In terms of Mukul Chandra Dey's artistic career, what stands out the most is the unique combination of mastery and heart in his works. Being one of the initiators of drypoint etching in India and learning painting from Rabindranath Tagore, then training throughout the US, Japan, and the UK, he created some kind of masterpiece: in a strict Western medium, he managed to infuse the life and spirit of India. However, what is really amazing in Dey's artistic legacy, in my opinion, is the way he portrays people in his pictures. For instance, his etching portrait of Josephine MacLeod, the close companion of Swami Vivekananda, becomes a perfect sample of Dey's artistic genius. Not using traditional oil paints, he chooses to depict the person with the help of etched lines, which creates an impressive image of the calm and dignified look of Josephine MacLeod, who was spiritually connected with the Indian land through Vivekananda. It seems like Dey manages to create a unique and touching atmosphere through his subtle hatchings and gentle tonal contrast of lines. Not only was Mukul Chandra Dey an artist, but he was also a brilliant administrator, being the initiator of co-education as the first Indian Principal of the Government School of Art of Calcutta in 1928. Overall, Mukul Chandra Dey's portrait of Josephine MacLeod, together with those of Gandhi and Einstein, proves the idea of the transcendent nature of art.
​Josephine MacLeod was a fixture in the transnational intellectual network that connected India, Europe, Japan, and the United States. Following Vivekananda's passing, she frequently visited India, staying at Belur Math and Santiniketan, where she fostered connections between Indian nationalists, artists, and international thinkers. Mukul Dey’s portrait captures this living link, immortalizing a Western woman who dedicated her life to championing Indian culture and philosophy on the global stage.
