Woman with Fan

Like other Santiniketan artists who were setting the foundation for an artistic vision that exchanged elite concerns for subaltern views, Benode Behari Mukherjee turned to the environment immediately around him for his inspiration. His studies of people going about their daily tasks—somewhat removed in theme from his large-sized murals—are expressive and resonate with colour: the latter perhaps because he was visually challenged from early in his life. The expressionistic strokes are another attribute of the Santiniketan artists of the time.