Devyani (or Devayani) Krishna (1910 - 2000) was an Indian painter, print-maker and a teacher. She was also involved in research work about Indian toys, folk motifs and batik work.
Devyani was regarded as 'India's foremost woman artist' of the day by the art critic
Richard Bartholomew
Richard Lawrence Bartholomew (29 November 1926 – 11 January 1985) was an Indian art critic, photographer, painter, poet, and writer.
Early life
Richard Bartholomew fled from Tavoy (Dawei), Burma (Myanmar), where he was born, during the Secon ...
for her diverse body of works that she showcased in India and Europe.
Along with her husband Kanwal Krishna, she had traveled to the
Himalayas and documented the arts & culture of the region through their artworks. Her paintings are deeply influenced by her experiences during this tour.
Early life and education
Devyani was born in
Indore,
Madhya Pradesh. In the 1930s, the city developed as a center for modernist experiments in the
International Style International style may refer to:
* International Style (architecture), the early 20th century modern movement in architecture
*International style (art), the International Gothic style in medieval art
*International Style (dancing), a term used in ...
under the patronage of
Yashwant Rao Holkar II, the Maharaja of Indore.
He had commissioned German architect
Eckart Muthesius
Eckart Muthesius (17 May 1904 in Berlin – 9 August 1989) was a German architect and interior designer.
His most famous commission was the Manik Bagh palace for Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar II (1908–1961) for the use of himself and his wife ...
to design and develop the
Manik Bagh palace. The king had also collected works made by the sculptor
Constantin Brâncuși
Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian Sculpture, sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century and a pioneer of ...
and architect
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
.
These developments in the city had an influence on Devyani from an early age. Moreover, her first art lessons came under the guidance of the master artist and teacher D. D. Deolalikar.
In the year 1936, she moved to
Bombay and joined
Sir J. J. School of Art
The Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art (Sir J. J. School of Art) is the oldest art institution in Mumbai, India, and is affiliated with the University of Mumbai. The school grants bachelor's degrees in fine art and sculpture, and Master's de ...
to pursue her interest in painting. After graduating in 1940, she also completed a specialization in
mural painting.
Career
Devyani had married fellow artist Kanwal Krishna in 1942. Both of them retreated to the Himalayas and travelled through
Sikkim, the Tibetian border and the
North-West Frontier Province from 1949 to 1952.
Their paintings from the travels included Tibetian masks, their ritual dances and several aspects of
Buddhist art among others.
These were also tumultuous times for people in the region. The couple witnessed the loss of autonomy of the Tibetian Buddhists to China. In 1951, China got complete control over Tibet which sent Buddhists into exile.
After returning from the trip, Krishna joined as an art teacher at
Modern School, New Delhi. She taught at the institute from 1954 to 1977, when she retired as the Head of the Art Department.
Style
Devyani's works show her strong sense of design which are well complemented with a suitable composition and color harmony.
Irrespective of the medium, her artworks included sacred symbols and their concepts were based on the universal themes of family, war and religion.
Devyani's fascination with Tibetian and Buddhist culture was subsequently incorporated into her paintings.
When she was asked about the dark aesthetic of her painting titled ''Veiled Mask'', she had replied,"No, it is not sad. This is a veiled mask. It is very hard to get to know people. This is just a human being behind two masks."
Through such imagery, she responded to the tragedy that was unraveling in front of her during her travels in the Himalayas.
Reception
In 1972, Richard Bartholomew, the art critic at
The Times of India wrote about the rise of printmaking in India from the 1960s. He described Devyani as 'perhaps the maturest printmaker in India'. Further, he also added,"She brings both a philosophy and sensitivity to printmaking that are exceptionally rare. Her prints carry the impress of a mystique, besides being technically interesting."
Works
Public collections
The artworks of Devyani are housed in the
National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Delhi Art Gallery,
and Waswo X. Waswo Collection to name a few.
Exhibitions
* 1941 - First solo show at Calcutta
* 1996 - ''Modern Indian Paintings - One Hundred Years, Part I'', Kumar Gallery, New Delhi, India
* 2005 - ''Golden Jubilee: Spirit Set Free,'' Kumar Gallery, New Delhi, India
* 2015 - ''Abby Grey and Indian Modernism: Selections from the NYU Art Collection,'' Grey Art Gallery, NYU, New York
* 2020 - ''The Fifties Show'', Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, India
* 2021 - ''A Place in the Sun: Women Artists from 20th Century India'', Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, India
References
External links
Talkby daughter Mridula Vichitra on
YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krishna, Devyani
Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art alumni
Indian women painters
1910 births
2000 deaths
Women artists from Madhya Pradesh
20th-century Indian women artists