Page 74 - Eye of the beholder

Figure. 22:
Title: Ganesh Janani
Artist: Jamini Roy
Medium: Tempara on Canvas Size: 32 X 20 inches.
Signed: In Bangla. Lower right. Year: 1940s.
GaneSh Janani
Religion in India is a living institution, imbibed in every aspect of social,political and national life. In Bengal, as in other regions of the country, characters from mythology and religion have been brought down from their pedestals and given mundane existences. Radha becomes the girl next door that goes about her mundane chores, Shiv is the village vagabond, while Ram becomes the boy in the neighborhood that every parent exhort their child to emulate. Agomoni songs extend this same concept to the world of music when they lament how the beautiful Parvati could have fared so much better in terms of getting a richer and more handsome husband than the one she ended up with.
Jamini Roy extended and pioneered the concept of plebianisation of mythological and religious characters in Indian modern art. His palette is made of earthy tones; the field of his paintings is sparse; his characters are at once earthly and heavenly, and his paintings are very easy to relate to. Having experimented with western artistic styles (including impressionsm) in his early years, Jamini soon settled upon his inimitable characteristic style which has elements of folk art, kalighat paintings and the traditional Bengal patachitras. ‘GANESH JANANI’ is one of the most coveted and rare themes that Jamini visited multiple times. Since his works are barred from leaving India, sourcing works such as these is increasingly difficult. The enduring appeal of iconic works like these by Jamini Roy lie not in their opulence, but in their simplicity.
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