Important Notice

A child prodigy in art, Amrita Sher-Gil showed an intense, almost obsessive, penchant for drawing and painting from the early age of six. Sher-Gil's early subjects ranged from illustrations of Hungarian fairytales during her school years in Dunaharaszti, Hungary, to painting impressions of women characters from fi lms and novels. Her talent was appreciated and encouraged by many, including her uncle Ervin Baktay, who encouraged her to draw from... A child prodigy in art, Amrita Sher-Gil showed an intense, almost obsessive, penchant for drawing and painting from the early age of six. Sher-Gil's early subjects ranged from illustrations of Hungarian fairytales during her school years in Dunaharaszti, Hungary, to painting impressions of women characters from fi lms and novels. Her talent was appreciated and encouraged by many, including her uncle Ervin Baktay, who encouraged her to draw from live models, such as in the present lot.

"The painter in Ervin was quick to recognize Amrita's artistic talent, and he guided her to move away from the highly emotional early paintings and to draw from reality, emphasizing structure rather than naturalism. Under her uncle's direction, her lines started to become strong and angular, whether in a head of Beethoven or a self-portrait. However she did not give up painting water colours, particularly of the female figure, in an emotionally charged and sensuous manner." (Vivan Sundaram ed., Amrita Sher-Gil: A Self-portrait in Letters & Writings, Volume 1, New Delhi: Tulika Books, 2010, p. xl)

Sher-Gil maintained several sketchbooks of drawings and watercolours, and it is likely that the present lot, made in 1930, is from one such sketchbook. At this time, the artist was seventeen years old and had once again returned to Hungary, after a year in Paris studying at the Grand Chaumiere and the studio of Lucien Simon at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts.

Read More
Artist Profile
Other works of this artist in: this auction  |  entire site