Bapuji

In the early decades of the twentieth century, a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi would have been a subject difficult to ignore by artists. Those decades belonged to the architect of India’s freedom, fondly addressed by the people as ‘Bapu’ (Father), also alluded to in the title by the artist, with the denominator of additional respect—ji. This wood engraving comes from the late Thirties or Forties, given the advanced age in which Gandhi is depicted. Chakravorty, who had trained in wood engraving under Eric Gill in London, captures the gravitas of the Mahatma’s face with dense lines in this powerful profile.