Painting, market scene, by K. H. Ara, watercolour and ink on paper, Bombay, 1945

Painting, watercolour on paper, depicting a fish market. Four women sell fish to some passers-by. The women are seated in the open, some are squatting on the floor while others sit on stools. The fish are exhibited in baskets resting on mats. Two male purchasers stand in the centre and others congregate to the left. At the centre, a small white cat observes the scene furtively. The vibrant scene is painted with bright colours including reds, yellows and blue.

A fish market. Four women sell fish to some passers-by. The women are seated in the open, some are squatting on the floor while others sit on stools. The fish are exhibited in baskets resting on mats. Two male purchasers stand in the centre and others congregate to the left. At the centre, a small white cat observes the scene furtively.

Given by Mr. K. Gandhi

Given by Mr. K. Gandhi. RF: 87/1376

K. H. Ara (1914-85) was an influential member of the Progressive Artists' Group (PAG). PAG was one of a number of Left-wing groups that were active in the 1930-40s Indian cultural scene. In this context, theatre professionals, writers and visual artists united under the 'progressive' banner and loosely endorsed Left-wing ideals to produce and circulate art together. PAG, founded in Mumbai in 1947, included artists Francis Newton Souza, Krishnaji Howlaji Ara, Syed Haider Raza, Hari Ambadas Gade and Sadanand Bakre. PAG members rejected the nationalist art propounded by the Bengal School and embraced the Surrealist, Expressionist, Primitivist and Cubist styles of the international avant-gardes.

Ara lived in Mumbai and worked as a car cleaner for a Japanese businessman. After the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the artist's employer ran away, leaving the house to his servants. Ara continued living and painting in his servant's room for the rest of his life. The artist did not receive a formal education but was trained by Mr. C. Gerrad the Principal of the Sir. J.J. School of Art and encouraged by the then Times of India art critic, Rudy von Leyden. The artist was a member of the Bombay Art Society and Lalit Kala Akademi Judging Committee. He also acted as Secretary for the Artists' Aid Centre. In 1961 he visited Bulgaria as part of an exchange programme sponsored by the Government of India and the Lalit Kala Akademi.

This vibrant scene, painted with bright reds, yellows and blues, depicts an open air fish market. We see four women, some squatting on the floor while others sit on stools, selling fish to some passers-by. The fish are exhibited in baskets resting on mats. Whilst two men purchase some fish, a small white cat observes the scene furtively.

K. H. Ara (1914-85) was an influential member of the Progressive Artists' Group (PAG). PAG was one of a number of Left-wing groups that were active in the 1930-40s Indian cultural scene. In this context, theatre professionals, writers and visual artists united under the 'progressive' banner and loosely endorsed Left-wing ideals to produce and circulate art together. PAG, founded in Mumbai in 1947, included artists Francis Newton Souza, Krishnaji Howlaji Ara, Syed Haider Raza, Hari Ambadas Gade and Sadanand Bakre. PAG members rejected the nationalist art propounded by the Bengal School and embraced the Surrealist, Expressionist, Primitivist and Cubist styles of the international avant-gardes.

IS.92-1987