Anjolie Ela Menon

Anjolie Ela Menon (born July 17, 1940, Burnpur, Bengal [now in West Bengal], India) is an Indian painter and muralist who is best known for her religious-themed works, portraits, and nudes that incorporate a vibrant colour palette and are rendered in a variety of styles ranging from cubism to techniques that recall the artists of the European Renaissance.

After graduating with a degree in English literature from the University of Delhi, she was granted a scholarship from the French government and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, from 1959 to 1961. Menon’s preferred medium was oil on masonite, which she applied by using a series of translucent colours and thin washes. In addition to her paintings and murals, Menon worked in several other mediums, including computer graphics and Murano glass. She considered her style to be an antithesis of modern and postmodern techniques in which paint was applied thickly on canvas. In 1997 she for the first time displayed nonfigurative work, including Buddhist abstracts. She represented India at the Paris, Algiers, and Sao Paulo biennales and at three Triennales in New Delhi. Menon was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, in 2000.