Promise of Poise, Amrita Shergill : NGMA

Uma Nair

Marking the birth centenary celebrations of Amrita Shergill, NGMA along with Yashodhara Dalmia showcased an arresting collection of paintings reflecting not only her aesthetic sensibility, but also her strong upfront persona. Uma Nair explores the legendary artist’s works maintaining the delicate balance of Indianness with a subtle European element to it.

NGMA’s magnum opus on Amrita Shergill curated by Yashodhara Dalmia is a curator’s delight. Laid out in the new wing, the many canvasses show Shergill’s varied oeuvre, and how she uniquely combined her philosophy of painting with a commentary on Indian socio-cultural milieu. Begin in any order, maybe the stunning still lifes of which Dressing Table has the whiff of a feminine aura with the beads and the flowers. Shergill obviously had a dream of arcadia, a mythic place of beauty and repose where humankind lives in harmony with nature. You can see it in her early Hungary studies, specially in the study of the church in the market place and the Merry Cemetry. Her subjects have the promise of poise, simplicity and order, they served both as an inspiration – the sought for, and as an image of refuge, a place that is distant and seemingly protected from the vicissitudes of life. Brahmacharis and Camels show us how her insight found a powerful new currency and, once again, spurred her imagination to play a key role in the development of modern Indian art. Rajeev Lochan states that the show is a milestone in the history of NGMA: “We have over 100 paintings and sketches mounted in the exhibition Amrita Sher-Gil: The Passionate Quest. Some have been displayed for the first time.” For curator and art historian Yashodhara Dalmia, the toughest task for her was to find ways of showcasing the artist’s sensitivity towards life and to capture the essential essence and aesthetic of things that influenced her work. “Some paintings are from the early stages of her career which began when she was 16. It is fascinating to see how, even at that time, she would paint the human form in a sensual manner,” Dalmia stated. “Another discovery while curating this show was to see how many paintings she has made of her own self. There are many self-portraits where she has painted herself looking troubled, excited and happy. It was a way of reflecting herself as a painter and her various moods,” she added.