Archibald Herman Müller

Archibald Herman Müller (1878-1960) was one of India's greatest talents of the 20th Century who did a series of academically realistic paintings. Müller was born in 1878 in Cochin, Kerala and received early recognition during his training at the Madras School of Art. Later, he continued to stay in Madras (now Chennai) to work at his brother's photography studio. Müller practised in watercolour, depicting scenes of Indian indigenous locals and locales.

A common theme to Müller's work was the representation of Indian mythology. He painted as a talented mythologist and landscapist, aesthetically illustrating key events of Indian folklore. The ethereal landscape created an aura of serenity and added a mesmerizing layer of glowing stillness. Rendering academically, Müller preferred to travel a lot for inspiration, which is evident in many of his landscapes and naturalistic representations.

As a response to the nationalistic propaganda of the time, he drew inspiration from Indian epics: Mahabharata and Ramayana. More importantly, he had a deep grasp of human anatomy, which gave his naturalism-oriented approach a precise edge. Müller's portraits and depictions from epics led him to fetch multiple awards and critical acclaim.

Müller's work was exhibited in museums all over the world as well as acquired by private collections like Buckingham Palace, London, among others. Some of his notable awards include the gold medal from the Bombay Art Society and the Governor's Prize in Bombay. For his work in historical and mythological portraits, Müller was sought by the Royal households of India. Some of his notable works include Princess Giving a Gift to a Brahmin Boy, The Naga Princess and Shakuntala in the Court of Dushyant. His work has gained a lot more traction after being surfaced in an auction, a few years ago. A H Müller had lived and worked in Jodhpur, Rajasthan in India.