Mother and child

In writing about his art, Hebbar acknowledges the influence of both Amrita Sher-Gil and Paul Gauguin on his early work. He admired Sher-Gil's ability to combine 'Western' painting techniques with Indian subject matter and Gauguin's "powerful execution of character and form". His visit to South India in the late 1940's has sometimes been referred to as the "turning point in his art". The use of bright colors with bold images and strong lines as seen here become characteristic elements of this period. "Now he paints without being conscious of any style or technique. He paints as he feels, always searching and experimenting, for something he has not done before..." (R. Chatterji, 'K.K. Hebbar', Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, 1993.)

The central theme of Hebbar's work has always been "the human figure, and human joy and sorrow", and he often painted images depicting daily activities of the common man as his way of expressing his "love for humanity" and his special concern for the underprivileged.