Sudeva and Malati
1890
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1890
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Sudeva and Malati is a 1890 paint by Unknown, a Impressionism work, depicting Kalighat, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows two people, Sudeva and Malati, in a scene. The artist used a lot of detail to show their clothes and surroundings. This painting is interesting because it gives us a glimpse into a specific moment in time, and the way the artist used light and color is notable. You can learn more about this style by looking into the technique of sfumato.
A watercolour and tin-alloy painting on cardboard depicts Sudeva, a Bengali man, in conversation with Malati, a woman wearing a red sari adorned with silver decorations in tin alloy, their names inscribed beneath each figure. Produced around 1890, the work reflects the Kalighat style of 19th-century Bengal, characterized by bold colours, simplified forms, and rapid brushwork. The scene captures a moment of interaction within the social and cultural context of colonial Calcutta, a period when local artists documented contemporary life and traditions.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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