Sunayani Devi: A Woman’s Voice in the Bengal School

Introduction

Sunayani Devi (1875-1962) was a significant, albeit often less celebrated, woman artist associated with the Bengal School of Art. Coming from the illustrious Tagore family of Jorasanko, she was a contemporary of her brothers Abanindranath and Gaganendranath Tagore. Unlike many of her male counterparts in the Bengal School who consciously engaged with nationalist politics through overt themes, Sunayani Devi carved a unique niche by focusing on depictions of Indian domestic life, mythology, and the everyday experiences of women in Bengal. Her art, characterized by its distinctive folk-inspired style and intimate portrayal of Indian womanhood, offered a vital and often overlooked “woman’s voice” within the Bengal School and contributed to the broader cultural nationalist movement by valorizing Indian domesticity and feminine identity. This article examines Sunayani Devi’s life, her unique artistic style and thematic concerns, and her contribution to the Bengal School and the articulation of Indian national identity through the lens of domestic life.

Background: Life and Artistic Milieu in the Tagore Family

Sunayani Devi was born into the Jorasanko Tagore family, a prominent and progressive Bengali family renowned for its contributions to art, literature, music, and social reform. Though less formally trained in art than her brothers, her artistic sensibilities were nurtured within the family’s vibrant cultural environment.

Key aspects of her background and artistic upbringing:

• The Tagore Household: Growing up in the Jorasanko Tagore household, Sunayani Devi was immersed in an atmosphere of creativity and intellectual ferment. The family was a center of artistic patronage and innovation, fostering a natural inclination towards artistic expression among its members.
• Lack of Formal Western Art Training: Unlike Abanindranath and Gaganendranath, Sunayani Devi did not receive formal training in Western academic art techniques. This lack of formal training, paradoxically, contributed to the distinctive and “naive” quality of her style, allowing her to develop an artistic language less influenced by Western conventions.
• Informal Artistic Environment: While not formally trained, she was surrounded by artistic discussions and practices within her family. She observed her brothers and other artists, and likely received informal guidance and encouragement within the household.
• Influence of Bengali Folk Traditions: Sunayani Devi was deeply familiar with Bengali folk art, crafts, and visual traditions prevalent in domestic settings. These folk forms, with their simplified lines, vibrant colors, and narrative simplicity, became a significant source of inspiration for her artistic style.
• Limited Public Role as a Woman Artist: As a woman in late 19th and early 20th century Bengal, Sunayani Devi’s artistic career operated within the constraints of societal expectations and gender roles. She primarily worked within the domestic sphere and her art initially received less public recognition compared to her male counterparts in the Bengal School. Her “voice” was distinctively shaped by her position as a woman artist within this context.

Distinctive Artistic Style and Thematic Concerns

Sunayani Devi developed a unique artistic style within the broader Bengal School movement, characterized by its folk-inspired simplicity, intimate themes, and focus on domestic life.

Key features of her style and recurring themes:

• Folk-Inspired Simplicity: Her style is often described as “naive” or folk-inspired. She consciously adopted a simplified approach to drawing and composition, reminiscent of Bengali folk painting traditions like Kalighat pats and rural আল্পনা (alpana) floor decorations. This simplicity, however, was not a lack of skill but a deliberate artistic choice to create a direct and accessible visual language.
• Emphasis on Line and Outline: Like other Bengal School artists, she emphasized line and contour over shading and modeling. However, her lines were often bolder and more simplified, reflecting the influence of folk art traditions.
• Use of Flat Colors and Limited Palette: She typically used flat, vibrant colors, often applied in a decorative manner, and employed a relatively limited color palette, again aligning with folk art aesthetics.
• Domestic and Everyday Life as Subject Matter: A defining characteristic of Sunayani Devi’s art is her focus on domestic and everyday scenes of Bengali life, particularly from the perspective of women. She depicted women engaged in household tasks, rituals, festivals, and social interactions within the domestic sphere.
• Mythological Narratives Reinterpreted: While she also painted mythological subjects, she often reinterpreted them through the lens of domestic life and women’s experiences. Her mythological scenes often have a more intimate and less overtly grand or heroic quality compared to depictions by male artists.
• Emphasis on Feminine Figures and Perspectives: Her art is notable for centering women as subjects and portraying the world from a distinctly feminine perspective. She captured the nuances of women’s emotions, relationships, and roles within the family and community.
• Personal and Autobiographical Element: Some critics suggest that her art has a personal and even autobiographical quality, reflecting her own experiences and observations within the Tagore household and Bengali society.

Themes of Domestic Life and National Identity

While not overtly political, Sunayani Devi’s focus on Indian domestic life and women played a significant role in the broader cultural nationalist project of the Bengal School era.

