$5,333
Jamini Roy (Indian, 1887-1972) Cat with Prawn Signed l. r. Tempera on paper, sight size 13 x 16 1/2 in. (33 x 41.9 cm), framed. Condition: Not examined out of frame. Provenance: Purchased from the artist's representative in Calcutta, 1963; private collection, Massachusetts. N.B. Roy's 'genius' is considered by many to be his assimilation of the Bengali folk painting traditions. According to W.G. Archer, there were two characteristics styles of native Bengali art in the mid-1920s: traditional patua painting and Kalighat pat . The traditional style was practiced by wandering bards who created scroll paintings for solely folkloric purposes; whereas the Kalighat pat style was created and sold by villagers outside the Kalighat temple in Calcutta specifically as pilgrimage souvenirs. The traditional style typically depicted Hindu gods and was executed in bold outlines and colors; Kalighat pat depicted everyday rural scenes as well as gods and legends, executed in "rapid flowing curves and daring washes of glowing color." (1) Adopting the formal and thematic elements of both styles, Roy simplified his technique. He came to reject the Western painting medium and support of oil on stretched canvas, opting instead for folk materials such home-spun cloth, wood, or paper. His color palette became limited to "yellow ochre, Indian red and cadmium green (all fashioned out of indigenous rock dust), vermilion (from powdery mercury), grey (out of river wash), blue (from indigo) and w Read more…
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2008-03-07
