Untitled (Rama’s Parting)

Shokin Katsuta was a Japanese artist who visited India in 1906-07, staying with the Tagores in Calcutta and teaching Japanese techniques to the artists of the family as well as other students from the Calcutta School of Art. A celebrated artist in Japan, his Indian oeuvre consisted of works largely in the Bengal School style featuring subjects from Indian mythology, of which this striking work on an important episode from the Ramayana is an example. However, hardly any of his works from this period survive. The diaphanous drapes on the women, intricate decorative details, and skilled use of colour come together to make this an iconic work.