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Mahadev Visvanath Dhurandhar
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Mahadev Visvanath Dhurandhar, also called Rao Bahadur, a title bestowed on
him by the British government, was the first Indian director of the Sir J. J.
School of Art, Mumbai.
He was born on March 18, 1867 in Kolhapur (a district in Maharashtra). His father understood and
supported his son's extraordinary artistic talents and put him under the
tutorship of famous painter Abalal Rehman. The next step was the Sir J J School...
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Mahadev Visvanath Dhurandhar, also called Rao Bahadur, a title bestowed on
him by the British government, was the first Indian director of the Sir J. J.
School of Art, Mumbai.
He was born on March 18, 1867 in Kolhapur (a district in Maharashtra). His father understood and
supported his son's extraordinary artistic talents and put him under the
tutorship of famous painter Abalal Rehman. The next step was the Sir J J School
of Art in Mumbai, which he joined in 1890.
Dhurandhar was exposed to the works of the European and British
artist, what with the entire faculty at the school being from Britain.
Unlike Eastern cultures, where art was oriented towards line drawing, in the
West it was pictorial heavy. Fascinated by this form of art, Indian students
too began emulating the European Academic Art form, and Dhurandhar was a
product of the same school of art. He painted a lot of figurative works and
studies of people like Raja Ravi Varma.
His famous painting, 'Women At Work', got him a British Government Award in
1892, while still a student. Yet another black and white illustration,
'Marriage Ceremony' won him a gold medal in 1908.
In 1896, Dhurandhar was invited by the Sir J. J. School of Art to join the
institute as a teacher. In 1910, he was appointed the Principal, and in
1930, became the first Indian to be appointed director of the art school.
He rode the art scene in Mumbai in those years, and through his solo
exhibitions as well as group shows, his works became popular among the
classes and the masses. This at a time when a concept like solo shows was
unheard of.
His works include more than 5,000 paintings and 50,000 illustrations. He won
more than five gold medals, to say nothing of silver ones during his life.
But by 1931, he sought retirement, three years after he was awarded the
title of Rao Bahadur by the British government.
Mahadev Dhurandhar died in Mumbai in 1944. Many of his paintings were
preserved by his daughter, Ambika, who was also a student of the Sir J J School
of Art. One of his paintings still hangs at the Buckingham Palace, and
another one is in the South Kensington Museum. Royal family palaces and
maharaja retreats across India still own several of his works.
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Born
1867
Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Died
1944
Education
1930 First Indian Director, Sir J.J School of Art, Mumbai
1918-31 Inspector of Drawing & Craft, Sir J.J School of Art, Mumbai
1910 Head Master, Sir J.J School of Art, Mumbai
1896 Art Teacher, Sir J.J School of Art, Mumbai
1890-95 Studied under John Griffiths, Sir J.J School of Art, Mumbai
Primary and Secondary Education, Rajaram High School, Kolhapur.
Exhibitions
Selected Posthumous Exhibitions
2011 'Ethos V: Indian Art...
Selected Posthumous Exhibitions
2011 'Ethos V: Indian Art Through the Lens of History (1900 to 1980), Indigo Blue Art, Singapore
2011 ‘Manifestations VI', Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi
2011 ‘Manifestations V', Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi
2011 'Drawings', Apparao Galleries, Chennai
2010 ‘Manifestations IV’, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi.
2005 ‘Manifestations III’, organized by Delhi Art Gallery, Mumbai & New Delhi.
2004 ‘Manifestations II’, organized by Delhi Art Gallery, Mumbai & New Delhi.
2003 ‘Manifestations’, organized by Delhi Art Gallery, Mumbai & New Delhi.
1994 Solo Exhibition, Kamalnayay Bajaj Art Gallery, Mumbai
Selected Exhibitions
1930 India House Exhibition, London.
1923 Wembley Exhibition, London.
1919 Indian Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition, Varanasi.
1910,19 Art & Industrial Exhibition, Jalgaon.
1907 Fine Art & Industrial Exhibition, Pandharpur.
1905 Congress Industrial & Agricultural Exhibition, Kolhapur
Participations
1904,09 Madras Fine Arts Exhibition, Chennai
1892,95 Bombay Art Society (BAS), Mumbai
Honours and Awards
1952 President of India, appreciated his statue made by Bal Chowan,...
1952 President of India, appreciated his statue made by Bal Chowan, Exhibited at the Centenary Celebration of Rajaram High School, Kolhapur.
1940 Awarded by Shri Panth Pratinidhi of Aundh State.
1927 Received Title of Rao Bahadur.
1923 Prize, Wembley Exhibition, London
1904,07,10,14 Gold Medal from Fine Art & Industrial Exhibition, Mumbai, Pandharpur, Jalgaon & Gwalior respectively.
1895 Gold Medal for his Painting, ‘Have You Come Laxmi?’, Bombay Art Society (BAS), Mumbai
1894 Awarded Mayo Medal.
1892 Award, Bombay Art Society (BAS), Mumbai
1891 Waudington Prize, Mumbai
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