An Artist And Her Whimsy Art

Economist-turned-painter Nayanaa Kanodia’s journey is a story of talent, passion and vision. Having portrayed India’s culture—past and present—as no one has done before on such a huge time frame, her work is a visual record for generations to come. We interacted with the self-taught artist to learn more about her remarkable journey.

- Anurima Das

BRILLIANT COLOURIST, NAYANAA KANODIA may be considered the pioneer of L’Art Naif in India, a genre until then largely unseen and unheard of in a contemporary context. An Economics Honours graduate and an entirely self-taught artist, except for a year’s apprenticeship with celebrated artist Anjolie Ela Menon, she has established a niche for herself in her chosen field. Having taken French leave from formal training, it enabled her to infuse patterns of strong individualism in her work, long before it was considered a redefining approach for unique and contemporary artists of today. This guided Nayanaa Kanodia to avoid the hierarchy of labels by the art world such as 'highbrow’ or ‘lowbrow' and present the dynamics of social reality in concrete frames of virtuality.

From discipline to framed wonder

“I come from an army background, my father having been a brigadier in the army,” says Nayanaa Kanodia. “During my childhood, with each of my father’s transfers, we shifted to a new city. And this was more often than we could predict! I was, therefore, exposed to many cultures, which went on to influence my life later. I consider myself lucky to have parents who were so broadminded! I was taught to respect all faiths, religions and, more importantly, other people’s viewpoints. Most people found this attitude shocking because half a century back, conservative thinking was the order of the day. I had a very aristocratic and bourgeois upbringing, because both my parents came from extremely cultured and wealthy families.”