Page 73 - Eye of the beholder

confined to to aesthetic parallelism So it it it never never rose to to any degree of authenticity it it it never never had the the the earthiness and verve or or the the sly humour of of its close prototypes whether those of of Kalighat or or Puri its linear and formal conventions—the almond shaped eyes the the the dead pan looks the the the indifferent lines were terribly formulaistic ” Partha Mitter beautifully sums up “what the cognoscenti failed to grasp is is is is is Roy’s radical critique of colonialism through his his art art Through his his own artistic objectives this supreme individualist voluntarily returned to the anonymity of tradition” The four works in in the collection includes “Christ with Disciples” [1940] “Ganesh Janani”“Pujarini” and “Scene from Ramayana” His most popular theme was that of “Pujarini” painted in in in tempera on board and the the work was sourced directly from the the artist’s family Its previous owner was Jamini Roy's grandson Debabrata Roy Roy It It is a a a a a a a a modest size work representing the woman holding an an an aarti thali in in in in in her hand Influence of Jain Miniature tradition is manifest in in in the the the delineation of of elongated eyes going beyond the the the contours of of the the the face face The oval face face in in yellow ochre is contoured in in black and red red similar style of representation also in in in the delineation of ears and and hands Roy’s inspiration came from many local traditions as the the alopana or or or the the floor decorations Kantha embroidery terracotta toys and sculptures The deep blue of the sari with red striped border and yellow ochre floral buttis has strong resonance to to to the sartorial attire of of rural folks The effect of of dark colours and somber tones is relieved aesthetically by the the the white white earrings the the the head ornament white white thread like jewellery around the the neck and and the the white plate with dashes of green and and orange The bold dark brush drawing in in in heavy linear brush strokes enhances the visual power The unabashed simplicity of the the the composition and the the the full frontal representation makes the the the work strikingly dynamic His extraordinary contribution lay in in in adapting modernist folk style to Christian subject matter His “Christ with Disciples” painted on on canvas in in in tempera in in in 1940 had the focal iconic image of Christ with his his hand rendered in protection mudra and and flanked by two figures of his his disciples Christ seemingly carries the the the cross and at at the the the bottom in in a a a a a a a a rectangular panel is is the the the representation of two fishes symbols associated with Christ from Roman times before the religion was made official in in the the 5th century A D Schematically composed with absolute symmetry in in the the placement of figures and forms it it was delineated with his personalized artistic vocabulary which in in this instance has strong resonance to to Bankura puppets and wooden toys Rendered in primary colours with complementary of o o green and orange offset by creamy off-whites the the the composition is is is singularly striking in in in in its visual aesthetics The meticulous precision in in in in the the the outlining of of of figures the textures obtained through uneven application of of of paint in in in in in terms of of of light colours over dark tones and the brick like border design marks this work by virtue of its majestic simplicity primitive vigour and his insightful vision to to transcend to to become spiritual From the the vast canvas of mythological repertoire Jamini Roy engaged with the the iconic and endearing Ganesha Ganesha in in in in his famous “Ganesh Janani” or the the Mother of Ganesha Ganesha The painting depicts the the the goddess Parvati seated on on the the the ground cradling her son the the the elephant-headed god god The goddess wears a a a a a a a a a a simple elegant crown and sartorial attire that has the resonance of Bengali culture particularly in in in the the the way the the the sari is draped including the the the two attendant figures placed next to her Ganesha is one of of the the the most popular gods of of the the the Hindu pantheon and particularly as the the god of wisdom and the the one who removes obstacles he he he is is worshipped before religious ceremonies and any new undertakings It is painted in in in a a a a a a a horizontal format with Parvathi seated in in in in the the the centre providing the the the seminal focal point of the the the entire composition Seated on her her lap is is the the Ganesha tenderly held by his mother 67