Rao Bahadur Mahadev Vishwanath Dhurandhar : The Romantic Realist.

Rao Bahadur Mahadev Vishwanath Dhurandhar : Tribute to the Romantic Realist on his death anniversary.

The year 2017 marked the sesquicentennial year of the birth of one of the legendary painters of Mumbai, Rao Bahadur Mahadev Vishwanath Dhurandhar (1857 - 1944). Dhurandhar was hugely successful in his lifetime and his works covered all known genres of realistic art - portraits, landscapes, episodes from history and mythology, as well as mappings of social life, rendered by way of oil paintings, watercolours, drawings, sketches - most of which were also commercially popular as posters, postcards, book covers and illustrations, as well as oleographs. To commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the artist, the NGMA Mumbai, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, of which I was holding the charge as its Director (February 2013 to October 2018), decided to organise a befitting sesquicentennial retrospective exhibition as a tribute to this great artist from Mumbai (Bombay during the times of Dhurandhar) at the NGMA. 

Considering the mammoth task involved in researching and identifying the works of the artist, which could be assembled to feature in the sesquicentennial tribute exhibition, we decided to constitute ‘Dhurandhar sesquicentennial exhibition organising committee’, which consisted of eminent artists and art connoisseurs that included Dr. Pheroza Godrej, Shri Suhas Bahulkar, Shri Adwaita Gadanayak, Mr Rajan Jaykar, Shri Tejas Garge, Prof. Rajeev Mishra, Prof. Vishwanath Dr. Sable, Ms Brinda Miller and Shri Bharat Tripathi. I had the honour to be the member secretary of the committee. Mr Suhas Bahulkar, with whose scholarship, mentoring, erudition, untiring hard work and research this exhibition was made possible, helped team NGMA Mumbai to curate the exhibition with major support coming from DAG.

The exhibition titled ‘Rao Bahadur Mahadev Vishwanath Dhurandhar : The Romantic Realist’, for the first time ever presented an extensive collection of Dhurandhar’s works that were sourced from across the country and from innumerable sources and collectors - both governmental and non governmental sources. Primary lenders of paintings and archival material for the exhibition include Mr Ashish Anand, DAG, who also funded the exhibition, Mr Jagdish Kumar Agarwal of Swaraj Art Archives, Mr Rajan Jaykar, Government of Maharashtra, Sir J J School of Art and the NGMA. The organising committee overwhelmingly supported us not just with their guidance but also helped us to reach most private collectors from whom the works could be collected for the exhibition. Suhas Bahulkar was the prime mover for the exhibition and he beautifully blended the paintings in the exhibition with some of the very rare original archival materials including Dhurandhar’s gold medals, his sketchbooks, book illustrations, photographs and other ephemera. These works were painstakingly identified and collected from various sources primarily from the extraordinary collections of DAG and Swaraj Art Foundation. The Government of Maharashtra, for the very first time opened up their collections in their museums and some of the most spectacular works of Dhurandhar, which are in their collections were shared for the exhibition. Mr Bhushan Gagrani  and Tejas Garge came out of the way to help us in finding ways and means to wade through those difficult governmental procedures to sign the agreement between NGMA Mumbai and Government of Maharashtra for transporting the extraordinary paintings from different museums in Maharashtra to NGMA Mumbai for the exhibition. Dhurandhar was a voracious painter and the copious amount of work that he has left behind and it’s quality makes him the second most popular Indian artist - second only to the one and only Raja Ravi Varma - in the first half of the 19th century. Dhurandhar works include, among others, the Indian mythological and historical subjects. He was an extraordinarily gifted, preeminent commercial artist whose paintings are also seen in the form of oleographs, calendars and posters. Dhurandhar was a master observer and a compulsive sketcher, which helped him to render minute details of his subjects that were used as illustrations in various books, which were published by scholars and stalwarts like C.A. Kincaid, Otto Rothfield, S. M. Edwards, Seth Purshotam Vishram Mawjee, A. K. Priyolkar among others. Dhurandhar was among the first painter who started working for Industry by way of illustrations, advertisement and posters - in Bombay province -  in the early twentieth century. What is more interesting is that his name, as the illustrator in the book, received the same significance as that of the author of the book, exemplifying his stature.

