Opium Eater

Opium Eater is an oil painting by Pestonji Bomanji, dated 1908. The work shows a look at a bearded man with long dark hair. He is shown from the chest up against a brown background. His face is turned a little to the side. His eyes are looking down. His expression is calm. This creates a feeling. A simple piece of cloth covers his half. Two necklaces can be seen around his neck. The picture focuses mostly on the mans face and upper body. This allows Bomanji to pay attention to the details of the face the skin color, the hair and the beard. The painting shows Bomanjis style of realism. This style came from his training at the Sir J. J. School of Art in Bombay. He became well known for painting portraits. He also painted pictures of people from the Parsi community and other Indian people. DAG says that his formal training and love for portraits made him one of the painters of the Bombay School. Dagworld The name Opium Eater makes people think that the person in the painting uses opium.. The painting does not show the person taking opium. Instead Bomanji focuses on the person. How he looks. This makes the painting more like a study of a character than a story. The colors are not bright. They are earthy and soft. This gives the person a look. The dark hair and beard stand out against the colors of the face and clothes. The simple background helps keep the focus on the person. This painting is also important in Bomanjis work. Tuli calls him a painter who worked in the academic style. Tuli also lists Opium Eater as an oil painting on board from 1908. The painting was later sold at an Osians auction, in Mumbai in 2001. It was sold for 425,000 rupees.