The centuries of cultural traditions, various
communities and roots have influenced Indian art. Jamini Roy
is one of the pioneering artists in the list of many legendary artists who made
a lasting mark in contemporary Indian art. Famous for his audacious break with
the Western academic style, Jamini Roy adopted the nature of folk simplicity
and colour. His works still amaze generations by their rustic appeal, spiritual
subtexts and powerful cultural identity.
Childhood and Immature Rise in Art
Jamini Roy was born in a small village in
Bengal, and that too in the countryside of the rural way of life of farmers and
artisans. The folk life that he was exposed to at a young age would later form
the foundation of his work. As was common with most of the artists of his era,
he started on the classical European lines at an art school in Kolkata.
Realism, impressionism, and post-impressionism greatly contributed to his early
paintings. Nevertheless, in spite of his perfection in these tricks, he
eventually became disillusioned with copying Western culture.
Roy wanted to have a closer artistic touch to
his origins, something more representative of the routine life and spirit of
India. This realisation led him to try various forms of indigenous art,
especially the Kalighat paintings and the Bengali folk art. This development
was the start of his iconic style.
Features of the Paintings by Jamini Roy
The works of Jamini Roy can be identified at
first glance due to their specific visual language. Instead of using oils and canvases,
he used natural substances, which included homemade pigments, lampblack, earth
colours and homemade paper or cloth. This brought his paintings to earth, the
traditions of the countryside.
Jamini Roy
paintings have some
of the following significant characteristics:
●
Bold Lines and Simplified Forms: His paintings are
characterised by heavy black outlines and scanty details. The characters are
abstract instead of realistic, with the flatness of folk paintings.
●
Bright Colours: Roy has used primary colours and natural
colours like red, yellow, green, blue and white. These vivid colours were a
sign of life, celebration and religion.
Iconic Works and Subjects
The most famous series of paintings by Jamini
Roy is based on Krishna and Radha; the divine couple is depicted in extreme
forms of lyric expressions in playful faces. His portrayals of Mother and Child
are also popular, and they are a source of the warmth and simplicity of
motherly connections.
Santal dancers were another theme that was
frequently used in his paintings, a theme based upon the tribal community of
Bengal. These pieces reflect motion, rhythm and the exultation of the group.
These themes helped Roy not only to celebrate Indian traditions but also to bring
into view communities and stories that are not usually seen in mainstream art.
Philosophy Behind His Art
It was not only aesthetic that Jamini Roy
rejected Western styles, but it was also ideological. To him, Indian art should
have escaped the clutches of colonialism and found its identity again. Through
his reliance on the folk traditions, he linked art with the masses and not the
elite circles.
He offered his works cheaply, and his prices
were usually below that of a basic commodity; this ensured that ordinary
citizens could possess and enjoy art. This is what was at the core of his
philosophy: democratisation of creativity.
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