Jamini Roy (1887-1972) Gouache/ tempera on board, untitled.  Signed in Bengali, image 52 x 36cm 
Jamini Roy (was one of the best-known Indian artists of the 20th century. Born on April 11, 1887 in Beliatore, India, he went on to study under Abanindranath Tagore at the Government College of Art in Kolkata at age 16. While there, he learned academic drawing and painting in the Western tradition. In the late 1920s and early ’30s he rejected his academic training and instead developed a linear, decorative, colourful style based on Bengali folk traditions. During the 1930s and ’40s the popularity of his paintings represented the passage of modern Indian art from its European academic leanings to a renewed interest in traditional iconography and abstract forms. Roy’s subject matter ranged from the Ramayana to Christ to portraits of contemporary figures such as Mahatma Gandhi. The artist garnered impressive success throughout his career, ultimately receiving the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India in 1954, which is the third highest honor that can bestowed upon a civilian. Today, Roy’s works can be found in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida, and the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, among others. Roy died on April 24, 1972 in Kolkata, India