Bhumil

This ink on paper work is from a seminal year in the career of J. Sultan Ali. In 1969, he quit Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, to devote himself to painting. He moved to Cholamandal Artists’ Village, the commune founded by K. C. S. Paniker outside what was Madras. Drawing from folklore, the work depicts Bhumil, a localised deity whose name means ‘of the earth’, slaying a demon in the manner of the major Hindu deity, goddess Durga. The intricate detailing on the figures takes off from the complex wall and floor paintings undertaken by women in their village homes.