Dhurandhar’s paintings on Mythological and historical subjects, became very popular and were printed in Oleograph technique that became the pride collection of people, temples and public places. His paintings have  ade their way as far as the Buckingham Palace, UK, and across many different palaces in India ; Gwalior, Chota Udaipur, Baroda, Mysore and others. Like the Gods and goddesses oleographs of Raja Ravi Verma, which adorn the worship places in most South Indian homes, Dhurandhar’s  paintings have found a place in most homes and public space particularly in Maharashtra. Dhurandhar’s paintings reveal his mastery in using light and shadow and crowding his paintings with people, each with distinct features and body language. Among the most popular paintings of Dhurandhar are those that chronicle the coronation story of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The highlight of these paintings include depths and realism, which are depicted in painting that shows the procession at the time of Shivaji’s coronation. Shivaji was the leitmotif of the Dhurandhar family. His grand father was the first man to speak English in Kolhapur and worked in the court of King Shivaji Maharaj’s descendent. Other paintings which vividly and realistically describe the events include his painting of a scene from a Hindu wedding, portraits of a woman labourer and that of a Parsi priest among others. He was one of the most prolific painter of his time who handled almost all subjects of painting that included portrait, landscape, figure compositions and murals, which  were considered as important subjects of his period. He contributed in various branches of painting like portraiture, landscapes, posters, book-illustrations, genre, literature on art and a copious amount of black & white sketches and drawings.

Dhurandhar was born in a respected family ( to Vishwanath Krishnaji and Narmadabai) in Phanaswadi, on 18th March, 1867. He was brought up in Kolhapur, where his parents enjoyed an important social status. He studied at Rajaram High School, Kolhapur, and it is here that his interest in art took root. He was fascinated by what he saw around him in Kolhapur, particularly the sculptures at the Mahalakshmi temple, and the paintings done by traditional painters. He was inspired by Abalall Rahiman, his senior at school. Abalall would go on to join Sir J. J. School of Art, and Dhurandhar reminiscences in his autobiography that he would often watch Abalall paint on the banks of Rankala lake, particularly in the summer of 1887 when Abalall was on his summer break from JJ School of Art. During those days Bombay was the o KY place from where you could appear for the matriculation. In the year 1887, MV Dhurandhar travelled all the way from Kolhapur to Pune by bullock cart and from Pune he went to Bombay by train for writing his matriculation exam. Fortuitously it was during this visit to Bombay that he had an opportunity to meet Abalall at the Sir J J School of Art and the rest is history. He was completely inspired by the ambience of the JJ School of Arts. In the very next year 1888, the Bombay Art Society was established by a Britisher at Bombay to promote art, and an annual art exhibition was organised by them which was mostly restricted to the British artists. 

Dhurandhar dreamed of joining the JJ School of Arts. On his return from Bombay he soon learnt that his idol Abalall has got an extraordinary recognition from society. The very next year - 1888, Abalall was awarded a gold medal at the industrial exhibition, sponsored by the British in Poona (now Pune). This acclaim made Abalall a household name in his home-town of Kolhapur. Dhurandhar was motivated to emulate Abalall and he tried to follow him in his foot steps and accordingly Dhurandhar joined the famed art college, the Sir J J School of Art. Dhurandhar studied at the JJ School of Art from 1890-95. It was at the JJ school that he honed his painting skills and learnt a lot of professional skills about paintings from his teachers and fellow artists. The Director of the J J School of Arts was Mr Griffith, who was very quick to notice the talents of Dhurandhar.

