Deepshikha Srivastava
Freelancer Artist, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur
E-mail: dipsy.2410@gmail.com
Issue: Volume 2 No. 1 (March 2026) Anubodhan
Received: 25 March 2026 / Accepted: 30 March 2026 / Published: 31 March 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.65885/anubodhan.v2n1.2026.037
Abstract
Art has historically functioned as both a reflection of society and an active agent of transformation. Modern Indian painting emerged at a crucial historical juncture marked by colonial domination, nationalist awakening, and the subsequent challenges of post-independence nation building. Far from being a purely aesthetic endeavour, modern Indian art functioned as a powerful visual medium through which artists negotiated questions of identity, resistance and social transformation. This paper examines how modern Indian painters used visual language to articulate personal, cultural, and political concerns, positioning art as an active agent of social change. Through a critical analysis of selected works by AmritaShergill, M. F. Hussain, Tayeb Mehta and Nalini Malani, the study explores how issues of nationhood, mythology, marginalization and dissent were represented and contested in Modern Indian painting. Shergil’s empathetic representation of marginalized women, Husain’s reconfiguration of myth and nation, and Malani’s feminist interrogation of violence and memory demonstrate how artistic practice intersected with social and political critique across generations. Employing a social art historical and postcolonial modern methodological framework, the paper situates these artists within broader socio-political contexts while analysing their stylistic strategies and thematic preoccupations. By foregrounding identity and resistance as cultural concerns, the research demonstrates that modern Indian painting not only reflected social realities but also intervened in dominant narratives, offering alternative visions of selfhood, history, and power. The paper argues that modern Indian painters operate not merely as an aesthetic endeavour but as a dynamic site of negotiation and social intervention.
Keywords: Modern Indian painting, Social change, Identity, Resistance, Post Colonial Art, Visual Culture, contemporary Indian art
How to cite: Srivastava, D. (2026). Art as a Vehicle of Social Change: Identity, Resistance and Modern Indian Painting. Anubodhan, 2(1), 389–398. https://doi.org/10.65885/anubodhan.v2n1.2026.037