Amrita Sher-Gil painted Haldi Grinder in 1940. At that time, what was she seeking inspiration from?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → India’s idyllic rural scene
Option (1) Raja Ravi Varma’s Indianised naturalism — Incorrect. This was Ravi Varma’s own style of Indian themes. Haldi Grinder looks instead to the bright colour patches of north Indian miniatures.
Option (2) India’s idyllic rural scene — Correct. In 1940 she was seeking inspiration from India’s idyllic rural scene, here women grinding dry turmeric.
Option (3) The busy life of Indian cities — Incorrect. The painting shows a village scene of women at a traditional task, not city life.
Option (4) The academic naturalism of art schools — Incorrect. Sher-Gil was trained in modern art in Europe. She painted the women and trees as flat shapes, with no depth in the landscape.
NCERT (2026-27): “Haldi Grinder Amrita Sher-Gil painted Haldi Grinder in 1940. This was the time when she was seeking inspiration from India’s idyllic rural scene. Such a scene, depicting Indian women busy in a traditional activity of grinding dry turmeric, had to be painted in Indian style. It is not surprising that she used bright, saturated pigments to paint this work.” |