Untitled (The Procession)

A major artist of the revivalist Bengal School, Asit Kumar Haldar raised illustrative art in India to a high level of languid beauty. Themes from classical literature formed the main focus of his works as evident in this painting depicting a scene from the Ramayana. It illustrates a procession of the residents of Ayodhya, led by Bharata carrying Rama’s footwear on his head, returning from Chitrakoot, where they had gone to plead with Rama to return to the throne. Done in watercolour and wash— a direct influence of Japanese art—Haldar’s forms, figures and their arrangement reflect the style of the Ajanta cave paintings. The largest painting by the artist, it is likely also the largest depiction of the wash style.