4 min readApr 10, 2026 09:47 PM ISTShobha Broota Self Portrait, 1962 Oil on Canvas 24 x 20 inches (Photo: Great Banyan Art)Which is the first recorded human portrait in history? While some believe it is the 26,000-year-old ivory sculpture discovered at Dolní Věstonice in the Czech Republic, other reports suggest it is a 27,000-year-old drawing of a face discovered in the Vilhonneur grotto in France. There might not be a definitive answer to the question but there is consensus at large that the genre itself is perhaps one of the oldest in art.An exhibition at Bikaner House in Delhi titled “Portraits in Time” is celebrating the natural instinct to celebrate the human form through 50 works spanning centuries. “This is very relevant today, at a time when we are constantly capturing photographs and documenting the self,” says Sonali Batra, curator and director of Great Banyan Art. “Tracing the evolution of the human face as a site of expression, power and memory, the exhibition approaches portraiture not as a fixed genre but as an evolving inquiry into identity and visibility.”Presented chronologically, the exhibition traces several trajectories, examining portraiture both as documentation and an interpretative practice, from early European academic realism to the present. The foundation is laid with portrait traditions across European courts in the 18th century and the gradual broadening of patrons and evolution of the form. Reflecting on an 18th century portrait of a Dutch Noblewomen, Batra notes, “Unlike royal court painting in other parts of Europe, Dutch commissions were often made by prosperous merchants, city leaders, and other influential members of society.” Spanish painters, she shares, often emphasised psychological presence over elaborate surroundings.In the Indian context, the exhibition traces the emergence of academic portrait painting during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when European academic training was introduced through institutions established under the British. “These schools emphasised careful observation of the human figure, encouraging artists to approach portraiture with a heightened sense of realism and individuality. At the same time, artists working within regional courts engaged with and adapted these methods through alternative forms of training,” notes Batra. The several portraits of the royalty from the late 19th century include a JP Gangooly depiction of Wasif Ali Mirza (1875–1959), Nawab of Murshidabad, and P Mukundan Tampi’s portrait of Panapillai Ananthalakshmi Ponnamma, adopted daughter of Maharaja Ayilyam Tirunal of Travancore, one of the earliest patrons of Raja Ravi Varma. Krishen KhannaFigure, c. 1970sOil on Canvas62 x 38 inches (Photo: Great Banyan Art)The human figure was to soon become a means of depicting the human condition and complexities of life. The Progressive Artists’ Group, for instance, advocated a bold and experimental visual language. Batra notes: “Drawing upon international movements such as Expressionism and Post Impressionism, their work introduced distortions of form, intensified colour, and a heightened psychological presence, shifting portraiture from outward appearance toward the exploration of the human psyche.”The showcase includes a HA Gade portrait of his daughter Usha Battish, one of FN Souza’s trademark distorted heads, and a Krishen Khanna canvas of a shrouded figure rendered in textured brushwork.There is also the self, one of the most introspective examples of portraiture, among the most compelling being a 1962 oil of Shobha Broota, where the young artist gazes at viewers years before she turned to abstraction as a defining aspect of her practice.Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More © The Indian Express Pvt LtdAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...