Three Girls by Amrita Sher-Gil

Three Girls by Amrita Sher-Gil

Three Girls was painted by Amrita Sher-Gil .It was the first Painting after her return from Europe following her art studies in Paris. She first studied at Grande Chaumiere with Pierre Valliant and later at Ecole des Beaux-Arts (1930-34).

This painting won her a Gold Medal from the Bombay Art Society in 1937. The award launched Amrita who was later to be celebrated as the first lady of the Indian canvas and influence generations of Modern painters in India.A change in her visual language is observed when compared to that of her paintings done in Europe. The influence of Gaugin in the flattened treatment of figures is noteworthy.The use of red becomes predominant in her work thereafter.

In a coffee table book “A Life Well Lived” ,celebrating family traditions, by Karanvir Singh Sibia he mentions about the three sisters who had modelled for the iconic paintings  and shows a photograph of the sisters with Amrita. He mentions that his mother and her two sisters were the models for this work. Amrita met them during her visit to her grandparents and she was so fascinated by the charm and innocence of her Punjabi nieces that she decided to paint them. This painting was done in March 1935 in the tennis court of Majithia House in Amritsar  with repeated sittings over two to three weeks.

A Special Cover was issued in Delhi on 31 Jan 2013 to mark the Birth Centenary Celebrations of Amrita Sher-Gil .The cover illustrates “The Three Girls” painting.