Out of the shadows: See more of the Modernist Prafulla Dahanukar’s work

In life, her work did not receive the attention it warranted. In her 10th death anniversary year, see landscapes, murals and early experiments in abstraction.

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(Image courtesy the Dahanukar family collection)

Among the works Dahanukar created while at Atelier 17 in Paris is a series of experimental intaglio prints that explore geometric, linear and organic forms. These works reflect a range of possible tonalities made from one plate. This print was created in 1961.

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(Image courtesy the Dahanukar family collection)

An untitled portrait from 1971 shows how Dahanukar’s early figural works reflect the concerns of her few female contemporaries, including B Prabha. They represent diverse women in various roles, challenging the predominance of a male

(Image courtesy the Dahanukar family collection)

This work, painted in 1989, is emblematic of the resolved compositions of the artists mid-to-late career. She achieved calm in her compositions through a range of approaches, using brushes and rollers.

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(Image courtesy the Dahanukar family collection)

In the mid to late 1970s, Dahanukar continued to wrestle with the dialogue between abstraction and landscape in her paintings. While her work often resists linear progression, this phase of her practice culminates with the monumental canvas of 1981 seen here, with a tumultuous river of movement and striking contrast between light and dark forms across the horizontal work.