Jamini Roy was one of the earliest and most significant modernists of twentieth century Indian art. From 1920 onwards his search for the essence of form led him to experiment with dramatically different visual style. His career spanning over nearly six decades had many significant turning points and his works collectively speak of the nature of his modernism and the prominent role he played in breaking away from the art practices of his time. Trained in the British academic style of painting in the early decades of the twentieth century, Jamini Roy became well-known as a skilful portraitist. He received regular commissions after he graduated from the Government Art School in what is now Kolkata, in 1916.
The first three decades of the twentieth century saw a sea-change in cultural expressions in Bengal. The growing surge of the nationalist movement was prompting all kinds of experiments in literature and the visual arts. The Bengal School, founded by Abanindranath Tagore and Kala Bhavana in Santiniketan under Nandalal Bose rejected European naturalism and the use of oil as a medium and were exploring new ways of representation. Jamini Roy, too, consciously rejected the style he had mastered during his academic training and from the early 1920s searched for forms that stirred the innermost recesses of his being.
He sought inspiration from sources as diverse as East Asian calligraphy, terracotta temple friezes, objects from folk arts and crafts traditions and the like. What was increasingly apparent from 1920 onwards was that Roy brought a joy and .
Country
India
Dimensions
7.1 X 7.1 cms
Brief Description
Before Jamini Roy evolved his individualistic idiom of
simplified forms, he created artworks that were inspired by
child art. In the NGMA collection there are examples of this
style. This finished drawing titled 'Icarus' (Accession No.-3076)
is a character in Greek mythology who wanted to construct wings
so that he can fly.
Another example work inspired by child art
is a sketch of a hybrid bird-man (Accession 3046).
Detailed Description
Before Jamini Roy evolved his individualistic idiom of simplified forms, he created artworks that were inspired by child art. In the NGMA collection there are examples of this style. This finished drawing titled 'Icarus' (Accession No.-3076) is a character in Greek mythology who wanted to construct wings so that he can fly.
Another example work inspired by child art is a sketch of a hybrid bird-man (Accession 3046).
