From modernist painter to local folk connoisseur, new book explores different facets of late artist Jamini Roy

A new monograph explores Jamini Roy's evolution - from a Modernist, European painter to a local folk connoisseur - and brings to light the multiple facets of the man for whom art was both a livelihood and a meditative journey. Author Anuradha Ghosh looks at Roy's art and life, right from the late 1910s till his very last days.

Published by Niyogi Books under its 'Pioneers of Modern India' series, "Jamini Roy: A Painter Who Revisited the Roots" closely examines Roy's journey into the realms of Bengal's folk art and the influence various forms of folk art wielded over him.

Not only the painted scrolls of indigenous patuas or the distinctive Kalighat pats, but also the temple murals of Bankura, terracotta figurines, floor art, even folk songs, dances and rituals nourished and nurtured Roy's identity.

Though the artist wanted to embed his works singularly in the folk tradition, western instruction and style do mediate his works. The narrative explores how his lived experience of both the urban and rural informed his style.

The book brings to light the multiple facets of a man for whom art was both a livelihood and a meditative journey, and follows his life of disciplined simplicity along with his quirks and idiosyncrasies.

"The profundity of the essential and the significant in our lives got especially noticed because of the basic lifestyle that we were forced to adapt to then. This point had underpinned not only Roy's life but his art practice as well: his simple, frugal lifestyle was echoed in the simplified, significant forms he worked with," says Ghosh.

"This, unconsciously perhaps, became the central motif of the book, which saw the life of this remarkable man- and his timeless work- as virtually inseparable," she adds.

According to Trisha De Niyogi, director and COO of Niyogi Books, though Roy, being a maestro in painting, has always been widely read, researched, and talked about, there was visibly a dearth of concise handbooks on him.

"We had the vision of giving and shaping an idea of Jamini Roy to the young minds," she says.