Page 93 - Eye of the beholder

was never in the services of the court and Chhatrapati Shahu understood his predicament and allowed him to freely pursue his passion and interest while he continued his payment from the Durbar.
Though Abalal had the ability to communicate his visual expressions in many mediums; it was the water colours that remained his favourite. His predilection lay in observing the beauties of nature and observing the play of light and shade as evidenced in his works. He had the ability to capture not only the light effects to mark the part of the day but was capable of evoking a mood. The painting in the collection titled “Panchal Fort” rendered in water colors is delicate and poetic. His mastery of perspective in showing topography with the fort situated on a high hill speaks eloquently of his skills in drawing. The scene captured during summer perhaps on a bright sunny day and with a cloudless sky is evocative of impressionist paintings. The parched landscape has been rendered with broken brush strokes and the sparse population evident from a few houses. The deftness and facility in handling the forms was reflective of his brilliance and talent. The subtle nuances of shades ranging from browns to off whites offer the effects of light and imparted a sense of depth to the painting. Painted just a year before his death, the work metaphorically carries the idea of reclusiveness a dimension of his persona, yet has the strange foreboding of death. According to the artistic milieu of his time the work was neither picturesque nor sublime but exuded a strong individuality that characterized Abalal’s works.
Abalal's paintings are in Kolhapur Palace collection and many private collections. Generous by nature he was quick in giving away his work to those who requested him without a thought of payment. Many painters of Kolhapur took inspiration from him including famous painter Rao Bahadur M.V. Dhurandhar.
Abalal died on 28th December 1931
SELECT REFERENCE
Nalini Bhagawat, Abalal Rahiman [publication details not available]
Partha Mitter, “Art and Nationalism in Colonial India, 1850-1922: Occidental Orientations”, Cambridge University Press, New York 1994
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