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Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush
An artist? A dreamer? A rebel? Who exactly was Amrita Sher-Gil? She was a little bit of all these things, really. Amrita grew up with a great sense of mischief and adventure in two very different worlds, in a village near Budapest, Hungary, and among the cool, green hills of colonial Simla. She defied headmistresses, teachers, art critics and royalty to make her own determined way in the world of grown-ups and art. Join her on a journey through her life, a journey that takes her family through World Wars and political turmoil as they travel in pursuit of love, a home and a modern, artistic education for Amrita!
184 pages, Hardcover
Published May 15, 2018
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90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 12, 2019
I love Amrita Sher-Gil - she's the one artist whose works I never get tired of looking at. And she's not an easy artist to explain to the audience this book is intended for, but Anita Vachharajani does a stellar job of making all aspects of her life, art and temperament highly accessible and engaging. Vachharajani doesn't shy away from the more complex and adult parts Sher-Gil's life and notions. She just explains them simply and honestly, which is such a relief! I love the illustrations and the idea (if not the execution) of the layout, but I'm fairly disappointed by the sloppy copy editing and proofreading. The language could have been much tighter, and there's really no excuse for there to be so many lines to have shifted in the final layouts. There's more than one line with a single word on it through the book.
Having said that, I'd still say this book with its gorgeous illustrations and deep dive into an incredibly interesting life is a wonderful read for child or adult.
Having said that, I'd still say this book with its gorgeous illustrations and deep dive into an incredibly interesting life is a wonderful read for child or adult.
June 18, 2018
A biography of Hungarian-Indian artist Amrita Sher-Gil written by Anita Vachharajani and illustrated by Kalyani Ganapathy written for children and young adults. It is written simply, but with class, keeping the target audience in mind and beautifully illustrated in colour. It also includes a large number of stunning colour prints of Amrita Sher-Gil's work. At 181 pages, it is an eye-opening read about one of India's pioneering artists. Because of the intended audience, the book also leaves out some of the more colourful parts of the artist's life. Overall, great read! Buy it for your children or for yourselves :-). Highly recommended!
May 16, 2021
This biography swept me away to Budapest, Shimla, Florence, Paris, and back to India, this time to Saraya, in a fascinating account of the eccentric life of Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil, daughter of a Hungarian mother and Indian father, whose short life was full of determined imagination, sketching, painting, and a deepening commitment to representing Indian life on canvas. Vachharajani has created a fascinating portrait of an artist that evokes comparisons in independence and representation, both in life and art, to Frida Kahlo. Sher-Gil was innovative, ground-breaking experimenter in subject, color, and composition who died way too soon.
I like to think of Sher-Gil's self-portraits, another strong visual connection to Kahlo's many self-portraits, when I remember this introduction to Sher-Gil. I plan to read more about her life via her letters and further biographies. A wonderful collection of her work is available via Google Arts & Culture and the National Gallery of Art in New Delhi:
Amrita Sher-Gil: Artworks from the Collection of National Gallery of Modern Art
Highly recommended for all Young Adult art and biography collections.
I like to think of Sher-Gil's self-portraits, another strong visual connection to Kahlo's many self-portraits, when I remember this introduction to Sher-Gil. I plan to read more about her life via her letters and further biographies. A wonderful collection of her work is available via Google Arts & Culture and the National Gallery of Art in New Delhi:
Amrita Sher-Gil: Artworks from the Collection of National Gallery of Modern Art
Highly recommended for all Young Adult art and biography collections.
August 11, 2018
'Our long stay in Europe has aided me to discover India. Modern Art has led me to the . . . appreciation of Indian painting and sculpture . . . Has we not come to Europe, I should perhaps never have realised that a fresco from Ajanta, or a small piece of sculpture in the Musée Guimet is worth more than the whole Renaissance.'
– Amrita, in a letter to her parents.
One of the greatest Indian painters, Amrita Sher-gil can be said to be a naturally gifted human being. With the support of her parents, Amrita eventually trained at few of the greatest art institutions of the world, becoming the (unforgettable) star the she is today.
Living in several countries, and being a part of a range of political as well as social experiences—from World Wars to colonialism—Amrita was exposed to and influenced by different art forms and movements in her life. Amrita passionately sketched, painted as well as wrote since a very young age. According to researchers, Amrita Sher-gil (1913-1941) in her short life painted about 173 paintings.
