Padma Shri Anjolie Ela Menon is a maverick Indian artist who has won global fame and critical acclaim. With a diverse body of work abundant with interesting experiments, Anjolie Ela Menon is a torchbearer for generations to come. To Anjolie, painting is an act of self-expression, but seldom is it about her. Her art, charged with characteristic universality, allows one to identify with it and simultaneously vehicles the viewer’s own expression. Anjolie Ela Menon’s audacity to be a free spirit at the risk of being out of context echoes in her art. As is evident throughout her journey, Anjolie’s ..read more

Padma Bhushan Jamini Roy, popularly regarded as the father of Indian Modernism, is one of the prestigious ‘Navaratnas’ as declared by the Indian government. The nine gems of Indian art, known as ‘Navaratnas’ include Jamini Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, Amrita Sher-Gil, Raja Ravi Varma and others whose art is considered a national treasure - making it illegal to sell their work outside the country. This photo essay is a leeway into the life story of Jamini Roy, whose art made a case for India’s original identity amid overwhelming western influences during colonial rule in the 20th century. Born in ..read more

Vasudeo Santu Gaitonde (1924-2001) is celebrated as an intellectual pioneer of Indian modernism, specifically abstractionism. One of the most expensive Indian artists with multiple record-breaking auction sales, Padma Shri V.S. Gaitonde was born in 1924 to Goan parents in Nagpur, Maharashtra. After finishing his art diploma at the renowned Sir J. J. School of Art in 1948, he was closely associated with the pivotal Bombay Progressive Artists' Group formed by F. N. Souza, S. H. Raza, M. F. Husain, K. H. Ara, H. A. Gade, and S. K. Bakre in 1947. V.S. Gaitonde (Photo by Shalini Saran) Early exposu ..read more

The “Brownie” camera was invented in 1900, over a hundred years before the surge of the 21st century’s internet economy that runs on mass creation and consumption of photographs. In stark contrast to the modern-day scenario, photography in the olden days was a patient activity involving heavy equipment and manual post-processing rather than a convenient feature on smartphones and digital cameras. Kodak Brownie No 2 camera; click to purchase on Artisera In the 1800s, cameras predominantly used hefty glass-plate negatives for each exposure. In 1888, US inventor George Eastman made a ground-break ..read more

Born in the Netherlands in 1853, Vincent van Gogh is one of the most celebrated artists of the 19th century. His iconic painting, The Starry Night, an oil on canvas from 1889, is not only a landmark of post-impressionistic art, but also one of the most famous paintings in the world. The Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh, 1889  A short and anguished career Before becoming an artist, van Gogh pursued various careers - as an art dealer, teacher and a missionary. At the age of 27, in 1880, he finally began his artistic journey when he enrolled in classes at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in ..read more

Crypto art and specifically NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have been overwhelming the news since February 2021. Spearheaded by international celebrities like Grimes (Canadian artist and musician) and actress Lindsay Lohan participating in digital art auctions, the crypto art market’s popularity is snowballing. The media feeding frenzy around celebrity crypto art auctions is instrumental in shining light on the mind-boggling potential of the crypto art market. While it is challenging to accurately determine the exact size of the market, sales of crypto art have comfortably crossed US $300 million a ..read more

Doors. Of every colour and size. Carrying many stories within themselves, and offering a peek inside the lives of those living behind them. Internationally acclaimed artist K.R. Santhana Krishnan has created over 900 door paintings in a career spanning more than 20 years, and he has never tired of the subject. “Raza painted the Bindu for so many years, the same is with Husain and his horses and Vaikuntam with his rural men and women,” says Santhana, explaining why the seemingly humble door is his muse for life. Drawing the viewer in with the use of wooden frames, vibrant colours, rich texture ..read more

The world of fine art is vast and diverse in every sense. Contrary to popular belief, it is not just limited to painting, drawing, and sculpture. Fine art prints make up their own distinct category and are becoming increasingly popular. A sub-category within art prints, limited edition prints are a series of identical prints, limited to a one-time printing of a specific number of pieces, the quantity of which is determined by the artist. From lower price points to diversity in options, the upsides to buying fine art prints are manifold. Here are four good reasons why you should start collectin ..read more

The Renaissance is a unique and culturally rich period in history, marked by a great flourish of philosophy, literature and art in Europe. Immediately following the Middle Ages, the Renaissance era emerged in Italy in the late 14th century, and reached its zenith in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, through Italian art masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, amongst many others. Though the Renaissance as a unified historical period ended with the fall of Rome in 1527, Renaissance art is celebrated till today, for its beautiful representations of humanism and nature. The ..read more

One of the most enduring design movements in history, Mid-Century Modern is still largely prevalent in the furniture and architectural design landscapes. The style is almost ubiquitous in formal as well as informal décor settings, even today, be it in the form of large windows or sleek, streamlined furniture pieces. The timeless style never seems to lose traction, resonating across generations with its clean lines and highly functional designs which always steal the limelight. A mid-century modern décor setting (Source: styleblueprint.com) A Post-War Sensibility Though there is some disagreeme ..read more