Important Notice

The present lot is one such work depicting a Santhal woman as she bends over to look at her reflection in a stream while she adjusts a flower in her hair. The stream in the painting acts as a point of contrast against the dry land that surrounds her. There is a sense of youthful joy to the moment that is highlighted further by the discarded pot by the woman's feet - almost as if she was setting aside her daily chore to indulge in a moment that... The present lot is one such work depicting a Santhal woman as she bends over to look at her reflection in a stream while she adjusts a flower in her hair. The stream in the painting acts as a point of contrast against the dry land that surrounds her. There is a sense of youthful joy to the moment that is highlighted further by the discarded pot by the woman's feet - almost as if she was setting aside her daily chore to indulge in a moment that was simply meant for herself.

"These paintings have something of the recognisability of portraits, and yet the human features are first and foremost those of types rather than individuals. This is significant when we consider that Jamini Roy, the purest painter in Bengal, is at the same time the painter who responds most sensitively to the distinctive characteristics of these sects and tribes...But of course he was not content to rest here. He went on searching for purer line and even more abstract form, which led him next to the brush drawings in lamp-black." (Bishnu Dey and John Irwin, Jamini Roy, Calcutta: Indian School of Oriental Art, 1944, p. 25)

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