Step into the galleries of NGMA Mumbai, and you enter a forgotten chapter of Indian art. Here, the work of MV Dhurandhar (1867–1944) fills five entire floors. His world was one of devotion, desire, and detail, painted with precision and heart.

Dhurandhar belonged to the Bombay School, a generation that learned to see through the eye of the British realist yet painted with an Indian soul. His art was classical in discipline and local in spirit, reflecting a country in transition between the sacred and the modern.

He taught at the Sir JJ School of Art and worked as a painter, poster artist, and illustrator. His hands moved easily from the royal courts of Sangli and Aundh to the pages of advertisements and calendars. His art never stayed confined to the elite.

There is something deeply humane in his brushwork. His portraits, mythological scenes, and glimpses of everyday life all breathe with tenderness. He could make a woman drawing water, a newlywed bride, or Radha meeting Krishna feel equally alive and dignified.

Dhurandhar had a rare understanding of the female form. He painted women as confident and self-aware, not as muses or ornaments. They occupy their spaces fully, without apology. His gaze was artistic, never objectifying.

He followed Raja Ravi Varma in spirit but gave realism his own rhythm. His work captured the civic and the sacred with the same care. He saw beauty not only in divine figures but also in daily gestures, in the quiet dignity of ordinary people.

History, however, took a different turn. With Independence came a new artistic mood shaped by nationalism and modernism. The Bengal School came to dominate the conversation, while the Bombay School slowly faded from public memory.

To many modern critics, Dhurandhar’s realism appeared old-fashioned. Yet, realism was his way of connecting with the people. Viewers who felt alienated by abstraction found comfort and recognition in his art. He believed beauty should be accessible, not cryptic.

His contribution to applied art was remarkable. He created posters, illustrations, and advertisements that defined the early visual culture of modern India. Here is his portrayal of a Pathare Prabhu Wedding Ceremony. (end)

@Anuraag_Shukla Why is he not known as much as other famous painters of this country, his paintings are so good

We lost a brilliant mind far too soon. Please take a moment to read and remember Akshaya Sivakumar; an IIMA and IIT Madras alumna whose life reminds us how fragile brilliance can be. There are lives that end too early, but never fade.