Between Two Worlds

My maternal grandfather was an art historian. Names like Mukul Dey, Jamini Roy and other artists of the Bengal Renaissance period echoed in the house while their original artwork adorned the walls (not that I paid any heed, too busy with my own colouring book). But when I heard of this picture book, I knew I had to sit up and take notice.

“Between Two Worlds” is a picture book biography of Amrita Sher-Gil, a Hungarian-Indian artist born in 1913, one of the pioneers of modern Indian art. She travelled widely, painted boldly, lived life on her own terms – an artist ahead of her time. Meera Sriram’s work in writing this book is phenomenal – condensing the events of Amrita Sher-Gil’s life and simplifying it to suit a younger audience is remarkable. Her contribution in re-introducing the bold artist to readers - especially a female artist of colour who straddled the east-west divide – goes a long way in de-colonising our art bookshelves. Ruchi Bakshi Sharma’s illustrations are mesmerizing – her work of illustrating a book about an artist must have been challenging, but right from the front-endpapers (featuring jigsaw pieces), she doesn’t miss a beat.