Created in Calcutta around 1916 → subsequently entered the collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru, where it is currently listed in the Reserve Collection.
Pet Deer is a painting created by Kshitendranath Majumdar, representing the leading master of art related to the Bengal School of Art movement. This work is stored in the Reserve Collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru, with the size of 12.5 × 32.2 cm. The artistic technique used by the author of this painting is wash and tempera on paper, which presents the viewer with the artist’s unique style. It is necessary to mention while looking at Pet Deer that this work demonstrates Kshitendranath Majumdar’s preference for Vaishnavite and literary subjects for the creation of art, as well as his mannered line. According to the Museum of India record, most of the compositions by Majumdar are characterized by a languid elongation of the figures in a simple setting of trees and shrubs.
The composition of this artwork is defined mainly by the simplicity of the depicted nature and the delicate lines of the figures and deer presented in the picture. Instead of being overwhelmed with minor and major details, the viewer contemplates the image of people, trees, and animals placed in a modest environment created by the painter. The elongated lines of people and other elements of the composition give this work a gentle and even ethereal appearance. Moreover, the simplicity of the depicted setting in Pet Deer allows the viewer to be focused on other important components of this painting, such as people and deer.
The Museum of India record highlights the painter’s use of elements taken from Ajanta and Far Eastern styles in these works. This stylistic feature can be identified as one of the innovative aspects of the Bengal School, as artists who were involved in its emergence used Indian history in their works and responded to Asian art. The technique of wash and tempera used by Kshitendranath Majumdar, combined with the paper as a medium, makes it possible to appreciate the delicate strokes of the painter’s hand. Thus, it can be concluded that Pet Deer is another illustration of the master’s love for lyrical simplicity and his unique approach to the portrayal of the human figure in art. At the same time, this work is also an example of the rethinking of Indian traditional art, which was developed by the artists of the Bengal School in their works.
Pet Deer by Kshitindranath Majumdar can be briefly analysed as a sensitive study of intimacy between humans and animals, characteristic of the artist’s lyrical approach to Indian subjects. The painting depicts a domesticated deer in a calm, contemplative setting, emphasising its graceful physical presence rather than dramatic action. Majumdar uses soft, muted colours and delicate lines, creating a gentle and almost dreamlike atmosphere. The deer’s slender body, elongated limbs and alert yet subdued posture convey both beauty and vulnerability. The composition reflects the artist’s interest in idealised forms and the poetic treatment of nature. Stylistically, the work demonstrates aspects of the Bengal School of Art, particularly its emphasis on simplified forms, lyrical line work, restrained colour and an inward, contemplative mood. Rather than depicting the animal through strict naturalistic observation, Majumdar transforms it into a poetic and expressive image, giving the ordinary subject a sense of grace and emotional tenderness.
