Madhavchandra Giri (the Mahant)
1880
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1880
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Madhavchandra Giri (the Mahant) is a 1880 paint by Unknown, a Impressionism work, depicting Kalighat, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows three men in bright, flat colors. The man on the left wears a black suit with a tall hat and stripes on the lapels. The middle man has a yellow robe and a red sash over his chest, holding a folded paper. The man on the right stands in green and red, with a strange hat that looks like a crown. The middle man’s face is painted in a simple, blocky style, almost like a cartoon. His bare feet and loose robe suggest he might not be as formal as the others. The whole scene feels a bit like a stage play. This style is part of something called kalighat.
The painting depicts Madhavchandra Giri, the Mahant, in a watercolour and tin alloy work on paper, illustrating an episode from the 1873 Tarakeshwar affair. Shown after his conviction, he is bound by a rope held by a jailer and stands before a fair-skinned jail superintendent, who sits in a black chair holding the Mahant’s warrant of commitment. The Mahant is dressed only in a pleated dhoti and a shawl, while the superintendent’s attire—a black coat with cut-away sides, white trousers, and black shoes—suggests a British or Anglo-Indian background. The work reflects the Kalighat painting…
Read the full account in the museum source.
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