This undated work is a still life painting by K H Ara (1914-1985). His artistic expressions were characterised by robust nudes and still lifes, marked by a life-affirming positivity and zeal. He was a self-taught artist who ran away from home to pursue his artistic career in Bombay. Born in 1913 in Andhra Pradesh, KH… Read more »
KH Ara acquired a somewhat avuncular air in the art scene of 1940s-50s Mumbai. That was rudely challenged when he got into nudes. And he got into nudes in a big way—the word ‘obsessive’ has been used to describe this sudden fascination. But Ara’s nudes came in for a lot of criticism. Compared to those… Read more »
As one of the founders of the Progressive Artists’ Group and an idealist who was once imprisoned for participating in MK Gandhi’s salt satyagraha, KH Ara seemed to have acquired a somewhat avuncular air in the art scene of ’40s and’50s Bombay. That was rudely challenged when he got into nudes. And he got into… Read more »
This undated work is a still-life painting by modern artist K H Ara (1914-1985). KH Ara’s still-life compositions were all his own, untouched by the shadow of the looming figures of western still-life like Rembrandt or Cezanne. As with everything else, Ara crafted his own style and technique even with this form. Here, he uses techniques that… Read more »
From Ara to Souza and from infatuation to disillusionment, we examine the nudes in our collection of modern Indian art
While a new nation was finding its feet in 1947, a small group of artists was formulating its visual language. Meet the Bombay Progressives in the Sarmaya collection
KH Ara was one of the founding members of the PAG. His artistic expressions were characterised by robust nudes and still lifes, marked by a life-affirming positivity and zeal. He was a self-taught artist who ran away from home to pursue his artistic career in Bombay. His take on art and artistic processes was that… Read more »