Connecting domestic themes to national identity:

• Valorizing Indian Domesticity: In a colonial context where Western culture was often presented as superior, Sunayani Devi’s art valorized Indian domestic life and traditions. By depicting the beauty and richness of everyday Bengali life within the home, she implicitly asserted the value of Indian culture and countered colonial stereotypes.
• Representing ‘Authentic’ Indian Culture: For cultural nationalists, the domestic sphere was seen as a repository of authentic Indian culture, less tainted by Western influence compared to the public or political spheres. Sunayani Devi’s depictions of domestic rituals, customs, and family life contributed to constructing and celebrating this idea of an essential Indian cultural identity.
• Focus on Women as Bearers of Culture: In nationalist discourse, women were often idealized as the primary bearers and custodians of Indian culture and tradition. By focusing on women in domestic settings, Sunayani Devi’s art implicitly reinforced this nationalist trope and highlighted the role of women in maintaining cultural continuity.
• Celebrating Bengali Identity: Her paintings, though representing broader Indian themes, were deeply rooted in Bengali culture and domestic settings. This celebration of regional Bengali identity was also a part of the larger mosaic of Indian cultural nationalism, where regional cultures contributed to a broader national fabric.
• Quiet Assertion of Indian Aesthetics: By consciously choosing a folk-inspired style and rejecting Western academic conventions, Sunayani Devi’s artistic choices aligned with the Bengal School’s overall project of asserting Indian aesthetics and cultural independence in the realm of art. Her unique style, though distinct from Abanindranath’s more refined Mughal-influenced style, was equally rooted in indigenous visual traditions.

Key Works and Artistic Style

Sunayani Devi’s oeuvre is relatively small compared to some of her contemporaries, but her works are distinctive and significant.

Notable works and stylistic characteristics:

• Krishna Leela Series: A recurring theme in her work, depicting scenes from the life of Krishna, often rendered with a folk sensibility and emphasizing the human and emotional aspects of the mythological narratives.
• Ramayana and Mahabharata Series: She also depicted scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, again interpreted through her characteristic style and often focusing on female characters and domestic settings within these epics.
• Bengali Domestic Life Series: Her most distinctive works are those depicting everyday Bengali domestic life – women performing household chores, participating in festivals, family gatherings, and scenes from daily rituals. These paintings offer a rare glimpse into the intimate world of Bengali women of her time.
• Use of Limited Palette and Bold Outlines: Her works are typically characterized by a limited range of colors, often earthy tones and vibrant reds and yellows, applied in flat washes. Bold, black outlines define her figures and forms, reminiscent of Kalighat pats.
• Simplified Forms and Composition: Figures are often rendered in a simplified, almost childlike manner, with flattened perspectives and a focus on essential forms rather than detailed realism. Compositions are often narrative and direct, prioritizing clarity of storytelling over complex spatial arrangements.

Reception and Legacy

Sunayani Devi’s art received a more muted reception compared to her male counterparts in the Bengal School during her active period. However, in later decades, her unique contribution has been increasingly recognized and appreciated.

• Initial Limited Recognition: In her time, the Bengal School was largely defined and promoted through the works of male artists like Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose. Sunayani Devi’s work, being thematically and stylistically different and coming from a woman artist in a patriarchal society, received less initial critical acclaim and public visibility.
• Rediscovery and Re-evaluation: In recent decades, with growing interest in women artists and a more nuanced understanding of the Bengal School, Sunayani Devi’s work has been rediscovered and re-evaluated. Art historians and critics now recognize her unique voice and her significant contribution to Indian modern art.
• Unique Feminine Perspective: Her art is now valued for offering a rare and important feminine perspective within the Bengal School movement and for foregrounding the often-overlooked world of Indian women and domestic life in the context of cultural nationalism.
• Influence on Later Artists (Indirect): While not directly influencing later artists in a stylistic sense, Sunayani Devi’s example has been important in highlighting the diverse artistic expressions within the Bengal School and in paving the way for greater recognition of women artists in Indian art history.
• Archival Significance: Her paintings are now seen as valuable historical documents, offering insights into Bengali domestic life, social customs, and the visual culture of early 20th century Bengal, as seen through a woman’s eyes.

Conclusion

Sunayani Devi, though often overshadowed by her male contemporaries, occupies a unique and significant place within the Bengal School of Art. Her art, characterized by its folk-inspired simplicity and focus on Indian domestic life, offered a distinct “woman’s voice” within the cultural nationalist movement. By valorizing Indian women, domesticity, and everyday Bengali culture, she contributed to the broader project of articulating a culturally rooted Indian national identity. While her approach differed from the more overtly political and mythological themes explored by some other Bengal School artists, Sunayani Devi’s intimate and distinctive artistic vision remains a valuable and increasingly recognized facet of the Bengal School’s multifaceted contribution to modern Indian art and the visual language of Indian nationalism.