Top 10 Most Famous Painters of India

Painting is an art which is usually considered to be an expertise of those in the west. However, little do we know that India has always been known to be a land of artists and most of the Indian painters have made an indelible mark in history. Indian painters have created some of the most magnificent and beautiful piece of paintings which have taken Indian painting to a new level in the world of art and paintings.

We, as Indians, should be aware of some of the masterpieces in the world of art that have been produced by the Indian painters. These are the work of art that have eroded through history and stand out in the world stage even today.  Keeping the same point in view, we have brought you the list of top 10 most famous Indian painters.

List of Most Famous Indian Painters

10. Abanindranath Tagore

Born on 7^thAugust, 1971, the talented artist was the nephew of Rabindranath Tagore. He was of the firm belief that India had to stick to its traditional roots and that was very much reflected in his art. It was he who widely supported Indian or the Swadeshi values and was one of the most sought-after artist who contributed widely to the Bengal school of painting. Some of his most recognised paintings include Bharat Mata, the Last Journey, Moonlight Music Party, and a host of others. His most memorable paintings were the ones in which he had painted the Arabian Night series!

9. Amrita Shergill

A pioneer of the modern Indian art, Amrita has rightly been named as the “one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20^th century.” She was amongst the few Indian painters who actually wanted to paint from a very young age and began taking art classes when she was a mere eight years of age. Her self- portrait picture is amongst one of the most sought-after Indianpaintings of all times. The young artist got an opportunity to travel far and wide including countries such as France, Turkey, etc. from where she derived her inspirations and creative ideas.

8. Jamini Roy

Born and brought up in Bengal, Jamini Roy won the Padma Bhushan award for his contribution to the field of painting. He was one of the most famous pupils of Abanindranath Tagore who contributed a great deal to the modern Indian art. This famous Indian painter has been known to change his painting styles to suit different tastes and varieties during different times of his career. For example, when he started off, he was deeply inspired by the western traditions. However, gradually the painter got inspired by his roots and started making portrays that would better display the various Bengali traditions. Not only in India, but most of his work and portrays are displayed in art galleries all around the globe.

7. Raja Ravi Verma

Another great Indian painter who was deeply rooted to his Indian traditions and cultures was the painter Raja Ravi Verma. He belonged to the royal family of Travancore. Most of his work was clearly inspired by the Indian saga of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. He was amongst the painters who was known to brilliantly bring together Indian portrays with European influences. Most of his paintings were available at affordable rates for the general Indian public which was one of the most important reasons as to why the painter became so famous amongst the general masses. Some of his more notable works include Shakuntala, Lady Lost in thought, victory of Indrajit, and the likes.

6. Satish Gujral

The younger brother of the former Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, Satish Gujral is known to be one of the most renowned Indian painters of all times. The Indian painter was also awarded with the Padma Vibhushan in the year 1999 and was also hailed as the Indian of the year by the NDTV in the year 2014. During the time of the partition of the country Gujral attracted a wide population though his paintings, murals, scriptures, etc. that were displayed not only in India but across the globe. His paintings were really known to be exquisite piece of art and he truly belongs to the list of top 10 painters of India.

5. Tyeb Mehta

Part of the Bombay Progressive Gropus, Tyeb Mehta was one of the most sought -after painters that our country has ever produced. His paintings were known to define the simple day to day living that people in the Indian culture are known to adopt. He is also known to have painted portraits of Gods and Goddesses which were really spiritual in nature. Mr. Mehta has won a lot of accolades for his contribution to the world of Indian paintings and some of these include a gold medal in New Delhi, Prix Nationale at the International festival of painting that was held in France. He will always be considered as one of the most notable painters that India has ever produced.

4. Vasudeo S Gaitonde

The Indian painter has been known to produce paintings on a large canvass and these days it is his paintings that have one of the highest sale value in the Indian market. He was one painter that did not want to accept anything that was preached outside his art practice. He was a student of the art since the very beginning. Having completed his diploma in the subject in the year 1948, Gaitonde joined the Bombay Progressive Arts Group after a couple of years. You can find most of his collections being displayed in the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, Museum of Modern Art in New York and other places across the globe.

3. Syed Haider Raza

This was a painter from the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and someone who was greatly inspired by his native village. His early paintings bore testimony to the fact that he loved his village and most of his paintings drew inspiration from the village he loved so much. He was also famous for painting colourful patterns which has a particular geometric feel to it. Later, his paintings began to be identified by this peculiar patterns.The patters began to be known as Raza’s style of painting. Most of his paintings have been widely exhibited not only in India but also in different parts of the globe. Most rightly, he did receive the Padma Shree award in the year 1981.

2. Francis Newton Souza

One of the founders of the very famous Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group, Francis Newton was one of the most widely recognized Indian painters. In fact, he was amongst the few painters of India who was also very famous in the western countries. One of his most expensive paintings have been titled as “Birth” and it was sold at a whopping price of US$ 2.5 million.  In fact, he was very famously referred as the Indian “Picasso.”Brought up in an environment where he saw a conflict between catholic church and the varied types of Indian art, F.N Souza, as he was famously called drew inspiration from this. His work forms part of exhibitions in different parts of not only India but across the globe such as in the UK, Australia, USA, and the likes.

1. Maqbool Fida Husain

Who has not heard the name of MF Husain?  He is revered to a great extent in the Indian painting fraternity so much so that the Indian painting industry is synonymous with his name.his paintings were known to be that of cubist style and were deeply inspired by the India that the world witnessed after the Indian Independence of 1947. Some of the themes that the renowned painter chose for himself were of the likes of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, Mother Teresa, British raj in India, amongst others. Not only was he fierce in portraying his imaginations of the Indian society and culture, but he was also willing to adopt the western culture in his paintings. This combination is what made Husain the painter that we all know today. Having said that, his straightforwardness and fierce attitude bought him to the forefront of many unwanted controversies. However, this did not deter him from producing some of the most sough after paintings of all times.

Thus, the above is a list of top 10 Indian painters. However, the above is not an exhaustive list and there is no dearth of talent in the country. It is clear from the above that India did produce a host of painters whose work will always stand out in the world stage of art and culture.