M. V. Dhurandhar

Bombay artists were producing work that was highly academic in its rendering and techniques, with a focus on indigenous subjects. Mahadev Vishwanath Dhurandhar (1867 - 1944) was foremost among them, maintaining a fine balance between academic realism and popular commercial art, inspired by Raja Ravi Varma. The artist – best known for his illustrative series on subjects like the city of Bombay and its people, Women of India, scenes from Hindu mythology and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, was a significant contributor to the early Indian art scene. Apart from being a notable painter working in multiple mediums, Dhurandhar was also a formidable arts educator and administrator, serving as the first Indian Director of the Sir J.J. School of Art from 1930.