Rao Bahadur Rai Bahadur (in North India) and Rao Bahadur (in South India), R.B., was a title of honour bestowed during British Raj, British rule in India to individuals for outstanding service or acts of public welfare to the British Empire, Empire. From ...

Mahadev Vishwanath Dhurandhar (18 March 1867 – 1 June 1944) was an Indian painter and postcard artist from the

British colonial era British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. Among his most popular paintings are his illustrations of common colonial-era women.

Early life

Dhurandhar was born in a

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

Pathare Prabhu family at

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. After schooling at Rajaram High School in Kolhapur, he was accepted into J.J. School of Art, Bombay in 1890. There he was student of the artist John Griffiths. As a student he won many medals for his work. He graduated in 1895.

Career

After graduating from J. J. School of Art, Dhurandhar was offered a position at the same school in 1896 where he spent the rest of his career. In 1910, he was appointed as the Head Master. He was appointed Inspector of Drawing and Craft in 1918 and served in that position until 1931. He was the Vice-Principal for two years before retiring. In the year 1938, Dhurandhar was elected as the

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

Style and works

His popular works include documenting the city of Bombay and its people, as well as painting scenes from Hindu mythology and

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīshābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131) (Persian language, Persian: غیاث الدین ابوالفتح عمر بن ابراهیم خیام نیشابورﻯ), commonly known as Omar ...

series. A prolific artist, Dhurandhar is said to have made some thousands of paintings and illustrations, including some that were turned into lithographic prints, such as his illustrations for the book ''Women of India'' by Otto Rothfield (1920). Dhurandhar also designed postcards, provided the illustrations for S. M. Edwardes, ''By-Ways of Bombay'' (1912) and C. A. Kincaid's ''Deccan Nursery Tales'', besides drawing cartoons for the Gujarati periodicals ''Aram'' and ''Bhoot''. He also made religious illustrations published by the Ravi Varma Press. He wrote an autobiography in Marathi about his years at the J.J. School. In 1926, he was commissioned by the ruler of

Aundh State Aundh State was a Maratha princely state during the British Raj, in the Deccan States Agency division of the Bombay Presidency. The Principality of Aundh covered an area of 1298 square kilometers with a population of 88,762 in 1941. The capi ...

, Maharaja Bhawanrao Pantpratinidhi to make paintings on the life of

Shivaji Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

. After he retired from Sir J.J School of Art in 1913, he continued painting and wrote his memoirs about his years at the art School. The book was published in 1940, titled, ''Kalamandiratil Ekkechalis Varshe'' (Forty-one years in the Temple of Art). It has become an authentic documentation on the history of Art of that period.

Paintings

File:Self Portrait of Painter.jpg, Self Portrait of Painter File:Visami Sadi 1916 Magazine cover.jpg, Cover art of 1916 issue of Gujarati magazine File:Shivaji Maharaj and Baji Prabhu at Pawan Khind.jpg, Shivaji Maharaj and Baji Prabhu at Pawan Khind File:Maharani Tarabai of Karvir.jpg, A 1927 depiction of

Tarabai Maharani Tarabai Bhonsle ( Marathi: ̪aːɾabaːi; ; 1675 – 9 December 1761) was the regent of the Maratha Empire from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram I, and daughter-in-law of the kingdom's founder Shivaji I. She is acclaim ...

in battle. File:Lengha Choli.jpg, Lengha Choli File:Radha and Krishna by DHURANDHAR MV.jpg, Radha and Krishna File:Sheshashayi_-_Laxminarayan_by_DHURANDHAR_MV.jpg, Sheshashayi - Laxminarayan File:Shiva's Twilight Dance.jpg, ''Shiva's Twilight Dance''

References

External links