A preliminary response to Prosanto Roy’s Untitled (Deepavali) recalls the pictorial language of Gaganendranath Tagore who evolved the poetics of cubism in his inimitable style. The composition is structured by geometric fragments; the tonal range of these units constitutes an elusive play of light that produces a sense of the mysterious, reciprocated by the kaleidoscopic apparition of the central female form. The painting, in its two-dimensionality and architectonic construction, allows the viewer to appreciate an aesthetic that is intended to be celebratory.
published references
Sinha, Gayatri, Poetry and Patriotic Fervour (New Delhi: DAG, 2003), p. 86 Karode, Roobina, ed., Manifestations IV | 75 Artists (New Delhi: DAG, 2009), p. 150 Singh, Kishore, ed., The Art of Bengal (New Delhi: DAG, 2011), p. 234 Singh, Kishore, ed., A Visual History of Indian Modern Art, Volume III: Revivalism and Beyond (New Delhi: DAG, 2015), p. 485
Prosanto Roy
Untitled (Deepavali)
1954
Watercolour on paper
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Prosanto Roy
Untitled (Deepavali)
1954
Watercolour on paper
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