India’s first modernist sculptor also made expressionistic paintings filled with the suggestion of movement. This still-life, therefore, is a rare addition in his oeuvre, the cubist treatment lending free reign to his imagination. The artist uses diagonal lines and planes to recreate a table on which two cocks lie ready for plucking, their spread wings, cockscombs and wattles establishing their identity. The sharp triangles and lines allow for a playfulness that the artist exploits to the hilt in composing this still-life, a genre largely alien to his practice.
published references
Singh, Kishore, ed., A Visual History of Indian Modern Art, Volume III: Revivalism and Beyond (New Delhi: DAG, 2015), p. 539 Singh, Kishore, ed., The Art of Santiniketan (New Delhi: DAG, 2015), p. 234 Tillotson, Giles, Primitivism and Modern Indian Art (New Delhi: DAG, 2019), p. 177 Maitra, Shatadeep, Indian Blue: From Realism to Abstraction (New Delhi: DAG, 2021), p. 125
Ramkinkar Baij
Cocks on the Table
Oil on Masonite board
Enquiry Form
Ramkinkar Baij
Cocks on the Table
Oil on Masonite board
Image Request Form
Images from DAG’s Museum Collection are accessible to artists, educators and researchers for non-commercial, educational use. Submit your details below to request access to use this image.
