Modern Indian art

Female Figure, Jamini Roy, Tempera

Location: Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Ph-II

Although Jamini Roy was academically trained at the Government School of Arts and Crafts in Kolkata, he adopted representation of simplified forms with flat colours, enveloped within bold lines. The medium, material and themes of Indian folk paintings led him to discard the western medium - oil on canvas. Images from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Krishna-Leela form his subjects.

In this composition, a female form in tribhanga posture is seen in the signature style of Jamini Roy. She is wearing a yellow lower garment with swirling ends and a dupatta, painted around her neck in the shades of yellow and white. The folk motifs are seen all over the composition. 

Looking towards left, the face of this form points towards her left hand, on whichaalta (red pigment applied by females on hands and feet in Bengal on auspicious occasions) is seen. The right hand with elongated fingers points towards her hair which are neatly tied in a bun, decorated with local flowers. Her dangling earring and the payal on her feet balance each other. With bold lines, the form juts out from the frame in an effort to emphasise the main subject, looking away from the observer.