‘Black Horse’ by Jamini Roy ~ recreated canvas painting

‘Black Horse’ recreated by me. Orginal painting by Jamini Roy, a painter whose work reflects the folk tradition and culture of Bengal

On the occasion of the Bengali festival of Durga Puja, I want to share my rendition of an Indian artwork by a famous Bengali painter. This is ‘Black Horse’ – an acrylic painting on canvas, originally painted by Jamini Roy. 

Jamini Roy is a famous artist from West Bengal, India and his artwork highlights folk tradition in Bengal while following a simplistic style of painting. He did not want ‘art’ to be accessible only to the rich and the famous. In the 1940’s his popularity as an artist touched new heights. After being exhibited in the British India Street of Calcutta (Kolkata), his paintings caught the attention of the masses, following which the middle class and Europeans became his main clientele. He was greatly influenced by Kalighat Pat, a painting style with bold sweeping brush strokes.

While I was in Kolkata, I have seen many a print of Jamini Ray paintings being sold as home decor art. And when I moved to the US, I wanted something similar for my home. I looked through the paintings online for inspiration and I immediately liked the Black Horse among many others.

Therefore, on a 16 x 20 canvas and with my brand new artist acrylic paints and medium, I started off.

I have not used any stencil and the entire painting is done with a free hand, paint brush and paints. Although the painting looks colorful and simplistic, it required a ton of concentration (for these thin yet neat lines and brush strokes) and three consecutive weekends to complete it. And I am so glad I did it, since it makes me want to re create another artwork by this artist extraordinaire.

The original painting by Jamini Roy is here.

The features of the horse, colors, lines and neat borders make this painting stand out in the world of modern art

If you love art or any particular painting of a famous painter, try and recreate it. You never know what you are capable of doing unless you do it!
Until then, happy painting 🙂