Abanindranath Tagore is one of the leading artists of modern Indian art. Inspired by Mughal and Rajput traditional art and Japanese wash technique, Abanindranath gave Indian contexts a new visual form. He gave importance to the Hindu and Buddhist mythological characters in his paintings and portrayed those in a Indianized earthly manner. Emotional aspects are the major things of Tagore’s paintings. The above painting ‘My Mother’ by Tagore is inextricably linked to the moment of the painter’s profound personal loss. He realised after his mother Saudamini Devi’s death that his family possessed no photographic records or prior likeness of her to preserve her memory. According to historical accounts, during this period, her face appeared to him in a sudden, vivid and ethereal vision. Moved by this spiritual experience Tagore visualised his mental image onto paper. It can be said that this portray carries an idealized quality rather than her actual likeness. the painting was done in a strict side profile view. There is no doubt that Tagore used royal portrayal style of Mughal and Rajput miniature art. He also used Jharokha style border with floral motifs to decorate the painting. There are no dramatic gesture or chaotic expression in her face. Instead, the downward and calm eyes and usage of soft and muted colour palettes, reinforces a mood of quiet contemplation and dignified sorrow. It transformed his individual mother into an archetype of maternal grace, devotion and peaceful transition. It bridges the gap between the earthly presence of his mother and timeless sanctity of her departed soul.
Abanindranath Tagore’s ‘My Mother’ (1912) is a profound masterpiece of modern Indian art, born from the personal grief of losing his mother, Saudamini Devi. Lacking a photographic record, Tagore translated a sudden, ethereal vision of her into an idealized portrait. Painted in a strict side profile, the work brilliantly fuses the royal, disciplined portrayal style of Mughal and Rajput miniatures with a decorative Jharokha-style border adorned with elegant floral motifs. Rather than capturing her exact physical likeness, Tagore sought to bridge the earthly presence of his mother with the timeless sanctity of her departed soul. By shunning dramatic gestures in favor of calm, downward eyes and a soft, muted watercolor palette, the painting evokes a mood of quiet contemplation and dignified sorrow, transforming a deeply personal loss into a universal archetype of maternal grace, devotion, and peaceful transition.
