Jamini Roy
(Indian, 1887-1972)

"Chowkidar" (Watchman)

tempera on paperboard
signed lower right, verso with "Galerie Moderne, Brentano's, New York".
Glazed and framed.
25" x 13-1/2", framed 30" x 18"

Provenance: Galerie Moderne at Brentano's, New York, New York; Collection of Gladys Freeman Cahn (1901-1964), New Orleans, Louisiana; Private collection, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Notes: Born into a prosperous Bengali family, Jamini Roy was taught drawing and painting in the Classical Western style. Early in his career, he painted portraits, but soon realized that he needed to develop his own style, one that would draw inspiration and payed homage to his own culture.
He was influenced by tribal and folk art, particularly Kalighat Pat (Kalighat painting), a linear style of painting utilizing bold, vibrant colors. He strived to capture the life of folk people, make art accessible to the wider audiences and to give Indian art its own identity.

Roy combined folk art, utilizing indigenous materials such as mill-made paper and vegetable-based pigments, with his European training, creating something new and spearheading Indian modern art movement. India's Cultural Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch described the artist: "Jamini Roy's contribution in the growth and shaping of modern Indian art is well-established and enormously significant. His artworks have a particular appeal in the popular imagination because of their strong, simple forms and vibrant colours..."
"The Watchman" is an embodiment of Roy's style.

Chowkidar translates into the guardian of the public space or crossroads called the chowk. Chowkidars can perform duties that are often considered the most dehumanizing, such as serving the rich by standing at their gates. Figures of the Guardians can also be seen carved in stone reliefs on Hindu temples, as protectors of the edifices. Residents of Dev Mogra village revere "Devdarvaniya Chowkidar" who according to the folklore has been guarding their villages and the temple to Goddess Pandori Maata for centuries.

Jamini Roy's "Chowkidar" is not treated as a lowly gate keeper or a guard, but as a revered figure, his large body dominating the frame, his almond eyes staring defiantly at the viewer.

Remnants of tape/hinges along all four edges en verso; repaired diagonal tear lower right (from lower edge into shoe) with corresponding tape en verso; surface dirt; small areas of discoloration throughout. Presented out of the frame.