The Veiled Beauty (Framed Oil Painting)

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Item Code:	OT35
Artist:	Anup Gomay
Specifications:	Oil on Canvas
Dimensions	29.5 inch X 37 inch without Frame 36 inch X 43.5 inch with Frame

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The painting, a large size canvas rendered in oil, portraying a veiled lady – just her upper one-third figure, in years when age takes away the youth’s fidgetiness but adds sublimity and lustre to a woman’s beauty and bestows on her natural elegance and grace, reminds of the beauty of the veiled Rebecca, the Biblical figure of Christian mythology, known to have covered her face for marriage with the wedding robe but in it her lustrous beauty was not contained. Rebecca’s voluptuous beauty has been transformed into a marble statue and immortalized by a nineteenth century Italian sculptor Giovanni Maria Benzoni and into an early twentieth century fascinating novel in the same name by Daphne du Maurier. Of the four copies of the marble statue that Benzoni had sculpted one is in the Salarjung Museum, Hyderabad. Practically, there is little common in the two art-pieces except that in both the face enshrining celestial beauty is covered with a veil but neither is contained in it its fascinating beauty nor its innocence and purity; however, by some strange co-relation this contemporary canvas, despite its colourful appearances, brings to mind a tall translucent marble figure smeared, unlike it, in European culture, perhaps the key of the co-relation being in the beauty of the two figures.

Though conceived with extraordinary beauty coupled with the power to even enchant and seduce, with her rare elegance and grace, with which the figure is endowed, the lady commands respect or rather reverence. Gracefully costumed and selective in her ornaments, mostly consisting of emeralds with gold their base, she is obviously a lady with a high birth, one from a medieval family with royal connections or from the class of elite. The painting is a pure portrait on the realistic line of modern art style but unlike modern painters like Raja Ravi Varma and others it has not captured its figure in any of the emotional situations except that the artist Anup Gomay has sought a tender smile to float on her lips, a shadow of thoughtfulness to lurk on the face and a gentle effort of her hands to lift her veil to let her face reveal a little. The artist has wondrously revealed the class-identity of his subject, the character of her age and an absolutely different version of beauty.

Not merely for beauty or for adding ethnic flavor, the artist seems to have conceived the veil as an artistic challenge, as the Rebecca sculptor seems to have done before. In three dimensional medium of sculptor from under the film-like screening stone an idea of a face and its beauty could be formed but a flat surface blinded by a thick layer of paint is rarely so liberal as to let a form reveal from behind it. The challenge before Anup Gomay has thus greater magnanimity. He has sought to discover the ultimate beauty of his figure in a face of which almost three-fourth is concealed behind it, or discover it merely in the tip of the figure’s nose, in her lips and in the modeling of the chin : the only visible parts. The artist’s challenges are many. With a formless background rendered in deep maroon he seeks no support from it for defining a personality trait of the portrayed figure. With eyes of his figure concealed he has no outlet for her intrinsic being to reveal to the viewers, the most essential aspect of a portrait. In a partially conceived and portrayed anatomy the figure can not reveal the beauty of modeling. And, despite all challenges of his own creation the artist has succeeded in creating an outstanding portrait and a rare piece of art.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

Oil painting technique – India centric

Oil painting is the most interesting technique in art. Unlike other paintings or art forms, oil painting is a process in which colored pigments are painted on the canvas with a drying oil medium as a binder. This medium helps colors blend beautifully to create layers and also makes them appear rich and dense. Several varieties of oil are used in this painting such as sunflower oil, linseed oil, etc., and depending on the quality of the oil, a particular consistency of the paint is developed. With the use of an oil medium, the painting gets a natural sheen on the surface which appears extremely attractive. India is famous for its old tradition of making oil paintings. This art form was brought by Europeans in the 18th century and is now practiced by almost all well-known artists. Nirmal, a small tribal town in the state of Telangana is the center of traditional oil paintings in India where the local people practice it with dedication. Most Indian artists still use the traditional technique of oil painting.

Canvas of the required size is prepared

The artists use either a wood panel or canvas made from linen or cotton. Sometimes the canvas is stretched onto the wooden frame to form a solid base, or cardboard may be used. The canvas is coated with a layer of white paint or chalk mixed with animal glue. This mixture is then smoothed and dried to form a uniform, textured surface. The wooden panel is more expensive and heavier but its solidity is an advantage in making detailed paintings with ease.

Sketch is drawn on the canvas

Now the artist starts to draw the subject of the painting on the canvas using the actual charcoal or a charcoal pencil. Sometimes, he may sketch with thinned paint as well.

Oil paint is applied using paint brushes or palette knives

Now that the rough sketch is prepared, the artist is now ready to paint. Oil paint, a special paint that contains particles of pigments suspended in a drying oil (usually linseed oil), is again mixed with oil to make it thinner for applying it on the canvas. Proper consistency of the paint is maintained to avoid its breakage. The most important rule for the application of oil paint is “Fat over lean” in which the first layer of paint is thin and later, thicker layers are applied. This means that each additional layer of paint contains more oil. This results in getting a stable paint film. Traditionally, paint was applied using paint brushes but now the artists also use palette knives to create crisp strokes. To paint using this technique, the edge of the palette knife is used to create textured strokes that appear different from that of a paintbrush. Sometimes, oil paints are blended simply using fingers for getting the desired gradation.

Smaller oil paintings, with very fine detail, are relatively easier to paint than larger ones. The most attractive feature of these paintings is the natural shiny appearance that is obtained on the surface because of the use of oil paint. The blending of colors looks extremely realistic and this is the reason why oil paintings are loved by everyone throughout the world.

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