''Bride's Toilet'' is an oil on canvas painting, painted by Hungarian-Indian artist

Amrita Sher-Gil Amrita Sher-Gil (30 January 1913 – 5 December 1941) was a Hungarian-Indian painter. She has been called "one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century" and a pioneer in modern Indian art. Drawn to painting from an ear ...

(1913–1941) in 1937. A work of

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

, the painting draws influence from the frescoes of Ajanta and the miniatures of Mughal art, thereby resulting in a masterful amalgam of Indian and European styles. Part of Sher-Gil's well known South Indian trilogy, comprising also ''Brahmacharis'' and ''South Indian Villagers Going to Market'', ''Bride's Toilet'' explores the simplicity and uniqueness of rural life, a recurring subject in her later paintings. When Sher-Gil returned to India in 1934, her approach towards art changed significantly. A number of later artworks revolved around the poor and the underprivileged, the commonfolk and their struggles. ''Bride's Toilet'' depicts a bride's chamber, wherein a young light-skinned woman, presumably the titular bride, is seated. She is half-naked; her palms are covered in mehndi. She is surrounded by two other women and two children. One of the women is dressing her hair, and the other is holding a container. Their faces are expressionless. The painting employs a rich, colourful palette. Tones have been skilfully used. The painting demonstrates Sher-Gil's curious interest in women, their lives and adversities. The painting was one of 33 of Sher-Gil's works displayed at her solo exhibition at

Faletti's Hotel Faletti's Hotel is an old historical hotel in Lahore, Pakistan, which was opened in 1880 during the British Raj by an Italian, Giovanni Faletti. It was closed in the late 1990s for privatisation and re-opened in June 2013 after undergoing major ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, held from 21 to 27 November 1937.

References

{{Amrita Sher-Gil Paintings by Amrita Sher-Gil 1937 paintings Paintings in India Oil on canvas paintings

See also

References