A new exhibition showcases the life and works of a father-daughter duo whose influence colours the artistic history of early 20th century Bombay
Cumi Dallas, Untitled (Study for a historical painting depicting a Buddhist scene)
In the forgotten annals of early Bombay’s art history, there are few names that deserve a mention as much as the father-daughter duo of Rustom Siodia and Cumi Dallas. Their lives and work left a lasting impression on Indian art. Opening today, the exhibition, Resemblance, at the Chatterjee & Lal gallery brings to light an unexplored series of works by the duo.
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Gallerist and curator
Mortimer Chatterjee states, “It is usually the Progressive Artist’ Group who are in the limelight for their work. What it does is that it leaves out a large swathe of time from the city’s artistic journey.” From this time emerges Rustom Siodia, born in 1881 to an affluent Parsi family. He grew up in Bombay, central to the British Empire in India. It was also a city with a newly established premier arts school Sir JJ School of Arts that opened in 1857.
Rustom Siodia, Untitled (Landscape), 1924
“He attended the Sir JJ School of Arts in 1905, and later became the second Indian — and the first Parsi — to study at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. That training shaped his perspective of the human body or the landscape. When you look at his lines or colour palette, it is very different from other Indian artists,” the gallerist adds.
In London, he met with the famed American artist John Singer Sargent. Sargent’s influence looms largely on Siodia’s works, says co-founder Tara Lal. “Both in terms of portraiture and palette, there are influences of Sargent. The way he approaches the sky, and the light in the skies, has a luminescent feeling that you don’t get with other artists in India during that period. His monsoon landscapes shine and have a wonderful aura to them.”
Untitled (Study for historical painting of Magi and heightened young woman), 1929
For the gallery, the aesthetics, historical context and city connect meant that acquiring these artworks was essential. In 2019, the artists’ estate coordinated with the gallery to put out the first exhibition of Siodia’s works, Realism and Fantasy. “Siodia used to live near Gowalia Tank at Kemps Corner,” Chatterjee says, adding, “They also had a place in Kalanagar, a set-up in the artist’s colony. For a while, he had a studio in Jogeshwari as well,” Chatterjee reveals, of the artist’s city connection.
With such a close connection, did the city feature in Siodia’s work? “Till the early 1920s, you get street scenes and buildings reflective of the city. But by the late 1920s, his attention shifted to genre paintings and historical work. They would begin to reflect ancient Persian landscapes and mythologies,” says Chatterjee.
Rustom Siodia, Cumi Dallas. Pics Courtesy/Heirs of the Artist
A high point of the artist’s career was the chance to work on the murals of the newly constructed Viceregal Lodge (now Rashtrapati Bhavan) in Delhi. “The students from Sir JJ School of Arts under then director Gladstone Solomon, won the competition. Siodia is one of the few artists who went up to Delhi to paint those murals,” Chatterjee shares.
Tara Lal and Mortimer Chatterjee
To focus on Siodia alone would do injustice to his daughter, Cumi Dallas. A prominent name of the Bombay Revivalist movement, her journey was independent and distinct from that of her father’s. She would later marry architect Homi Dallas, an encouraging influence, Lal adds. Chatterjee notes, “The title of the exhibition is a bit cheeky because there are as many dissonances as there are resonances between the duo.”
A section from Rustom Siodia, A Great Art Misunderstood, 1933 (right) Cumi Dallas, Untitled (Portrait of a woman wearing jewellery)
“As a student of JM Ahivasi, she brought a synthesis of different trends ranging from Ajanta’s [caves] mural paintings and Indian miniatures to Western forms into the style later known as the Bombay Revival,” Chatterjee emphasises. The irony is not lost on the gallerist, who shares, “In the late 1920s, Siodia would write letters to the editor of The Times of India against the now developing Bombay Revival Style and The Bengal School.”
Untitled (Forest clearing). Pics Courtesy/Chatterjee & Lal
The Bombay Revivalist Movement, Lal reveals, would unconsciously influence the generation to come. “As a gallery, we always look to take the story forward. The first exhibition was an introduction to the legacy of Siodia as an artist. This one brings to light their connection as father and daughter,” concludes Lal.
From Today; 12 pm to 5 pm till August 24 At Chatterjee & Lal, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba.
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