| Medium | : | Tempera |
|---|---|---|
| Height | : | 10 inch / 25.4 cm |
| Width | : | 14.6 inch / 37.1 cm |
| Dimension | : | W: 37.1 cm × H: 25.4 cm |
A captivating Jamini Roy tempera painting on newspaper, featuring a stylized folk-inspired animal form in earthy tones with bold black contours. This artwork exemplifies Roy’s signature blend of modernist aesthetics and traditional Bengali folk art, making it a timeless collectible.
Jamini Roy | Untitled | Tempera on Newspaper | 10 x 14.6 inches | Circa
This painting is a beautiful work by Jamini Roy, one of the most celebrated modernist painters of India. Executed in tempera on newspaper, it showcases his distinctive style that drew inspiration from traditional Bengali folk art, especially the Kalighat Pat tradition. The artwork depicts a stylized animal figure—possibly a deer or bull—with exaggerated features such as a large, almond-shaped eye and simplified geometric forms. The earthy tones of ochre, brown, and muted green combined with bold black outlines create a rustic, folk-inspired charm. Roy’s use of minimalistic yet powerful detailing emphasizes both symbolic expression and aesthetic purity, reflecting his desire to return to indigenous roots while breaking away from Western academic art.
One of india’s most loved artists, Jamini Roy is remembered for forging a unique indian aesthetic for modern art by bringing together elements of traditional bengali folk art and kalighat patachitras, rendered in clean lines and earthy colours.
Born on 11 April 1887 in a landowning family in Bankura district of Bengal, Roy trained in European academic-realist painting at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta, and began his career painting landscapes and portraits.
Soon, moving away from these, he started experimenting with a more indigenous visual vocabulary. Level surfaces, flattening of design in depth, and the use of dissonant primary colours were aspects of folk painting that Roy incorporated in his work. Also, he took up the volumetric forms of the Kalighat patachitras. However, unlike the spontaneous brushwork of the traditional patuas, Roy’s lines were more restrained and precisely delineated.
Roy would paint several versions of a subject, breaking and reforming the theme over months. Turning his family into a production unit, he tried to emulate a craft-guild mode of artistic production. He painted on a wide range of themes—common people, mythological tales, Christian iconography, as well as visual characteristics of home-sewn Bengal quilts and Byzantine icons.
Roy was awarded the Viceroy’s gold medal in 1935, the Padma Bhushan in 1955, and elected a fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1956. Declared a National Treasure artist in 1976, his works cannot be exported. He passed away on 24 April 1972.
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