
Famous Indian paintings are those which are the examples of great expressions of art and leave profound impact in the heart and mind of the viewers. For long, a large number of painters have contributed significantly to this art form of India. It is practically impossible to select a few famous paintings from among a large number of beautiful paintings in India. Some of the most famous Indian paintings include `Shakuntala` by Raja Ravi Verma, Bharat Mata by Abanindranath Tagore, `Lady with Lamp` by Hemen Majumdar, Doll-series by Bikash Bhattacharya, `Mahisasur` by Tyeb Mehta, `Series on Bengal Famine` by Jainul Abedin, `Seated Woman in Sari` by Jamini Roy, `Horses-series` by M.F.Hussain, and many more.
One of the most famous Indian paintings is `Shakuntala` by
Raja Ravi Verma. Ravi Verma, in his beautiful painting, presented the gorgeous
Shakuntala, pretending to get rid of a thorn from her foot, while in reality searching for Dushyantha, her lover, while her companions call her bluff. Spectacular treatment of color along with the restrained strokes and bold portrayal makes this work a masterpiece of raja Ravi Verma`s work. Some of the other famous Indian paintings by Raja Ravi Verma include a painting in which Shakuntala was portrayed as writing a letter to King Dushyanta. It is based on the great Indian Epic of
Mahabharata. Shakuntala can be seen in this painting in a sitting posture with her friends or sakhis; Mitrayarya and Priyamvada. Some of the other famous Indian paintings by Raja Ravi Verma include `Lady Lost in Thought`, `Damayanti Talking to a Swan`, `Arjuna and Subhadra`, `Shakuntala Composing a Love Letter to King Dushyanta`, etc.
`Bharat Mata` is the most famous Indian paintings by the great Indian painter,
Abanindranath Tagore. He painted the Bharat Mata as the
Goddess Lakshmi, dressed in the attire of a Vaishnava nun. The Krishna-Lila series by Abanindranath Tagore form the most prominent paintings in India produced ever. Some of the other famous paintings of this great Indian painter include the Lovelorn Yaksha, the Mother of Ganesha, the Omar Khayyam series, Nandotsav, Alamgir, Gandhi-Tagore, A Drop of Tear on Sun Worship, CF Andrews, Kutum-Kutim, Kavi-Kankan Chandi, Laila-Majnu and Krishnamangal.
`Lady with Lamb`, portraying a woman`s loneliness is one of the most famous Indian paintings by Hemen Majumdar. `Cure of all Ills` is another famous Indian painting by the same painter in which he has depicted the spinning of thread by
Mahatma Gandhi. The great Indian poet and Nobel laureate
Rabindranath Tagore learnt drawing during his childhood and he got enchanted by the sketches of his elder brother
Jyotirindranath Tagore. Tagore`s Self Portrait is regarded as an art of great excellence.

The paintings of Ramkinkar Baij gave a new element to the artistic language, a rare language in the Indian art arena. He has provided a new option to appreciate a work of art. One of the famous paintings of this great painter is `Women at Work`.
Some of the famous Indian paintings were made by
Jamini Roy. He was among the most influential and significant painters of the twentieth Century. This painter developed a style of personal painting inspired mainly by traditional Indian village and folk arts which were mainly from Bengal. He chose themes from sorrows and joys of daily life of rural Bengal, religious theme like; Sri
Chaitanya,
Ramayana,
Jesus Christ and Radha-Krishna, but he presented them without any narrative. He also painted various scenes portraying the life of aboriginal Santhals, like `Santhals engaged in drum-beating`, `dancing Santhals`, `Santhal Mother and Child, etc. Some of the famous Indian paintings by this painter also include St. Ann and the Blessed Virgin, Cats Sharing a Prawn, Makara, Seated Woman in Sari, Cats Plus, Krishna And Radha Dancing, Virgin And Child, Kitten, Crucifixion with Attendant Angels, Warrior King,
Ravana,
Sita and
Jatayu, Krishna and
Balarama, Krishna with Gopis in Boat, Santhal Boy with Drum, etc.
Amrita Shergil was regarded as the first modernist painter of India. Some of his famous paintings include Bride`s Toilet, Siesta, Hill Women, Nudes, South Indian Villagers are Going to Market, Brahmacharis, Banana Sellers, etc. The paintings of F.N. Souza are also of great value. The famous paintings of this great Indian painter appeared ephemeral with his incensed strokes of brush, criss-cross lines and glistening borders. The paintings of F.N. Souza appear futile and grave, mocking and pressing at the observer. Another famous Indian painting is `Abhimanyu` by the famous painter
Dhiraj Chaudhury.
One of the most famous Indian paintings is the `Triptych Celebration` by Tyeb Mehta. Tyeb Mehta was one of the famous Indian artists who known for his brilliant painting. Some of the other major paintings by this painter include `Diagonal Series`, Kali, Santiniketan triptych series,
Mahishasura, etc. `Series on Bengal Famine` is regarded as one of the most famous Indian paintings by Jainul Abedin. Some of the other famous paintings by this painter include `Rebel Cow`, `The Struggle`, `Valiant Freedom Fighters`, `Two Faces`, etc.
Some of the famous Indian paintings include the portraits of
Indira Gandhi,
Satyajit Ray,
Rabindranath Tagore and Samaresh Basu by Bikash Bhattacharya. Some of the famous paintings of
Anjolie Ela Menon include Virgin Mary and Jesus paintings, Unquiet Landscape, The Magician Story, Legend of the seafarer`s wife, Shabnam, etc.
Apart from these there are various other famous Indian paintings by different painters which are known all over the world. There are several paintings of
M F Hussain which are very famous. The `Horses-series` is one of the famous paintings of this painter.
(Last Updated on : 31/05/2011)