Important Notice

Jamini Roy's life, like his art, is representative of the nationalist movement in post-independence India. His work has played a large role in defining the importance of folk art within the context of Indian modernism. For an artist who is so associated with the rejection of the modern, Western world in a desire to return to his roots, the image of the Christ figure in his works may seem an anomaly. As Debashis Dhar points out, however, "The... Jamini Roy's life, like his art, is representative of the nationalist movement in post-independence India. His work has played a large role in defining the importance of folk art within the context of Indian modernism. For an artist who is so associated with the rejection of the modern, Western world in a desire to return to his roots, the image of the Christ figure in his works may seem an anomaly. As Debashis Dhar points out, however, "The Christ paintings bear testimony to Roy's profound understanding of the visual languages of other culture, not withstanding his indigenism." (Dhar, "Jamini Roy: A Martyr to Mastery," Jamini Roy: National Art Treasure, Kolkata: Purba, 2015, p. 80) His works based on Christian themes, including the present lot, draw from the solemnity of Byzantium art while retaining the bold lines and limited palette of Roy's native pat paintings.

Putting Roy's oeuvre into a larger perspective, Suneet Chopra writes, "Apart from rustic images of the gods of the Hindu pantheon, his images of Christ are not only among the best of his works, but one can feel how Christianity is part and parcel of our home-bred tradition and its history in India goes well beyond its acceptance by Europe. Jamini Roy's Christian images remind us of our own ancient links with this creed requiring no external intervention." (Chopra, "Jamini Roy: Grass Roots Modernism," Jamini Roy, p. 41)

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