Jamini Roy was probably the first artist to depict Christ in an Indian vocabulary. He was looking to test the effectiveness of his bold line and flat colour technique on a subject which was remote from his personal life. Being an orthodox Hindu who had never read the old or new testaments, Roy saw the depiction of Christ as the perfect opportunity. He studied ancient Christian iconography and photo reproductions of renaissance masters and conveyed the essential human characteristics of Christ through symbolism.
The figure of Christ in his paintings were painted in his characteristic style- almond eyes, sharp chips, and a voluminous body. Painted in earthy colours of maroon and brown, these images were perhaps the first popular renditions of Christ in strict Indian vocabulary. The peculiar aspect of the Crucifixion paintings is that they are devoid of any suffering generally seen in Christian iconography. Instead, Christ’s face is tender and looks at the viewer directly causing a sense of powerful discomfort.
(Currently with my brother Ashok Kumar in Bangalore)
