B. Prabha

B. Prabha (1933-2001) was a prolific Indian artist renowned for her oil paintings, particularly her graceful, elongated figures of pensive rural women, each dominated by a single colour. Her career spanned over 50 exhibitions, with her work included in significant collections such as India's National Gallery of Modern Art, the TIFR Art Collection, and the Air India Art Collection.

Prabha began her artistic journey in an era with few female artists in India, drawing inspiration from Amrita Sher-Gil. Much like Sher-Gil, Prabha's work predominantly featured women, focusing on the plight of rural women, which became the central theme of her work. She also addressed broader social issues such as droughts, hunger, and homelessness, using her art to comment on the trauma and tragedy experienced by women.

Her first exhibition, held while she was still a student at the Sir J. J. School of Art, saw three of her paintings acquired by Homi J. Bhabha for the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. After her marriage to artist and sculptor B. Vithal, her style evolved from modern abstraction to more decorative figuration. The couple's first joint exhibition in 1956 marked the beginning of her formal artistic style, characterized by the elongated, graceful figures that spotlighted the lives and labor of rural women.

Prabha's impact extended beyond exhibitions. Air India began its famed "Maharajah Collection" with six of her paintings in 1956, and she was commissioned for murals by both Air India and the Indian Embassy in Tokyo. Despite the challenges she faced, Prabha's work remains a testament to her ability to capture and convey the essence of rural women's struggles and resilience through her distinctive artistic vision.