Week 10 Write Up

I visited the University of Oregon Museum and examined the work of Jamini Roy. In one painting, titled “Flight into Egypt”, Jamini depicts a man leading a women and child on a horse. The man in front appears to be the husband and father of the family but he may also be a servant because the women and child are both wearing crowns. He carries a large walking stick, which insinuates the notion that he is powerful and strong. This is a common portrayal of a male figure. By just viewing this painting I would assume that Jamini Roy lived during a time that men were depicted much stronger than women. Also he may have been from a culture that celebrated the strength of men primarily. Jamini Roy was an Indian artist who was alive from 1887 to 1972. He was born in bengal in 1887 into a middle-class family of land owners. In his biography online it said that he drew much of his inspiration from his own culture. He looked to the living fold and tribal art for inspiration. I also realized that this painting was biblical and many of his other art works were representing some kind of religious experience. After researching Jamini Roy I went back to view this picture again. This painting was very true to common life in the time that Jamini Roy was alive. To him, this was a symbol of his belief in his religion. His paintings conveyed many kinds of gender roles as well. In the time that he lived, gender roles were very important to his way of life. Not only does this painting portray the strength of a man and the weakness of women, it also depicts the woman as the primary care taker of the child. The women is riding on the horse holding the child, keeping it safe while the male is leading the horse. He painted what appeared to be royalty but in many of his other paintings he showed more traditional middle class families like the one that he originated from.