Ganga
1885
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1885
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Ganga is a 1885 paint by Unknown, a Impressionism work, depicting Kalighat, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting depicts a woman with long black hair, adorned in an orange sari and multiple bracelets, sitting on a yellow fish. She has a halo behind her head and is surrounded by blue rays. The woman is holding a red object in her right hand and a white object in her left hand. The woman's attire and the fish she is sitting on suggest that she is a religious figure, possibly a goddess. The halo and blue rays around her head further reinforce this interpretation. The painting's use of bold colors and simple composition is reminiscent of Impressionist and Realist styles. For more information on this style, explore the movement: Impressionism.
The artwork is an opaque watercolour painting on paper from 1885, depicting the river goddess Ganga seated on a lotus flower and a fish. It was acquired in 1894 from Miss M Steele as part of a collection inherited from her mother, a Sanskrit scholar at Cambridge, whose family had connections to India. The piece reflects the Kalighat painting tradition of 19th-century Bengal, characterized by vivid colours, simplified forms, and rapid brushwork. Kalighat artists often portrayed local mythology and societal themes during the period when Calcutta served as the capital of British India.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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