Archive · 17 Aug 2025
Manjit Bawa: Bovines in Art Symbolize Harmony and Resilience
Artist Manjit Bawa loved animals, especially cows, and often painted them.
He grew up around cows and felt a strong connection with them.
His art showed a world where people and animals lived peacefully together.
He started with pictures of animals with people, but later focused on single cows.
Bawa used bright colors and simple lines.
His paintings are meant to be understood in different ways.
Some people see them as stories from myths, while others see them as symbols of strength.
Manjit Bawa's art often depicted humans and animals living in harmony.
Bawa had a deep empathy for animals, especially cows and bulls.
His childhood in a cow shed influenced his recurring bovine motif.
Bawa's style evolved from narrative scenes to solitary bovine figures.
His art aimed for diverse interpretations, sometimes mythical, sometimes symbolic.
- Who
- Manjit Bawa, an Indian artist.
- What
- The art of Manjit Bawa, particularly his depictions of bovines.
- When
- Bawa's art evolved over time, with the bovine motif becoming central in the mid-1980s and 1990s.
- Where
- Bawa was born in Dhuri, Punjab, and studied fine arts in Delhi.
- Why
- Bawa's childhood and empathy for animals influenced his artistic choices.
Artistic Interpretations
Neutral
Diversity of interpretations
Artistic Interpretations
Bawa's art aimed for diverse interpretations, sometimes mythical, sometimes symbolic.
Neutral
No differing views were presented on the interpretation of his art.
- Artist
- Manjit Bawa
- Notable Subject
- Bovines (cows, bulls)
- Influences
- Indian mythology, folklore, Sufism
- Style Evolution
- From narrative scenes to solitary figures
- Key Colors
- Pinks, reds, violet
- Auction Price (1992 painting)
- Rs 25.11 crore (2023)
- Auction Price (1998 painting)
- $780,500