Dhurandhar was a great observer and most of his sketches are based on his observations of day today activities of people, including household works of women.  He was such a compulsive sketcher that even the most mundane and rituals of daily chores of men and women did not miss his attention and all this is evidenced in his hundreds of sketches,  which formed part of  the exhibition. During his college days, in the JJ School of Art, he came across an advertisement - February 1892 - that appeared in the Times of India, which carried an announcement regarding the fourth edition of the exhibition of The Bombay Art Society (BAS; established in 1888). Incidentally the NGMA Mumbai had earlier organised an exhibition of the Bombay Art Society, which was curated by Suhas Bahulkar, and this exhibition too was presented at NGMA when I was the Director. In the last decade of the nineteenth century the Bombay Art Society exhibition attracted quite a lot of interest from artists and the 1992 edition of the exhibition was no different. Artists from across the country were invited to send in their entries—paintings and sculptures. Dhurandhar, who was then studying at the Sir J. J. School of Art also learnt of this exhibition and decided to participate in the exhibition. However he noticed that the participation was only for the British. The Bombay Art Society exhibitions were a major social events and they  attracted quite a large number of people including those from the higher echelons of society and many Britishers. The Bombay Art Society exhibition, which was just in its fourth edition, had attracted a lot of attention of British artists and art connoisseurs. Dhurandhar was then a junior student at JJ School of Art and sought permission from the vice principal, E. Greenwood, to submit his works for the exhibition. He submitted two works and both of his works were executed in charcoal but one was a detailed drawing using powder shading while the other was an example of figure composition of two women chatting while working on their daily chores - one chopping potatoes, the other picking gravel out of rice.

Dhurandhar’s works were immediately noticed by Greenwood who was happy to oblige him to frame his works at the JJ School and submit his works as  student entries. The 4th edition of the BAS exhibition was held in February 1892 at the Secretariat. The Governor of Bombay Presidency (as the region was then called) inaugurated the exhibition. The atmosphere at the exhibition was electric. Crowds of people, painters, sculptors, students of JJ School and the general public gathered at the Secretariat to enjoy the experience. Dhurandhar, JJ student, was in the crowd and was quite nervous about how his artworks would fare against those of other artists, most of who were older and more experienced. Dhurandhar’s work was not only selected for the coveted prize but he also received an award of Rs 50, instituted by JN Tata. It was the first time ever that an Indian painter had won this award at the Bombay Art Society exhibition. Just one year later in the year 1893, both his parents died. In order to support his family Dhurandhar had to take up a job at the Alexandra Girls School as a drawing teacher. A year later he was awarded the Lord Mayo Medal for his consistent progress and good records at the JJ School. In the same year he also received the Bombay Art Society’s award for his painting ‘ Music Lesson’, which interested Raja Ravi Verma so much that he brought this painting. One of his drawings of Pots was chosen by the Principal of JJ School for an article that Griffith wrote for the Indian Art Journal in England. In the year 1995 he married his first wife Bapubai. Unfortunately she could not survive for long and dies during the famous Bombay plague in 1897. Since plague was considered as a deadly infectious diseases not many people could come to see his wife. He was so obsessively involved with his paintings that he drew a painting of his dead wife and titled it she is dead. He was then married to his second wife Gangubai. His artist daughter Ambika was born in the year 1912. It was during this period that he also started doing illustrations for Seth Puroshottam’s Suvarnamala magazine, which became a household name for his illustration. 

Dhurandhar after he completed his studies at the JJ School, he worked for the college and was appointed as the head master in 1910. He was associated with the Sir JJ School of Art for more than four decades. During the initial period of his service at the JJ School, Dhurandhar was compelled by his brother to apply for the post of Draftsman with the Railways. This was one post which carried quite a handsome salary and more over during this period it was fairly well established practice and norm that whatever advice senior members of the family made, that was to be followed. Dhurandhar too had to follow the instructions of his brother who had forwarded him the application of Railways and wanted Dhurandhar to apply for post. Fortunately the application reached the table of Mr Griffith, the Director of Sir JJ School of Art, who was expected to forward the application to the Railways. Griffith called Dhurandhar and explained to him that he will not forward his application to Railways and advised him that he must and should make a career at the JJ School and he also informed him that if he continues to work with the same passion and commitment at the College, one day he can occupy the charge of Director Sir JJ School of Art, which he will never be able to head in Railways. Thus Railways loss became a boon for Sir JJ School of Art and Dhurandhar true to the prophetic vision of Mr Griffith went on to become the first non white Director of the institution before his retirement from the college.  Before becoming the Director of the institution he served under various British principals at the Sir JJ School of Art.  Dhurandhar was a loyal servant of the Raj. He painted the King and Queen receiving obeisance from their Indian subjects and also decorated the Imperial Secretariat.  with his murals representing the laws of the land. One can observe that even the gods and goddesses, which he painted, often were western in their features.

