At the same time as abstraction was developing and flourishing across India in the 1970s, emerging artists began to explore figuration through new approaches that expanded upon and challenged earlier generations. In contrast to earlier movements that centred on individual figures and compositions, artists now turned to narrative — from the lives of everyday people to mythologies — as the central concerns of their work.
This lesson will centre on three aspects of art in India in the 1970s: the development of Baroda as a key centre for new movements and for art pedagogy; the emergence of “Pop” art through the pioneering and unique achievements of Bhupen Khakhar; and the broader turn towards narrative through the individual and collective concerns of emerging prominent artists in this decade.