Jamini Roy, the painter of Woman with Child, travelled to the countryside of Bengal in the mid-1920s. What was his main aim in going there?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → To learn from folk artisans and the expressive power of their lines
Option (1) To learn from folk artisans and the expressive power of their lines — Correct. In the mid-1920s Roy went to the Bengal countryside to collect pats and learn from folk artisans. He wanted to learn from the expressive power of their lines.
Option (2) To illustrate Bengali primers with woodcuts for teaching new ideas — Incorrect. This was done by Nandalal Bose, who understood the role of art in teaching new ideas. It was not the aim of Roy’s trip.
Option (3) To teach the wash technique as an alternative to western oil painting — Incorrect. Two Japanese artists who came with Okakura taught this at Shantiniketan. Roy went to the villages to learn, not to teach.
Option (4) To paint rural folk at work for the Congress session posters — Incorrect. Nandalal Bose painted the Haripura Posters at Mahatma Gandhi’s invitation. Roy’s trip was made to learn from folk artisans.
NCERT (2026-27): “Woman with Child This is a gouache painting on paper made by Jamini Roy (1887–1972) in 1940. He was called the father of the folk renaissance in India, who created an alternative vision of modern Indian identity. In the mid–1920s, he travelled to the countryside of Bengal to collect folk paintings (pats) and learn from folk artisans. He wanted to learn from the expressive power of their lines.” |