Important Notice

Amrita Sher-Gil was the first important female artist to emerge out of India in the 1930s. Her brief life span of 28 years didn't hold her back from establishing herself as a reputable artist and leading the modern Indian art movement, which was later taken ahead by the Bombay Progressive Artists Group.

Sher-Gil's early sketches are indicative of a painter on the verge of realising her great prowess. These sketches, drawn in charcoal or... Amrita Sher-Gil was the first important female artist to emerge out of India in the 1930s. Her brief life span of 28 years didn't hold her back from establishing herself as a reputable artist and leading the modern Indian art movement, which was later taken ahead by the Bombay Progressive Artists Group.

Sher-Gil's early sketches are indicative of a painter on the verge of realising her great prowess. These sketches, drawn in charcoal or pencil on paper, show a mastery of form and composition, as evident in the present lot. Her fondness for portraying female figures is clear as is her "acute knowledge of powerful bodies" and the manner in which "they tear through the imagination with their particularly robust elegance and movement." (Skye Arundhati Thomas, Amrita Sher-Gil: Perhaps it will fly away if I get up, Mumbai: Akara Art, 5 April - 8 May 2019) The present lot is likely a preparatory sketch for The Torso, 1931, as noted in the unfinished details, which nevertheless show Sher-Gil's exceptional talent and skill.

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