Decoding Indian art

If someone tells you that art can be ‘colourfully colourless’, will you believe? For those who get what it means, the art is going to be another exploration as they read A Brush with Indian Art by Mamta Nainy.

For those who don’t get how art can be with colours, and yet without it, must refer to this the black and white book. Beginning from the first drawings, i.e., the cave paintings, the book chronicles artistic traditions and movements in the history of Indian art up to the contemporary era. It also makes clear that to appreciate a piece of art, there is “no magic formula needed.

Ask yourself what the artwork makes you feel and why”. Some pages contain information on where one can visit to satiate the curiosity for art and even include the entry fee of art museums! Aniruddha Mukherjee’s illustrations of Bal Krishna, Raja Ravi Varma, among others, ably support the text.

Title: A Brush with Indian Art

Author: Mamta Nainy

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Price: ₹299