The Easel

Archives: Skye Arundhati Thomas

15th April 2025

Singh in exultation

What is going on in Singh’s paintings? A “pioneering” post-Independence artist, her works combine Indian elements like folk narratives and court painting with Surrealist influences. Teeming with ideas her works present detailed narrative tableaux that are “incohesive yet beautiful”. Even western eyes can detect themes of domestic life and India’s history of communal violence. Having struggled to interpret Singh’s work, one writer seems to give up and simply admires the “lush colours”.