It’s the time of the year again, when we take a breath of relief from the torrid heat and thank god for the existence of rain. The petrichor we crave during tropical summers, is just as intense a muse to artists as love, light and darkness can be.
LuxeBook curates some of the best Indian and international artworks that beautifully capture the essence of the monsoons.
Flora Fountain in Monsoon
SH Raza. Source: Saffronart
Padma Shree and Padma Bhusan Awardee, Artist SH Raza, created this masterpiece in 1945 using watercolour and gouache on paper. It was one of his early works as a student at Sir JJ School of Art. This painting of Flora Fountain during the rainy season captures the retro beauty of Mumbai in the colonial-era under a gloomy sky.
Arjun Das is an emerging Indian painter who focuses on three genres; rainy days, figures and Indian mythology. This glorious painting is a scene from a rainy day in Kolkata where people are walking with umbrellas. The reflection of the lights, shops and people on the wet road lends colour to the acrylic painting on canvas.
Banaras in Monsoon
Manu Parekh. Source: Artzolo
Manu Parekh is an Indian painter and a recipient of the Lalit Kala Akademi Award, 1982 and Padma Shri, 1991. He is known for his Varanasi-inspired works. This serigraph, created in 2014, is a limited edition, painted in 27 colours. It features a dramatic scene of Banaras’s landscape during the monsoon.
Afternoon in Monsoon 2
Arup Lodh. Source: Artzolo
Born in Kolkata, artist Arup Lodh has exhibited his work at many places. He has been capturing the cityscapes of Kolkata and Mumbai through his paintings. This artwork makes use of watercolour on Fabriano paper. It encapsulates the wet and foggy feels of the city during the rains.
Monsoon in Mumbai
Ajay De
Ajay De is an acclaimed artist known for his charcoal works. His work has been exhibited, represented and auctioned by art galleries across the world. This masterpiece is one from his Monsoon in Mumbai collection where he has used his signature medium, charcoal, to skillfully depict the rains at Mumbai’s most iconic tourist destination: the Gateway of India.
The dancing droplets – The Lotus feets
Hariom Singh. Source: Fizdi
Hariom Singh has been crafting spiritual paintings taking inspiration from rich Indian mythology. In this work, the artist has depicted the bond between Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha, focusing solely on their feet. In spite of the possibility of heavy rains indicated by the dark backdrop, the two are enjoying their love and companionship as the droplets fall.
Wet Platform 31
Bijay Biswaal. Source: Artzolo
Bijay Biswal is a passionate painter who previously served as the Chief Ticketing Inspector for the Indian Railways in Nagpur. He left his job to dedicate his life to art. His artworks are heavily inspired by trains and railway stations. This acrylic painting features people running away to save themselves from getting wet, something all Indians can relate to.
During his last days, world-renowned artist Vincent Van Gogh, crafted a few paintings of the wheatfields around Auvers, France. This is one of them made using oil on canvas. In this work, dated July 1890, he has depicted the overwhelming emotions of sadness and loneliness that he experienced, but the overwhelming emotion was positive. The Van Gogh Museum notes that the artist wrote to his brother Theo stating, “I’d almost believe that these canvases will tell you what I can’t say in words, what I consider healthy and fortifying about the countryside.”
Yves-Marie In The Rain
David Hockney. Source: The David Hockney Foundation
British painter David Hockney created this masterpiece in 1873. His dear friend and lover Yves-Marie Hervé became his muse as he walked over the Pont des Arts to the Louvre Museum on a rainy afternoon in Paris. It was created with oil on canvas.
Tsuchiyama haru no ame, (Spring Rain, Tsuchiyama)
Utagawa Hiroshige. Source: Christie’s
Japan’s foremost landscapist, Utagawa Hiroshige was the last master of the ukiyo-e tradition. He designed this piece using woodblock print, ink and colour on paper. It is a part of his famous The Fifty-three stations of the Tokaido series. It is part of Christie’s ongoing online auction.
