Documenting a Community: M. F. Pithawalla

Manchershaw Fakirjee Pithawalla (1872—1937), commonly known as M.F. Pithawalla, was a prominent painter of the Bombay School in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Born in 1872 in the village of Pitha near Surat, Pithawalla's artistic journey began after his family moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) following his father's death in 1888. He was discovered and trained by John Griffiths, teacher of Decorative painting at the Sir J. J. School of Art, where he honed his skills in Academic realist portrait painting.

He also accompanied Griffiths and others on study tours to sites such as Ellora, making detailed copies and sketches of murals, motifs and figures. He belonged to a generation of Indian artists that, following Pestonji Bomanji, were largely uninterested in or unable to draw major stylistic influences from ancient Indian art—in spite of his skill as a draughtsman, although this could also be attributed to the fact that private portrait commissions tended to impose a formal, academic style.

Pithawalla's career was marked by numerous achievements. His first exhibition at the Bombay Fine Arts exhibition in 1894 earned him a silver medal, setting the stage for a successful career. He went on to win several gold medals at the Bombay Art Society, including three consecutive awards, a feat that highlighted his exceptional talent. His work was widely exhibited across India, including shows in Shimla, Darjeeling, Madras, and Pune.

In 1911, Pithawalla travelled to Europe, visiting Italy, Paris, and London. This trip culminated in a solo exhibition at the Dore Gallery in London, making him the first Indian artist to achieve this milestone. His portraits, particularly those of European masters like Velasquez and Rembrandt, were praised by art critic Sir George Birdwood, who noted that they could be mistaken for originals with time. He was appreciated for working quickly too, something he would have picked up during his training at the Sir J. J. School of Art.

Pithawalla's portraits primarily focused on documenting the lives of the colonial elite in India, especially from his own Parsi community. The Parsi newspaper Jam-e-Jamshed described him as a ‘Swadeshi Product’, on account of his growing success in India and abroad. He worked out of a busy studio in Churchgate Street, making finely detailed portraits, including sketches, of lawyers, landlords, and merchants, often depicting them in their formal attire and surroundings. Sometimes he would use photographs for reference, especially for subjects who had been deceased. One of his notable commissions was an album of watercolours featuring women from different Indian communities, created for Queen Mary during her visit to India in 1905.

Throughout his career, Pithawalla held significant positions in the art community. He served as a committee member of the Bombay Art Society for thirty years and was vice-president of the Art Society of India. His work is now part of prestigious collections, including the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, the Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He forms an important thread in the narrative of the Bombay Art School’s evolution, which has been highlighted in DAG's upcoming exhibition, Shifting Visions: Teaching Modern Art at the Bombay School, beginning on 7 March at the Sir J. J. School of Art.