Anjolie Ela Menon

Anjolie Ela Menon was born in Burnpur, West Bengal in 1940. She studied Literature at New Delhi before studying at the J J School of Art in Bombay which she left midway to study in Europe. She studied on a scholarship at Atelier Fresque, Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Art, Paris from 1959-61.

She was drawn to European art and her works reflect this. The translucent glazes inspired by medieval Christian Art. She first prepares the masonite surface by applying thin layers of paint after which she scrapes it and repaints on top with translucent colours to arrive at a smooth polished surface. These deep jewel tones with a slight texture helps to create the haunting quality of her gloomy, still, longitudinal, dark eyed figures. She has constantly re-envisioned her role as an artist right from the early oils on masonite to her murals, mixed media works and sculptures and resisted being categorized by a certain style.