Modern Indian Art - Impressionism

Note:- This article refers to the early time of modern art in India, around forties and fifties.

Modern artists no longer cared of what people think about their art pieces. They started painting according to their own choices and satisfaction. They started originating shapes in a new and metaphysical manner, giving shapes to their imagination, which is termed as impressionism.

Contemporary Indian art has travelled a long way since the time of Bengali art. It went thought various stages of simplification and eliminations. New patterns and trends like cubism, abstracts, graphic patterns gained popularity. Paintings started becoming minimalistic, near nonfigurative and totally nonfigurative.

In interest with Indian thoughts and modernism, a new style of tantric paintings immersed. It has a deep symbolism expressed with geometrical shapes. The art style painting progressed from concrete to abstract. Art styles was deeply changed with the invention of photography and advanced science of colors. Artists started aiming at realism and naturalism.

Trends that got popular in modern India

• Graffito- Style of drawing and writing on walls or some other similar surface. Spray paints are used now a days to make graffities.

• Oil painting- colored pigments are mixed with linseed oil to it workable color paints. It has beautiful bright shades. Colors are usually applied from dark to light shades.

• Water color- it is a very difficult medium to handle, so the artist must paint very quickly. Technique is light to dark shades.

• Wash painting- it is similar to water color painting. It is done in many wash layers and every time same color is applied from lighter to darker shades. After 10 to 15 a natural effect is developed in the painting.

• Fresco- Fresco paintings are done on walls, but they are applied on fresh plaster rather than dried plaster.

• Tempera- in this, paints are mixed with glue and then applied on surface. This kind of paint dries quickly in light.

• Mural- these are also wall size paintings.

• Etching- it is a way of remaking or mixing images. It is a style of graphic art rather than painting.

• Mosaic-the style is simple but time taking. Pieces of glass, marble etc are pressed into cement to make patterns or any design.

• Gouache- it involves painting with opaque water colors rather than normal transparent ones.

• Pastel-dry sticks of colors mixed with oil or wax.

• Glass painting- done on glass with synthetic colors.

• Collage- things, usually paper (not necessarily) are pasted on a surface to make artworks.