Hungarian Village Market

The painting 'Hungarian Village Marker’’ as the name suggests, is one of the few paintings by Amrita Shergil that draws inspiration from the scenes she saw in Hungary instead of India. Her most popular and known works show the version of her identity that she understands from her Indian Father. We see the colours and memories of India she witnessed and how she draws inspiration from them. But a bloodline goes both ways and born to a Hungarian mother, Amrita spent a lot of her early life in Europe. This life in Budapest was also an integral part of her identity. Interestingly, her artistic expression did not change with the change in country. It can be seen that Amrita had an inkling to draw agrarian scenes even in Europe. While Budapest, where she was from, was a busy metropolis in that time, she instead chooses to paint the countryside. Clearly, something about village life, untouched by the industries, appealed to the artist greatly. The dark silhouettes of people blend in with the branching trees and the landscape feels quaint and still, a singular bone-white church stands proud against the evening sky witnessing another busy day at the market coming to a close.