Fearless Self-Taught K H Ara And His Loneliness

“When unaccompanied man thinks, it evokes a passion in loneliness which brings up a timeless gift to own life”


K H Ara

Passion of life overcomes the any creepy path of thousands of miles. The one was K H Ara (b. 16 April 1914 — d. 30 Jun 1985) from India who was famous for his Black nudes paintings.

His full name was Krishnaji Howlaji Ara and considered one of the self-taught artist who ran away from his home at the age of 7. However, his most of the paintings symbol stillness and for the most part, focused on nude paintings.

Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.

John D. Rockefeller

By K H Ara (Credit: DAG)

Before he could join The “Progressive Artist Group” he was struggling with life, but never being hesitant on accepting as it is. He cleaned the cars, worked at houses as a houseboy. He also took part in Salt Satyagraha Movements conducted by M K Gandhi in the year 1869–1948. Not only that, but he was jailed for five months.

The struggling artist never give up even upon the desensitizing of the “Progressive Artist Group” when M F Husain, Souza, Gade, Raza and Bakre flew onshore with the passage of time. He did solo group shows during 1948–1955, his forward-looking travel was notable and reckoned a prime time in his life.

Whatever you are, be a good one.

Abraham Lincoln

Ara travelled to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Baroda and did successful unaccompanied exhibitions. Later, in 1963, he did his most awaited project, “Black Nudes Women” serials in Mumbai. As well as, it was also considered opening ceremony of contemporary Gallery of artist Pandole Art

Painting Of K H Ara

Water colour and gouache on paper (Credit: DAG available for purchase/inquiry)

Finally, a golden time came. Furthermore, Ara travelled to Europe, Japan, Germany and Russia for his alone exhibition. But behind all the success, his patron was Walter Langhammer who analysed his skill of representation of unique art. Walter was editor of illustrated Weekly India helped him get him enrolled in JJ School of ART.

K. H. Ara had sold the rights of his work to Kumar Gallery between 1955 and 1966. Throughout his life, he was a bachelor and adopted a daughter. He died in the same city of his dream and the place where his hard-working memories lay still young when we read K. H. Ara. As well as, the inspirational figure to a young artist.

The artist had strongly criticized: His paintings being “poorly executed”, “wrongly depicted female genitalia” and “not referenced from life”. However, those priceless paintings have greater lushness than unclothed forms. The speciality and uniqueness into his paintings seems given a more grandness to compasses of the single colour.

Nudity Possibly was to overcome his loneliness.

Introduction of K H Ara From DAG World

The dedication of his work while canvassing beautiful ideas were like celebrating his body in bachelor ways. Furthermore, such dedication in K. H. Ara came after when life settled alone without woman in his life. It clearly shows in his uneven representation.

Finding truth is difficult, but Ilya Repin uncovered the truth in his life. Sadanand Bakre was one of the Indian artists who had dual skills. One who confessed how beautiful India is, read Raza on his factors of inspiration.

How The artist Ilya Repin found the truth

The mind of famous artist from Russia Repin (5 Aug 1844 – 29 Sep 1930) was not less than any brilliant man who studied the perfect combination of lights and colours in his work. In his paintings he represented the deep sensitivity of man through the magic of colours. He was one of the renowned artists from the group called “Peredvizhniki” the group of Russians (Painters) who incorporated realism into their work. The group had the best wanderers who formed many paintings and those captured mainly lives of an ordinary people.

“When I found truth, there I found my god, who is the truth itself.”

— Saint Augustine

The first work of Repin after his college (he finished his studies from “Imperial Academy of Arts” in St Petersburg) was “Barge Haulers on the Volga

Barge Haulers on the Volga

His work attracts the attention of any man on this earth. His creativity explains to itself that how superbness was in his brush that left no fallacy in his painting. It gives the fresh sense of hard-work, poverty, and exhaustion of human strength. This is a real work of human involvement with soul and finding the truth inside into the real life.

From most of his paintings it proves how the soul of electrifying senses was prone to capture the real scene and life of peasant into his works. Most of his works were produced during 1885.

Letter to Stasov, Kramskoi wrote on Ilya Repin,

“Repin is capable of depicting the Russian peasant exactly as he is. I know many artists who have painted peasants, some of them very well, but none of them ever came close to what Repin does.”

Self-portrait with Natalia Nordman
Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed (1891)

In his lifetime, he created almost more than 540 paintings and shifted to Finland. And spent his elderly days in his house Penates. The house is now a public museum (It was publicly announced as museum thirteen years later his death.)

Also, you may like, “They Can Put Me In Jungle. Still, I Can Create.” ― M F Husain (The man who had become a prey to the sentimental controversy of India and sought another country for living.)