commentary on the prevailing socio-cultural milieu and the philosophy of painting. Mere 29 years of life and awe-inspiring artistic achievements therein still evoke immense curiosity among art connoisseurs. Ironically, she could enjoy limited success and recognition, as an artist in her lifetime.
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