A self-taught artist, Nayanaa Kanodia is an economist-turned-painter, who is considered one of the most well-known representatives of l’art naïf or Naïve art, practiced by artists without formal training in the subject.
In her own words, Kanodia is the painter of life and its eccentricities—she paints ordinary people, life on the street, vignettes of middle class existence, and quirks that make their lives charming and evoke humour despite their mundane quality. Her portrayals are known to capture the changing face of Indian society as it absorbs global influences and navigates tradition with westernisation.
Kanodia depicts these myriad slices of life in all their real colour and details on canvases that find an instant connect with those willing to engage with art not strictly academic. The vibrancy of her paintings featuring bright colours of common Indian life—through the attire of people, gaudy furnishing and décor of large rooms—create a world that is real and fantastical at the same time. Her characters bear florid cheeks and deadpan expressions, adding a twist of humour to her works.
Kanodia was born in Pune in 1950 and graduated in economics from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, in 1969. Though she did not take formal training in art, she read books on great masters to learn their techniques, strokes and brushwork, till she developed a distinct language of her own. She also apprenticed under Anjolie Ela Menon for a year.
She held her first solo exhibition in 1986 and since then, has held several solos and group shows across the world. In 1998, Commonwealth Institute held her solo at its newly renovated complex in London, while in 2001, she was invited by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, to exhibit her works. Her paintings are part of several important public and private collections globally, including the permanent collection of Musée International d’art Naïf, Paris.
The artist lives and works in Mumbai.