Raja Ravi Varma (19th century, Kerala/Travancore): A pioneering painter who blended European academic realism with Indian mythological and historical subject matter, becoming immensely popular through mass-produced oleograph prints (via his own printing press) that brought his depictions of Hindu deities and epic scenes into households across India — often credited with shaping the popular visual imagination of Hindu iconography still influential today.
Amrita Sher-Gil: A pioneering early modernist painter (of mixed Hungarian-Indian/Sikh parentage), known for vivid, emotionally resonant depictions of Indian rural and women's life, blending European modernist technique (she trained in Paris) with Indian subject matter; declared a "National Treasure" artist by the Government of India, meaning her works cannot be exported.
Jamini Roy: Drew heavily on Bengali folk (Kalighat pat) painting traditions, developing a distinctive, simplified, flat-colour style.
Progressive Artists' Group (Bombay, founded 1947): A landmark modernist collective including M.F. Husain (often called the "Picasso of India," known for bold, dynamic figurative work, especially depictions of horses), F.N. Souza, S.H. Raza (known for his geometric "Bindu"/circle-centred abstract compositions), Akbar Padamsee, and K.H. Ara — this group is credited with decisively moving Indian art toward international modernist idioms after independence.
Other notable modern/contemporary figures: Tyeb Mehta, Anjolie Ela Menon, Bhupen Khakhar, Subodh Gupta (contemporary installation/painting).