Painting thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Painting

ca. 1940 - ca. 1944 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Jamini Roy (1887-1972) was one of the most important artists of the modern period in India, drawing on the popular and folk traditions of rural Bengal for his inspiration. He developed his own personal style which was characterised by bold lines and flat use of colour.

The painting depicts the head and shoulders study of five devotees of Vishnu. Three figures stand in the foreground whilst the other two, partially obscured, stand in the background. The figures have the white markings of Vaishnavite ascetics on their foreheads and they have protruding eyes, a characteristic feature of the work of Jamini Roy. Jamini was a supporter of the Indian independence movement and his search for an authentic modern India was a response to this. Part of his search involved the restoration of the collaborative indigenous artisanal labour model. Thus, in his workshop he produced a range of stock motifs which his apprentices then copied, all of which were signed with his name. This work is believed to have been produced by his workshop.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted in watercolour on cardboard
Brief description
Painting, five Vaishnavite devotees, by Jamini Roy or a member of his workshop, watercolour on card, Kolkata, ca. 1940-1944
Physical description
The painting, in watercolour on cardboard, depicts the head and shoulders study of five devotees of Vishnu. Three figures stand in the foreground whilst the other two, partially obscured, stand in the background. Jamini has given the figures a range of skin tones and has used shades of brown, khaki, orange and yellow. The figures have the white markings of Vaishnavite ascetics on their foreheads and they have protruding eyes, a characteristic feature of the work of Jamini Roy.
Jamini was a supporter of the Indian independence movement and his search for an authentic modern India was a response to this. Part of his search involved the restoration of the collaborative indigenous artisanal labour model. Thus, in his workshop he produced a range of stock motifs which his apprentices then copied- all were signed with his name. This painting is a workshop creation.
Dimensions
  • Height: 32.9cm
  • Width: 41.3cm
Content description
Five heads of Vaishnavite devotees.
Marks and inscriptions
Signature in Bengali on right hand side.
Object history
Given by Mr. J.C. Irwin in 1979. RF: 79/1371
Historical context
Jamini Roy (1887-1972) was one of the most important artists of the modern period in India, drawing on the popular and folk traditions of rural Bengal for his inspiration. Born in Beliator, a village in the Bankura district of Bengal, Jamini was raised in a family of small landowners.

In 1906 he entered the Calcutta School of Art and studied under Abanindranath Tagore, the pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art. Abanindranath's tutorage secured Jamini's dexterity both in European and indigenous painting traditions. For a short period Jamini became a portrait painter, a skill for which he was highly regarded in Calcutta. He then experimented with Impressionistic landscapes before rejecting his European training in favour of indigenous art forms.

Initially Jamini adopted the Kalighat style of painting, a popular art form with origins in the rural traditions of Bengal, but found thriving in the back streets of Calcutta. However by the 1920s, Jamini felt that Kalighat paintings had lost their rural ideal having being adapted too much to fit the requirements of their new urban environment. Jamini sought to define an authentic modern Indian art; he therefore travelled through Bengali countryside studying folk painting traditions. He developed his own personal style which was characterised by bold lines and flat use of colour. He used indigenous materials, including lamp black for the outline drawing, 7 basic colours (Indian red, yellow ochre, cadmium green, vermilion, grey, blue and white), which he applied with organic tempera, earth and mineral pigments to homemade canvas spun with fabric. His paintings can be divided into three main themes: the everyday life of rural Bengal, particularly the women of the Aboriginal Santhal community, Hindu mythological subjects and Christian imagery.

Jamini was a supporter of the Indian independence movement and his search for an authentic modern India was a response to this. Part of his search involved the restoration of the collaborative indigenous artisanal labour model. Thus, in his workshop he produced a range of stock motifs which his apprentices then copied- all were signed with his name. This increased the production and dissemination of original works which were then affordable to a wider body of people, not just the rich. Jamini gained an international reputation during the 1940s; his work was exhibited in London in 1946 and in New York in 1953.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Jamini Roy (1887-1972) was one of the most important artists of the modern period in India, drawing on the popular and folk traditions of rural Bengal for his inspiration. He developed his own personal style which was characterised by bold lines and flat use of colour.

The painting depicts the head and shoulders study of five devotees of Vishnu. Three figures stand in the foreground whilst the other two, partially obscured, stand in the background. The figures have the white markings of Vaishnavite ascetics on their foreheads and they have protruding eyes, a characteristic feature of the work of Jamini Roy. Jamini was a supporter of the Indian independence movement and his search for an authentic modern India was a response to this. Part of his search involved the restoration of the collaborative indigenous artisanal labour model. Thus, in his workshop he produced a range of stock motifs which his apprentices then copied, all of which were signed with his name. This work is believed to have been produced by his workshop.
Bibliographic references
  • Arts of Bengal : the heritage of Bangladesh and eastern India : an exhibition organized by the Whitechapel Art Gallery in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum : 9 November-30 December 1979, Whitechapel Art Gallery ..., 12 January-17 February 1980, Manchester City Art Gallery ... . [London]: Whitechapel Art Gallery, [1979] Number: 085488047X (pbk.) : p.56
  • Partha Mitter, The Triumph of Modernism India's artists and the avant-garde 1922-1947, London, 2007
  • W.G.Archer, India and Modern Art, London, 1959
Collection
Accession number
IS.47-1979

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Record createdJuly 21, 2003
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