Fatima Ahmed Profile   |    Summary Asked about the influences on her art, Fatima Ahmed names Gauguin, Cezanne, Van Gogh ("whom I admire, but who did not really influence my work") and, most importantly, Modigliani. "At my first Bombay show in 1962, the critics referred to me as the female Modigliani. I was very taken by his elongated figures." After painting for forty years, however, no single influence remains to be seen in her work; rather, Ahmed has forged her own... Read More Asked about the influences on her art, Fatima Ahmed names Gauguin, Cezanne, Van Gogh ("whom I admire, but who did not really influence my work") and, most importantly, Modigliani. "At my first Bombay show in 1962, the critics referred to me as the female Modigliani. I was very taken by his elongated figures." After painting for forty years, however, no single influence remains to be seen in her work; rather, Ahmed has forged her own unique style. A consistent element has been placement of the single feature in a painting with a great deal of open space. "I dislike crowded compositions", she says. Recently, she finished a painting with the two figures, but she stresses "even there, there was still a lot of space." Speaking on her use of light, she explains, "Light can make a lot of difference to a work. The light created within a painting is part of the tonal effects. I always leave certain portions of the canvas light, absolutely white. I am very particular about this, and my finishing touches will sometimes take more than ten days. Subtlety in painting in crucial to me -I want my paintings to be like whispers, not loud cries." Asked about the changes in her work, she says that the first figures were "sculptural", with a dark background, and defined by lines of strong light. Recently such harsh lines have fallen away, and she describes a new lightness in her painting, coupled with the absence of definite lines. "The figure dissolves into the background, the background dissolves, into the figure-there is more of an interplay now." Ahmed tends to work on a single painting at a time, explaining that "I must finish a painting before I can move on." Ahmed continues to work with the technique of floating colors, a process which is quite time consuming. "I cannot correct a painting, because it would create a thickness to the canvas and my aim is transparency. So I cannot paint absent-mindedly." Asked about her goals for the future works, she mentions that she is considering return to watercolors. "In 1990, when I returned to painting after a gap, I showed water colors for the first time. But after that, I returned to oils, which was my first love." Recently, however, she has been looking through her unfinished water colors, as well as contemplating a mixed media project that would combine water colors, gouache, and ink on handmade paper, on a large scale. "This has been brewing in my imagination for some time," she says. The artist lives and works in Pune. Read Less    Education 1960 Diploma in Painting - College of Fine Arts, Hyderabad Exhibitions 1993 Jehangir Art GAllery, Mumbai 1967 Bienalle for Young Artist,... 1993 Jehangir Art GAllery, Mumbai 1967 Bienalle for Young Artist, Paris Group Show 1999 'Miniature Format'-Sans Tache gallery, Mumbai 1998 'Mumbai Artist'- National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai 1997 Mother Teresa - RPG, Mumbai 1997 Fifty Years of Independence - RPG, Mumbai 1995 "Bombay" - RPG,Mumbai 1988 ART FOR CRY, Mumbai 1984 Women Artist-National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi 1975 Gallery Arts-38, London 1999 Christie's auction of Works of Women Artist-WISE, Mumbai 1998 Christie's auction of Indian Art London Read More Read Less Read Less
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