Yashoda and Krishna

The work represents an instance of the artist's exploration of Hindu mythological themes. The painting depicts the young Krishna as a child and as blue-skinned. The infant Krishna is held by his foster-mother Yashoda. She is draped in a sari which covers her head and Krishna's body almost entirely. All the figures, have very large eyes, a characteristic feature of Jamini Roy's work. A motif of sun in "alpana style" on the top right-hand corner is a logo. The composition is comparable to Western depictions of the Madonna and child.

Jamini Roy (1887-1972) was one of the most important artists of the modern period in India, drawing on the popular and folk traditions of rural Bengal for his inspiration.

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He developed his own personal style which was characterised by bold lines and flat use of colour. He used indigenous materials, including lamp black for the outline drawing, 7 basic colours (Indian red, yellow ochre, cadmium green, vermilion, grey, blue and white), which he applied with organic tempera, earth and mineral pigments to homemade canvas spun with fabric. His paintings can be divided into three main themes: the everyday life of rural Bengal, particularly the women of the Aboriginal Santhal community, Hindu mythological subjects and Christian imagery.