Looking at Amrita Sher-Gil's Mother India

Amrita Sher-Gil’s painting Mother India has received much acclaim but much of it is critical, meaning that critics have mostly interpreted her art through a socio-political lens. Sher-Gil’s critics state that art is always-already fraught with politics. But the learned critics miss a crucial point – politics is constituted by two different modes of thinking and doing and any political interpretation therefore should clarify the mode which the artwork affects. The two planes in which politics operate are -   

One – politics as a condition of life. Imagine the following situation. A person walks into a room and chooses to seat himself next to a particular person at the expense of another one. Such a choice is an everyday act that is based on the person’s preferences, likes, dislikes, tastes etc. which are mostly determined by his position in society. Everyday expressions of tastes/likes/dislikes are inevitably political because they reflect one’s position in society and economy. An interesting aspect of everyday human behavior is that it could be voluntary as well as involuntary. One can consciously develop a taste. His existing tastes, on the other hand, could be a function of his place in society and therefore independent of his control. This holds true for both the educated elite as well the illiterate masses. To live is make choices which are always embedded in a socio-political context. Therefore, politics in this conceptual framework is a condition of life itself.

Two – politics as a mode of organization/ association/party. Ideologically alike individuals form groups to influence public opinion and retail their respective beliefs. The end could be different for different groups. Some might seek to fight elections and capture power while others could stay away from the electoral process and operate through informal networks. But such political behavior is always voluntary.

While these two notions of politics are related, the notion of politics as a condition of life itself can exist independently of the second notion.

So to come back to the topic at hand, if Sher-Gil’s painting is political, it is in the first sense. While creating her art, Sher-Gil is simply fulfilling a condition of her life. The learned critics can very well leave her alone.