Amrita Sher-Gil’s life (1913-1941) and works have been a subject of interest through her life and beyond. Her precociousness as a woman artist attracted as much attention as the brilliance of her unfettered artworks.
Her short life is full of stories about her convictions for what it meant for her to be an artist, a woman, an Indian woman artist. She even had definite ideas about her subjects and settings. Her untimely death, at the age of 29 years, sent shock waves through the art world.
We started this article with stories about Amrita, because as life sometimes is, her work ‘The Story Teller’ became the most expensive Indian artwork in Saffronart’s auction in September 2023. Sold at Rs 61.8cr (approximately US$ 7.5mn), it might not compete with some of the figures achieved by more developed markets, but for the Indian art market, coming of age, it set a perfect note for what to expect.
It was also exciting for us, tracking the progress of the market, to see Amrita’s work achieve this feat! With all the attention this artwork received, we wanted to breakdown some of the elements which make it special, not least the enigma around the artist herself.
Many art critics and historians have lauded Amrita’s contribution towards the artistic marriage of the east and the west, but its her deep empathy towards her subjects, her ability to translate that ‘je ne sais quoi’ into an artistic language that makes her a true Indian modern master.
‘The Story Teller’ is a noteworthy work in many respects. Painted in 1937, the oil work shows a group of women, in a social intimate setting. The setting is rural – domesticated animals mingle, as if they are part of the group. All appear to at complete ease in each other’s company - exchanging news and listening avidly to the stories been told. A lone man in a red-turban peers from behind, eve’s (!) dropping on these gossiping women, who seem complete in their own milieu.
The white walls offer the perfect backdrop against the deep ochre of the floor in the foreground. In spite of the rather stark colours of the walls and the floor, the scene itself is colourful, amplified by the deep shades of red and teal of the women’s ‘duppattas’.
We elucidate below some details, to help understand this important work, and its history in the artist's life:
Period of painting: 1937, Amrita was living in India after having spent years in Paris studying. This decision was contrary to what most artists were making, Amrita was confident that India was hers as Europe belonged to Gauguin and others!
Also, on her return to India in 1934, she undertook a tour of South India to see firsthand some of the grand paintings and sculptural traditions of India. The use of line in Ajanta made an impression on her, which would reflect in her works. This was also when she saw Indian miniatures. The boldness of colour, flat application of paint appealed to her sensibilities.
Simplification: Amrita wanted to create a visual language that was uniquely hers and this quest drove her to observe and distill her thoughts. This was her crucial tool that went into the conceptualization of forms uniquely hers.
Stylization: Her ability to prune out the superfluous allowed her to create a style that was stamped with her personality. The simplified forms were stylized – for instance the shape of the face, the form of the hands, the treatment of the dress.
Eschew emotions in her subjects: Amrita was a strong proponent of eschewing emotions of her subjects, she wanted the focus to be on the painting as a whole. She felt that by introducing emotions she would distract the viewers. This painting is a perfect example - look at the women - you cannot tell if they are sad, happy or fighting!
Colours: This painting has bold use of red for the women’s dresses and the tips of their fingers, contrasted by their earthy skin tones, save one who is pale skinned. She introduces another splash of colour by using teal. The rest of the work is offset by ochre. However, the star of this painting is the many shades of white for the walls, which binds the painting together and gives it glow.
Close knit figures: Amrita always staged her models in her studio, sometimes also photographed them to be able to work out the details. However, this work is believed to be done in plein air (outdoors in a natural setting). This is challenging for any artist since the light changes continuously, but it also infuses the work with a sense of liveliness.
Women as the protagonist: Women were an integral subject of Amrita’s paintings, be it her self-portraits or those of her family and friends. So, no surprise that here too she focuses on a group of women, bonding over a story session amidst the animals of the house. In this painting she has introduced a male figure in the background, but his role is as a prop to create the depth of field.
While the above aspects make the work special and desirable to a buyer, two other factors drive prices and frenzied bidding at any auction: availability and provenance.
Availability: Amrita’s canvases are rare. Very few large canvases from the later, prolific period of her career are available for trade. The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi has the largest collection of such works, and these are not likely to be brought to the market. The availability of such a work, no doubt excited the connoisseurs of Indian art. Hence it is no surprise that this work garnered so much attention.
Provenance: The other additional fact driving valuation is that this is well documented work. It is known that it was exhibited in Lahore, and that the Amrita had identified this work to be included in the set of works for reproductions. Most importantly the provenance is impeccable - the artist exhibited the work, it had press coverage and the buyer was known in whose possession the work remained till it came up for auction.
While all these factors contributed towards the price achieved, and as followers of Indian art market we like to keep track of how prices move, at its core the Amrita Sher-Gil, and indeed other luminaries of Indian art, paved the way for what came after in the evolution of Indian art in post independence India - redefining techniques, subjects, styles and a boldness of vision.
Indian art market is an exciting place to be right now, and we will continue to update important milestones in its trajectory!
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