Portrait of the Raja of Kangra
Raja Shri Dhruv Dev Chand
In 2010 Tara Joy painted this large oil on canvas portrait of Raja Shri Dhruv Dev Chand at the request of his son Raja Shri Aditya Dev Chand Katoch of Kangra, Northern India. This was one of a series of portraits that she did of prominent members of the Kartoch family. The reason that she painted this set of portraits was because in 1947 at the time of the Partition of India many of the Katoch royal treasures, including family portraits, were damaged and lost. Therefore the present Raja Aditya Katoch was anxious that there should be a new set of portraits created. He gave Tara a number of old black and white photographs of the family members and asked her to create colour oil paintings from them.
Working From Old Photographs
The Photographs that Tara was given were striking black and white portraits and they sparked interest in Tara. She particularly liked the play of radiance and strong contrast. However the photos were old and not totally clear and could not give Tara any guidelines as to the skin tones or fabric colours. Therefore she had to use her imagination and ask Raja Aditya Katoch questions about his father and the adornments that her wore. He filled her in with details about his father and requested that the portraits reflect the style and mood of some of the old classic royal portraits made by European artists who painted in the Indian courts in the 19th century.
Creating An Opulent Atmosphere
Tara has been particularly inspired by the great portrait artist Rembrandt (1606-1669) so she spent time studying his portraits along side royal portraits of India and came up with a style that integrated influences from both of these along with her own more experimental techniques for paint and colour application. She paid particular attention towards the play of light and shadow with the intension to give the paintings an atmosphere of vibrancy and prosperity despite the serious mood and dark backgrounds.
Experimenting With New Effects & Materials
Tara has a great love of texture in paintings and she paid particular attention to portraying some of the elaborate textures and details within the textiles and adornments worn by the royal subjects. She created a striking effect by scratching texture and fine details into the surface of the thick wet paint. She also added an unusual and quirky effect by integrating certain dried India grains and pulses into the surface of the paint. She felt that this would both create the desired texture for surfaces such at the jewellery and would also link the painting to Indian family heritage and traditions in a curious and subtle way.
Paintings For Posterity
This painting now hangs in the portrait gallery at the summer residence of Raja Aditya Dev Chand Katoch and his wife Maharani Chandresh Kumari Katoch. It is a source of interest to visitors who often mistake it for an old classic painting. This portrait of one of the last ruling Rajas hangs watching down on the lives of is his descendants and gives a glimpse into a moment in history and a tribute to this prestigious member of the Katoch dynasty.
