Born in the culturally rich district of Bankura (West Bengal, India) in 1887, Jamini Roy had the privilege of being exposed to the Bengali Folk Art Tradition from a very young age. The unmistakable influence of the Folk Tradition is to be found in his work throughout his career. In fact one can safely say that it was a hallmark of his work.
His awe-inspiring body of work has made him one of the most influential Modern Indian Painters.
The Birth of an Artist
At the tender age of 16, Jamini Roy with his father's blessings undertook a journey to the metropolis of Calcutta from an obscure village in Bankura. His mission in life was to study what he loved most in this world, Art.
He got himself enrolled in the Government School of Art, Calcutta, and there he found a mentor in the famous Bengali artist, Abanindranath Tagore, who himself can be called one of the most important contributors to the genre of Modern Indian Art.
The not so Salad days
Jamini Roy did not have a very auspicious start to his brilliant career. His Academic career ensured that his early works bore the residue of the Bengal School of Mannerism. Though his landscape painting and portrait painting had a distinct postimpressionist stamp, his early works lacked the character that his later work exuded.
His early life was scarred with extreme poverty and hardship, which obviously affected his work.
There is no soul as frustrated as that of an unrecognized artist's; such was the case with Jamini Roy too. He was disheartened with the lukewarm response to his work and therefore took on odd jobs.
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