Shiva and Sati
1890
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1890
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Shiva and Sati is a 1890 paint by Unknown, a Impressionism work, depicting Kalighat, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting depicts a man and woman, likely Shiva and Sati, in a dynamic pose. The man, dressed in a white top and yellow skirt, stands with his right arm raised and his left arm bent at the elbow, holding an object. He wears a blue snake on his head and has a third eye on his forehead. The woman, wearing an orange shawl and black skirt, stands behind him, her right arm raised and her left arm bent. The painting's bold colors and expressive brushstrokes give it a sense of energy and movement. The artist's use of contrasting colors, such as the bright yellow of the man's skirt and the deep orange of the woman's shawl, adds to the overall sense of drama and tension. To learn more about the art movement that inspired this painting, explore the world of Realism.
A watercolour and tin alloy painting on paper depicts Shiva cradling the lifeless body of Sati, rendered in the distinctive style of Kalighat painting. The work was donated by M N Varvill in 1955. Kalighat artists, who emerged in 19th-century Calcutta, employed bold colours, simplified forms, and rapid brushwork to capture local myths and social themes under British colonial rule. The painting reflects the cultural and artistic shifts of the period in colonial Bengal.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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