Name the Indian painter influenced by European style :

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3:
Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906) is widely recognized as the first major Indian painter to successfully synthesize European techniques with purely Indian subject matter and sensibility. He pioneered the use of the Western medium of oil painting in India and was notably trained in European academic realism, specifically by the Danish painter Theodore Jensen at the court of Travancore. Varma meticulously adopted techniques like linear perspective, shading, and anatomical accuracy to depict Hindu deities, scenes from epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and elaborate royal portraits. This blend of authentic Indian iconography with the grandeur and realism of European painting made his art immensely popular and fundamentally altered the trajectory of modern Indian art.

The incorrect option is 1:
Nandalal Bose (1882–1966) was a central figure in the Bengal School of Art, a pivotal art movement that developed in the early 20th century. The Bengal School arose in explicit opposition to the European academic art styles taught in colonial institutions. Instead of adopting Western techniques, Bose, under the guidance of Abanindranath Tagore, championed the revival of traditional Indian art forms, such as the wash technique, and drew inspiration from Indian classics like the Ajanta frescoes and indigenous miniature painting styles. His primary artistic objective was to establish an authentic and nationalist modern Indian style, consciously moving away from European dominance.

The incorrect option is 2:
S. H. Raza (Sayed Haider Raza) (1922–2016) was a prominent 20th-century Indian modernist and a founder of the Progressive Artists' Group (P.A.G.). While Raza spent a significant part of his career in France and was influenced by European avant-garde movements, particularly geometric abstraction, his work is characteristic of the post-colonial, modernist wave. This generation of artists often rejected the colonial-era academic realism associated with Varma's style. Therefore, while influenced by European *modernism*, he is not the foundational figure referred to when discussing the initial introduction of European *academic* style.

The incorrect option is 4:
K. K. Hebbar (Kattingeri Krishna Hebbar) (1911–1996) was a distinguished Indian modernist, a contemporary and peer of S.H. Raza, and also a member of the P.A.G. His style was a synthesis of global modernism with a strong foundation in Indian life, drawing heavily from folk idioms and Post-Impressionist influences. Though he utilized techniques that had European origins, he is best known for combining these modern sensibilities with a distinctly Indian subject matter. However, like Raza, he belongs to a later generation of modernists and is not recognized as the pioneer who introduced European academic realism to Indian painting, a role held by Raja Ravi Varma.