Anjolie Ela Menon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anjolie Ela Menon
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| Born | 17 July 1940 Burnpur, Bengal Presidency
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| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Miranda College University of Delhi École des Beaux-Arts The Lawrence School Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art |
| Known for | Painting |
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Notable work
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Yatra, Looking Out of a Window, Acolyte, Portrait of a Young Actor, The Magician Story |
| Awards | Padma Shri (2000) Kalidas Samman for Visual Arts (2018) |
Anjolie Ela Menon (born July 17, 1940) is one of India's most famous modern artists. Her beautiful paintings can be found in major art collections and museums all over the world. She is known for her unique style and use of bright colors.
Menon works with different materials, but she is best known for her oil paintings on a type of hardboard called masonite. She has also created art using Murano glass, computer graphics, and watercolors. Besides painting, she is also a talented muralist, creating large artworks directly on walls. In 2000, she received the Padma Shri, one of India's highest honors.
Contents
A Young Artist's Journey
Anjolie Ela Menon was born in Burnpur, Bengal, which is now part of West Bengal, India. Her background is a mix of Bengali and American heritage.
She attended the Lawrence School, Lovedale, a boarding school in the Nilgiri Hills. She showed artistic talent from a very young age. By the time she was 15, she had already sold some of her paintings!
Higher Education and Influences
After high school, Menon studied at the Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art in Mumbai. She then went on to earn a degree in English Literature from Miranda House, a women's college at Delhi University.
During her college years, she was inspired by the Italian artist Modigliani and Indian painters like M F Husain and Amrita Shergil. At just 18 years old, she held her first solo art show, displaying 53 of her paintings.
From 1959 to 1961, she studied art in Paris at the famous École des Beaux-Arts on a scholarship from the French Government. This gave her the chance to travel across Europe and West Asia, where she studied ancient Romanesque and Byzantine art.
Exploring Her Artistic Style
Anjolie Ela Menon is famous for her oil paintings on masonite. She creates a special glowing effect by painting with thin, see-through layers of color. Her art often features religious subjects, portraits, and figures. She uses a vibrant and rich color palette.
Her style has changed over the years, sometimes showing influences of cubism and at other times looking like the work of Renaissance artists from Europe. In 1997, she surprised the art world by showing a collection of abstract Buddhist art, which was a new direction for her.
Menon has represented India in major international art shows, including events in Paris, Algiers, and São Paulo.
A Life in Art
Anjolie married her childhood friend, Raja Menon, who was an officer in the Indian Navy and later became a writer. They have two sons and four grandchildren. Because of her husband's career and her own, she has lived and worked in many places, including the United States, Europe, and Japan.
She is also an art collector herself. Her personal collection includes works by famous Indian artists like Arpita Singh, F. N. Souza, and Jamini Roy.
Awards and Recognition
Anjolie Ela Menon has received many awards for her contributions to art.
- 2000: The Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award given by the Government of India.
- 2010: Honored by the Limca Book of Records.
- 2013: Received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Delhi State Government.
- 2018: Awarded the Kalidas Samman for Visual Arts by the Madhya Pradesh government.