One of the most wonderful fact about Amrita's biography is the presence of details from her heavily documented life—diaries, correspondences with her parents, lover, and friends. Anita Vachharajani, the author of 'Rebel with a Paintbrush' calls Vivian Sundaram's two-volume book on Amrita her guiding star in her project. Moreover, the book is abound with captivating illustrations by Kalyani Ganapathy. The presence of several Amrita's painting in the book adds to its allurement.
However, the book is also has several proofing errors (@harpercollinsch and @harpercollinsin please take note) which was a huge put off. :/
– Amrita, in a letter to her parents.
One of the greatest Indian painters, Amrita Sher-gil can be said to be a naturally gifted human being. With the support of her parents, Amrita eventually trained at few of the greatest art institutions of the world, becoming the (unforgettable) star the she is today.
Living in several countries, and being a part of a range of political as well as social experiences—from World Wars to colonialism—Amrita was exposed to and influenced by different art forms and movements in her life. Amrita passionately sketched, painted as well as wrote since a very young age. According to researchers, Amrita Sher-gil (1913-1941) in her short life painted about 173 paintings.
One of the most wonderful fact about Amrita's biography is the presence of details from her heavily documented life—diaries, correspondences with her parents, lover, and friends. Anita Vachharajani, the author of 'Rebel with a Paintbrush' calls Vivian Sundaram's two-volume book on Amrita her guiding star in her project. Moreover, the book is abound with captivating illustrations by Kalyani Ganapathy. The presence of several Amrita's painting in the book adds to its allurement.
However, the book is also has several proofing errors (@harpercollinsch and @harpercollinsin please take note) which was a huge put off. :/
August 13, 2021
"Europe belongs to Picasso, Matisse, Braque and many others. India belongs only to me."
- Amrita Sher-Gil
In the book 'Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a paintbrush' we get a glimpse into the life of the Hungarian-Indian artist. I wish young me could have read a children's book about an artist who loved wearing saris and painting the Indian culture. This book explains Amrita's life and paintings in a simple and fun way. It also has beautiful illustrations with the texts that are a joy to see! Amrita was a confident woman who did not like to be bound, she was always visiting new places for inspiration. But her love for India was evident in her lifestyle and paintings. She was constantly experimenting with her painting style trying to depict the Indian culture with it's vibrant colours. Amrita was a very inspiring woman for many artists who came after her!
- Amrita Sher-Gil
In the book 'Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a paintbrush' we get a glimpse into the life of the Hungarian-Indian artist. I wish young me could have read a children's book about an artist who loved wearing saris and painting the Indian culture. This book explains Amrita's life and paintings in a simple and fun way. It also has beautiful illustrations with the texts that are a joy to see! Amrita was a confident woman who did not like to be bound, she was always visiting new places for inspiration. But her love for India was evident in her lifestyle and paintings. She was constantly experimenting with her painting style trying to depict the Indian culture with it's vibrant colours. Amrita was a very inspiring woman for many artists who came after her!
May 18, 2021
"I can only paint in India. Europe belongs to Picasso, Matisse, Braque. India belongs to me."
- Amrita Sher Gil
The author of the book is Anita Vachharajani. The illustrator of the book is Kalyani Ganapathy. The was published on 15th May 2018. The genre of the book is biography.
This book is about Amrita's life, her paintings, the places she went to study, and the places she went to look around.
I liked that they added the pictures of the drawings Amrita did.
People who like to read biographies would really like this book very much or people who want to know about Amrita can also read this book.
#Painter #HappyReading #StaySafe
- Amrita Sher Gil
The author of the book is Anita Vachharajani. The illustrator of the book is Kalyani Ganapathy. The was published on 15th May 2018. The genre of the book is biography.
This book is about Amrita's life, her paintings, the places she went to study, and the places she went to look around.
I liked that they added the pictures of the drawings Amrita did.
People who like to read biographies would really like this book very much or people who want to know about Amrita can also read this book.
#Painter #HappyReading #StaySafe
October 17, 2019
The illustrations are beautiful - a must for a book about an artist. I liked the fact that despite it being a book for kids, the author is pretty candid while also being mindful. The anecdotes about historical events and titbits of information on the places and people help complete the story. The writing could have been more engaging.
