Lot 436: Mahadev Viswanath Dhurandhar (India, 1867-1944) Bund at Poona

pencil and watercolour on paper, signed and dated 1934 lower left, framed
210 x 290 mm.

Provenance:
Ambika Dhurandhar, the artist's daughter.
Private UK collection from 1995.

The bunds at Poona extend along the banks of the Mula and Mutha rivers. Dhurandhar would often have visited Poona, en route between Bombay and his family home in Kolhapur; as the major provincial Maratha city, Poona contained cultural, educational and Prabhu Pathare caste establishments with strong links to Bombay.

Mahadev Viswanath Dhurandhar was part of the evolution of the art academy in India which created the role of the Indian salon painter and teacher. He was trained at the famous Sir Jamsetjee Jeejbhoy School of Art in Bombay where he became the first and only Indian Principal during British rule.

Art schools were initially established by the British, in order to introduce Western precepts and techniques to utilise and reinforce Indian craftsmanship so that it would find a commercial place in the increasingly industralised world. Painting had hitherto been considered a trade rather than a vocation but these schools paved the way for artists to be given professional recognition. Rather than attracting the artisan however, they appealed to Anglicised middle and upper class Indians. Dhurandhar, from the Pathare Prabhu community of Western India, was one of the first 'middle class' Indians to break the mould and aspire to be a painter. Dhurandhar's style eloquently combines classical Western academic training with traditional Indian craftsmanship and Hindu iconography.

In 1927, Dhurandhar was awarded the title 'Rao Bahadur' by the government of India. He achieved considerable recognition both in Indian and abroad. Queen Mary collected his work for Buckingham Palace, Lutyens commissioned murals for the Imperial Secretariat in New Delhi and the Gaekwar of Baroda was one of his major patrons.