On K.H. Ara, sensitive nudes and the gaze

K.H. Ara, born in 1914 in Bolarum, Secunderabad, was a self-taught artist who rose to prominence in the Indian art scene as one of the founding members of the Progressive Artists' Group in Mumbai. His work is characterised by its vibrant colours, fluid brushwork, and a deep engagement with everyday life. Ara's early paintings often depicted still lifes, nudes, and scenes of Indian urban and rural life, marked by a sense of realism and attention to detail.

Ara was inspired by the ordinary and the mundane, finding beauty in the simplicity of everyday scenes and objects. His nudes, in particular, are notable for their sensitivity and respect for the human form, devoid of eroticism or objectification. The artist's use of colour and light was influenced by his exposure to European modernism, yet his subjects remained deeply rooted in Indian culture and life.

This watercolour nude painting shows a woman quite comfortable in her nudity, something that artist’s often portray as vulgar or suggestive. But here, the subject seems busy in her own world, unaware or unbothered by the gaze of the artist / audience as she stares into the distance. The pose, the facial expression and the setting are so normal, the only anomaly is her dress, or the lack thereof. Yet, this nudity doesn’t demand our attention, rather stands strong and true in itself. The brush strokes echo this sentiment. Very minimal use of black, combined with a choice of colours that stand out on their own, but mingle seamlessly with each other in this composition. None of them yelling out for the eye to acknowledge it first. Comfortable in sharing space. 

This nude, in comparison, makes use of stronger, harsher black lines. The presence of black combined with an overall sombre colour palette suggests a change in mood and tone from the last painting. Here the subject has her back facing the audience / gaze, with her face glancing back. The way in which the face is positioned to the rest of the body indicates recent movement, and I read this as the artist having captured this image just as the subject turns to look at us. Here too, the subject seems content in herself, comfortable with her nudity. The glance back reflects a sudden awareness of the gaze on her, but not an uncomfortableness. More like an acknowledgement of each other's presence, us as the viewer and her as the subject of the gaze. 

This painting’s colour palette is somewhere between the first and second paintings. It makes use of thin black lines in combination with muted colours. A noticeable trend in all of Ara’s work is his use of negative / white space (which could be white paint or the bare canvas) in specific places of his composition to create an almost luminescent effect, especially for his female nudes. Here we see this exemplified and the use of chiaroscuro, an effect of contrasted light and shadow, draws attention to the anatomy of the subject, specifically to the central areas of her body such as the breasts, neck, cheek and stomach. This is complemented by the sheerness of her stole or dupatta, that effortlessly lays over her body. Here again, use of thin black lines show the form and fall of the fabric whereas the slightly rough strokes of paint with possible a dry brush technique creates softness and flow. 

Here we see the same chiaroscuro technique, this time spreading to the landscape behind the subject, drawing attention to the scene as a whole rather than just the subject. As a whole this scene created is glorious. Everything from the flowers, the fruit basket, the view the subject gazes at, to the pose of the subject herself is glorified by Ara’s calm and gentle brush strokes. There is definitely a sensual quality to the painting, but not a dirty or vulgar one. Maybe a sensual serenity.

As I write this formal analysis, I can't help but think that Ara was deeply in touch with a softer and perhaps feminine side, that understood beauty and sensitivity. That didn’t turn nudity into a spectacle, rather understood it as a simple way of being. His work is a liberating and refreshing take on nude portraits. 

Ara’s work reminds me of John Berger’s theory of the male gaze, but the manifestation of this gaze in his works is interesting because it breaks away from the conventional ways in which male artists paint female subjects in the nude. 

Bibliography:

Dixit, A. (2023, March 2). Through the eyes of a connoisseur: K H ara’s fascination with female nudity. Abirpothi. https://www.abirpothi.com/through-the-eyes-of-a-connoisseur-k-h-aras-fascination-with-female-nudity/

K. H. Ara - Biography. Dhoomimal Gallery. https://www.dhoomimalgallery.com/artists/191-k.-h.-ara/biography/