K. H. Ara

K. H. Ara was born in 1914 in Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Ara was a self taught artist who struggled with poverty while growing up. He moved to Mumbai only when he was seven and made a living cleaning cars. He was imprisoned for participating in Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha Movement. In spite of his adverse circumstances in Bombay, Ara continued with painting in his spare time.

Ara began his career doing landscapes and paintings on socio-historical themes, but he is best known for his still life and nudes. He was one of the first contemporary artists to meticulously use the female nude as a subject, not straying from the limits of naturalism. While he initially used watercolours and gouaches, where his use of the impasto effect often made them resemble oil paintings, he later moved on to the use of oil paints.