Dhurandhar’s paintings mostly consisted of important incidents from Indian history, narratives from mythology, as well as social themes, which he painted with great felicity. His works included street scenes, wedding feasts, court room dramas, royal visits, pilgrimages and so on. He was such a prolific painter that he even painted his wife who had died due to plague. Dhurandhar belonged to the Pathare Prabhu community and chronicled his community in his paintings. He also worked on portraying the life styles of Maharashtrian society to which he belonged, and of the Presidency of which Bombay was a part. He was therefore also referred to as a  painter of the soil. Dhurandhar can be considered as one of the most significant artists of his time, yet the legacy of M. V. Dhurandhar has not been sufficiently explored despite his prolific body of work and his own memoirs published in Marathi. Befittingly the title of Rao Bahadur was given to him in 1927. He embodied — in his career, as in his life — the best that both Britain and India offered. He also ensured that his daughter Ambika Dhurandhar followed his footsteps to be a painter. Incidentally Dhurandhar took her an extensive European tour,  just before the second world commenced, during which Dhurandhar and his daughter Ambika visited almost all the best of museums in Europe and this visit served his daughter very well in helping her improve her painting skills.

Dhurandhar had to take care of his family and therefore work for him was of paramount importance. He was absolutely sure that his works of art must not be confined only to the drawing rooms and display boards in rich society and palaces but that his works should also find a place in the hearts and minds of common people. Breaking boundaries between high and low, Dhurandhar took his art to the masses through his posters, magazine and book illustrations. His postcards are miniature comic gems that take us on a voyage to old Bombay and this can be seen in the excellent dioramas that are now part of the exhibition at the Bhau Daji Lad Museum. Although he was hugely successful in the early 20th century, M.V. Dhurandhar most unfortunately was a forgotten figure, which may perhaps be because of his position as a member of the colonial establishment and because his style of paintings fell out of favour with the advent of Indian modernism. Dhurandhar, by the time of his death in 1944, became hugely successful and his works covered all known genres of realistic art. Dhurandhar wrote an autobiography titled ‘ Kala Mandiratil Ekachalise Varsha’ which describes his life and works at the Sir JJ School of Art from 1890 to 1931. He also prepared an unique album ‘My Wife an Art’ which consists of 175 sketches drawn by Dhurandhar of his two wives, which he completed at the age of 75. Just before his death he made illustrations for the famous book ‘ The Peoples of Bombay’, a original copy of the book was also displayed in the exhibition. His other major works include the four large murals which he was asked to make and commission at the Imperial Secretariat in Delhi. At the age of 77 years Dhurandhar passed away on the first of June 1944, at his residence in Khar - Amba Sadan.

The sesquicentennial retrospective exhibition at NGMA for the first time ever exhibited some of the best of paintings from the collections of different Museums in Maharashtra namely from Kolhapur, Aundh, Sangli, and also from the collection of Sir J. J. School of Art, the credit for which must go to the Government of Maharashtra for their overwhelming support in helping us in transport of these works from their museums for the exhibition. Most of the other works for the exhibition came primarily from two major sources the DAG and Swaraj Art Archive, among other private galleries.

The exhibition was majorly supported by Mr Ashish Anand of DAG, who also helped us in bringing out an outstanding exhibition catalogue, which documents all the works which were on display at the exhibition in some fair amount of documentation which is sure to help the future generation. 

Some of the high resolution images of the works of Dhurandhar, whose photo documentation has been done in the exhibition catalogue, have been used in this article and the credit for these images go to NGMA Mumbai, and to DAG. 

May the spirit of one of the best painter of all times Dhurandhar continue to spread and may he continue to inspire hundreds of more artist ad scientists from Mumbai.