Page 15 - Eye of the beholder

the the the demon Mahishasura is is depicted The movement of the the the lion on on on which the the the goddess stands has the the the validity of of movement as as she balances herself on the the the animal in in the the the act of of piercing her her trident into the the demon The influence of Mughal miniature tradition finds resonance in in in fin in the the delineation of the the jewellery The composition has symmetry and balance while the the colours used by the the the artist are complementary as the the the green and orange to bring the the the image of Kali alive The iconographical representation includes the goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati as as as well as as as the the two sons of Shiva and and Parvathi namely Ganesha and and Karthikeyan placed on on either side of of Kali and at at her feet respectively The overall effect is one of of decorative splendour with the splendid lotus petaled arch within which the dramatic act is played out The intricacy of rich details in in the the the background which has minute representations of of gods and the the the simulation of of the the the bronze petaled frames are noteworthy of of artist’s dexterous skills of of his firm drawings and deft planning in in the the arrangement of of the the composition Yet he he he has imparted a a a a a a sense of of movement through postures gestures and glances which is is illustrative of of his insightful perceptions of of having studied the European paintings but equally his own local urban environment This painting is is is typical of what is is is referred to as the "Early Bengal" Bengal" or "Dutch Bengal" Bengal" school Executed using oil paints on cloth or or canvas these unsigned works mostly hail from the the region around Bengal from the the early 1800s and are thought to be authored by the the earliest generation of of Indian painters who took to to the the medium of of oil painting Having set up their colony in in in India before the the British the the Dutch were at at that time ensconced in in in Chinsurah and Chandennagore in in the the region around present day Kolkata To cater to the the emerging tastes local artists appropirated the the the the styles techniques and and the the the the media from these dutch and and other european artists and and used them them to portray quintessentially Indian subjects and and themes What emerged was a a a a a a a curious and and amusing blend of western technique and and Indian style characterized primarily by Bengali religious subjects painted in in a a a a a a western style The figures tend to be of Krishna Durga Shiva Kali etc and and are invariably rigid in in their stance and and posture as is is apparent in in in in in this painting One can see traces of of influence of of Kangra and Rajput miniatures in in in in in these paintings paintings along with elements of christian iconographic paintings paintings and the the earliest attempts at at at integrating an element of perspective in in in in in the paintings For a a a a a a long time these paintings were neither studied nor appreciated This has changed substantially in in in the the last decade Paintings of the the "Early Bengal"genre have found a a a a a a a a a a dedicated set of fond collectors both in in in in India and abroad These paintings sporadically come up in in in in international auctions of Indian art and fetch decent prices Museums such as the Peabody Essex Museum in in in Salem Massachussets hold these works in in in their collection Prominent art galleries and collections in India also hold a a a a a good corpus of these works These paintings are historically important as the Bengal oils represent an an interface between two cultures namely Indian tradition and European realism as in in in these paintings an an an an alien medium as oils found a a a a a a a new direction in the local idiomatic language of art SELECT REFERENCE
1 Art of Bengal Exhibition catalogue Published by CIMA Calcutta 2000
2 2 2 INDIAN DIVINE - Gods and and Goddesses in 19th and and 20th Century Modern Art Art Delhi Art Art Gallery 2014
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