Modern Indian art

Seated Female Figure, Jamini Roy, Tempera

Location: Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Ph-II

Seated against a backdrop with a Bengali architectural element, this painting shows a female form in tribhanga posture with folded hands placed upon her thigh. She is wearing a blue lower garment and a dupatta around her neck in swirling fashion, spread across the composition.

Folk motifs are seen all over with an emphasis on the architecture behind the form. The composition is balanced with a representation of local trees in a minimalistic approach on both sides. Looking towards right, the face of this form points towards blossoming tree and the stem of the flowers.

The hands are seen with aalta representing local aspects of Bengal. Her hair is tied in a bun, decorated with local flowers. The swirling dupatta on her neck reveals the artistic skill of Jamini Roy. 

The eyes are painted in white with an exception to eyeballs. A flat red background is on the model of folk patua painting which was re-popularised by Jamini Roy during his life.