Top 10 Famous Art Paintings Of India

While we are constantly bombarded with art, there are a few standout pieces that have defied time and society to claim their fair place in history. These paintings have captivated art lovers for years, not just because they are gorgeous, but also because they have a storey. Every brush stroke and drop of colour applied on the canvas is a word inscribed on it.

Indian artists have also produced some stunning works of art that have captivated the world. Here is a list of 12 of the most famous Indian paintings of all time, in no particular order - identifiable works from the past that will never be forgotten.

1. Self Portrait – Amrita Sher-Gil

Amrita Sher-self-portrait Gil's from 1931 shows her at the age of 18, when she was one of India's most famous modern artists. This is also the artist's first painting to be presented at Christie's London, and one of just eight canvases by Sher-Gil to be auctioned worldwide. Sher-self-portraits Gil's are painted with an almost hypnotic intensity, bringing the observer into the artist's innermost mind, where a sea of melancholy awaits.

2. Bharat Mata – Abanindranath Tagore

Bharat Mata, one of Abanindranath Tagore's (the creator of the Bengal School of Art) most famous paintings, depicts a saffron-clad woman dressed as a sadhvi carrying a book, paddy sheaves, a piece of white cloth, and a garland in her four hands. The artwork, which was extremely important because of its emotional and historical significance, became extremely popular among nationalists in those days, especially in the aftermath of Lord Curzon's proposal to divide Bengal. Sister Nivedita, a fan of the artwork, planned to transport it from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in order to instil nationalist sentiment among the people of the country.

3. Shakuntala – Raja Ravi Verma

Raja Ravi Varma, a great Indian painter, created the epic masterpiece Shakuntala. Ravi Varma portrays Shakuntala, a key character in Mahabaratha, as she pretends to remove a thorn from her foot while truly hunting for her husband/lover, Dushyantha, while her friends mock her. An art scholar, Tapati Guha Thakurta, wrote:

"The viewer is drawn into the tale by the twist and turn of the head and torso, which invites them to place this scene within an imagined series of pictures and occurrences." The picture stands alone as a frozen tableau (as if it were a still from a moving film), taken from a continuous series of occurrences."

4. Bapuji – Nandlal Bose

Mahatma Gandhi is regarded as one of the finest liberation fighters the world has ever known. But how many of us are aware that Bapu has served as a muse for a number of modern Indian and international artists? Bapu was an inspiration for all artists, according to the great Nandalal Bose, a Shantiniketan artist during Gandhi's lifetime. His iconic linocut picture of Mahatma Gandhi, titled 'Dandi March' (with the legend Bapuji, 1930, engraved on it), was created in 1930 and is on permanent display at Delhi's National Gallery of Modern Art.

5. Mahishasura – Tyeb Mehta

Tyeb Mehta's Mahishasura — a retelling of the same-named monster myth – was the first Indian artwork to sell for more than a million dollars, selling for $1.584 million at Christie's in 2005. The painting was created following Tyeb's journey to Shantiniketan, where the legend of Mahishasura inspired him. Mehta creates a strikingly modern work full of fresh vigour by combining ancient iconography with simplicity of form, colour, and line.

6. Self-Portrait – Rabindranath Tagore

Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore began painting in 1924, at the age of 63, while his manuscripts already showed signs of struggle in the countless edits and doodling. Tagore began painting more often at the end of his career, in an effort to make work that was generally accessible. Using brush, pencil, and pen, he created thousands of sketches and drawings, the most renowned of which is his self-portrait. The paucity of colour, unworked background, and use of primitive seeming pencil lines enhance this painting's depiction of the bearded artist's full-face self-portrait.

7. Three Pujarins – Jamini Roy

When he painted three almond-eyed priestesses for his work Three Pujarins, Jamini Roy, a prominent Bengali artist who is considered one of the early modernists of twentieth-century Indian art, created a masterpiece. Roy, who was inspired by Bengal's folk art history, experimented with brilliant colours and established his own unique style of painting, resulting in works of art that were a visual feast.

8. Horses – M F Husain

Maqbool Fida Husain, one of India's most prolific painters, adored expressing the dynamic and free spirit of horses in many of his works from the beginning of his career till his death. The maestro's painting portrays the force and energy of three horses in full gallop with bold outlines that characterise the powerful beasts. This painting, considered one of Husain's best and a collector's fantasy, was auctioned at Christie's in 2008 and sold for over INR 1 crore.

9. Krishna (Spring in Kullu) – Nicholas Roerich

When discussing outstanding Indian art, one must forget the claim of Krishna (Spring in Kullu) by famed Russian artist Nicholas Roerich. Krishna is depicted playing the flute under a blossoming tree with spectacular snow-capped mountains in the background in a painting on permanent display at the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York. Roerich made Kullu his home after travelling the world and died there. He was named one of nine painters whose works are recognised national art treasures by ASI in 1979.

10. Bindu – S H Raza

Syed Haider Raza, a great modern artist who popularised Indian iconography over the world, was never tired of the bindu'or shunya, which became the focus of energy in his work. Raza's art changed continuously over the course of his long and productive career, which began in 1946 with his first solo exhibition. But by the 1970s, he'd discovered the theme that would cement his reputation: the bindu. "Bindu is a source of energy, a source of life," Raza reportedly said. "It is here that life begins, and it is here that it ends." Aside from the bindu, his signature geometric abstract works also explored topics such as prakriti (nature), kundalini (primal force), and tribhuj (triangle).