Customer Reviews

Amrita Sher-Gil: A Life

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Synopsis from the inside of the dust-jacket:

Amrita Sher-Gil's life was as filled with passion and color as her canvasses. Beautiful and brilliant, she lived life on her own terms, scandalizing the staid society of her times with her love affairs and unconventional ways.

Born in 1913 in Budapest, to a Hungarian mother and an Indian father, Amrita spent her early years in Hungary, India, and in France, where she studied at the renowned Escole des Beaux Arts. Before her untimely death in 1941, she left behind a body of work that no only establishes her as one of the foremost artist of the century but also as a most eloquent symbol of fusion between East and West.

In this fascinating biography, art historian Yashodhara Dalmia charts the course of Amrita's turbulent life, and the development of her dazzling artistic career, as she traces the influences that shaped her, examines her relationships with her family, friend, lovers and mentors, and captures her charismatic aura. Extensively researched and brimming with reminiscences of those who knew Amrita, this is a compelling portrait of the artist who, when she died at the tragically young age of twenty-eight, was probably unaware of her own greatness and of her priceless legacy to Indian art.

My Synopsis:

Unlike the 1984 biography, "Amrita Sher-Gil - A Biography", the author of this book never met Amrita. This book is based on interviews, documents, and photos provided by Amrita's friends and ex-husband, Victor Egan. The format and content of this book is VERY similar to the 1984 biography "Amrita Sher-Gil - A Biography". The book is divided into fourteen chapters and each chapter contains sub-chapters. Throughout the book there are 8 pages of black/white photos and 16 pages of color plates of her works. The book is very well written, lots of informative detailed biographical material and easy reading. If you are more interested in seeing her works, then I recommend "Amrita Sher-Gil - An Indian Artist Family of the Twentieth Century"....it's a larger coffee-table size book full of color plates...but I didn't think much of the biographical material in that book.