May 18, 2020
Well written about artist Amrita Sher-Gil. The collection and the illustrations with the research shows how meticulously background work done to bring the story. There are references and notes and text that will help certain details to understand. This will help children to know about the life and work of artist.
January 1, 2021
I'm so happy that, this was my last book of 2020. The biography of Amrita Sher Gil was deeply inspiring. She was a woman of the future. brave and unapologetic. This is book is filled with beautiful paintings of Amrita and warm illustrations by Kalyani Ganapathy. I want to read it again and again. This book will remain in my heart forever. I'm going to gift it to every child that I know.
October 25, 2019
The illustrator, Kalyani Ganapathy's, art work is mesmerising and is what really holds the book together.
April 5, 2021
Easy read with great illustrations, loved getting to know bits and pieces of her life and artwork.
April 3, 2022
Great book with beautiful illustrations.
August 9, 2023
A beautifully illustrated book, and paintings of Amrita Sher Gil are so great, its like visiting a art gallery. Its a whole new experience reading this book.
Read
August 19, 2023A girl who lived in her own terms.
December 10, 2025
this really needed to have improved on the narrative but a lovely, quick gaze through nonetheless
October 10, 2020
Excellent introduction to art for children
The book is written for children, and the tone and language suit the target audience. Real photographs, copies of Amrita's paintings, excerpts from diaries and letters and the beautiful illustrations are very captivating. However, I do think that the editor really dropped the ball on this book, it's filled with grammatical and other copywriting errors. Books for kids should teach them a lot, including good editing imo
The book is written for children, and the tone and language suit the target audience. Real photographs, copies of Amrita's paintings, excerpts from diaries and letters and the beautiful illustrations are very captivating. However, I do think that the editor really dropped the ball on this book, it's filled with grammatical and other copywriting errors. Books for kids should teach them a lot, including good editing imo
April 11, 2019
Rebel with a Paintbrush is a true gem, which will be cherished by adults and children alike. It takes you through Amrita Sher-Gil's life in an engaging manner, laying bare her story along with the major political events and art movements that surrounded and influenced her. She says this about Van Gogh: 'violent emotion and divine restlessness.' Well, I feel this about her and her art.
The organization of the book is carefully detailed in a section at the very beginning of the book. The text matter is divided into three broad sections:
1. Story of the artist's life.
2. Political events and art movements during the span of her short life.
3. Photographs: a. of Sher-Gil's paintings; b. photographs by her father; and c. beautiful illustrations from the artist's life drawn for this book.
However, an important book as this should have undergone a more thorough round of proofreading and been spotless. There are odd line breaks (such as the one on page 127) which to me seems a proofreading miss (unless it's done deliberately, which seems highly unlikely).
All in all, Rebel with a Paintbrush is a beautifully produced book. Rich quality tones have been used to correctly capture Sher-Gil's colours on canvas (saying this out of personal experience because I have worked on a book of her paintings and have seen her canvases at the NGMA, New Delhi).
The organization of the book is carefully detailed in a section at the very beginning of the book. The text matter is divided into three broad sections:
1. Story of the artist's life.
2. Political events and art movements during the span of her short life.
3. Photographs: a. of Sher-Gil's paintings; b. photographs by her father; and c. beautiful illustrations from the artist's life drawn for this book.
However, an important book as this should have undergone a more thorough round of proofreading and been spotless. There are odd line breaks (such as the one on page 127) which to me seems a proofreading miss (unless it's done deliberately, which seems highly unlikely).
All in all, Rebel with a Paintbrush is a beautifully produced book. Rich quality tones have been used to correctly capture Sher-Gil's colours on canvas (saying this out of personal experience because I have worked on a book of her paintings and have seen her canvases at the NGMA, New Delhi).
October 24, 2023
The book is a biography of Amrita Shergil and has beautiful collection of her paintings. Though she passed away at a young age Amrita had a deep sense of art and a keen way of observing her surroundings. It is interesting to see how the topic of her paintings change over the years as she matures. The writing is simple and easy enough for the younger audience to understand. I specially loved the illustrations in the book. Beautifully done.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews