Devotee

Devotee, which was painted in the initial part of the 1960s with the medium of tempera and fabric, is an extraordinary painting created by Kanu Desai (1907-1980), who is considered to be a famous Indian painter, illustrator, and art director who was the first of its kind in India. He studied under eminent painters in the Bengal School of Art, mainly his mentor Nandalal Bose at Santiniketan. This provided him with the opportunity to evolve a style of visual expression, incorporating lyrical romanticism along with elements of classical Indian art and philosophy infused with spirituality. Although Kanu Desai is well-known for his remarkable silhouette images, portfolio of works namely Jeevan Mangal and Nritya Manjari as well as extraordinary work in Golden Age Indian cinema as an art director in movies such as Baiju Bawra and Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, his temperament works are less known but to be very crucial in their roles of introducing several elements of Indian motifs, religious devotion, and emotional expression. In his artwork titled Devotee, Desai paints an extraordinary moment of spiritual submission and contemplation. The main message of this artwork embodies the essence of Bhakti (devotion), which is the foundational theme of Indian philosophy and culture. The subject shown is depicted in the typical style using elongated forms and smoothly flowing lines that represent the essence of the Bengal School. Tempera works its magic by giving the painting a matte surface quality that contributes to giving numerous flat color planes and smooth tonal transitions. The colors used are subdued, light and earthy with some modest washes taken from the classical Indian mural painting and Pahari miniatures. The composition is designed to focus on the meaning of the work and not on the unimportant details that are distracting the viewer. The position of the devotee is one of calmness, devotion, and deep concentration. Created in the early 1960s, Devotee showcases a phase in the history of modern Indian art whereby artists educated through nationalist art traditions sought to investigate indigenous ideas of spirituality in a changing post-independent nation. Having lived through the diverse times during the Indian independence struggle including participating in the Salt March in 1930 led by Mahatma Gandhi, Desai’s work continuously aimed to root modern Indian identity in a rich basis of cultural and spiritual heritage. Even though his cinematic works resorted to grand theatricality, his paintings including Devotee depict a reflective counter-story. They present a silent personal interaction with the sacred, resonating with the spiritual humanism that is present in the works of Rabindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose. Devotee demonstrates Kanu Desai’s ability to represent feelings through emotions.