Printed in 1931, this small woodcut of Chakravorty's turns eighty years old this year...and unfortunately it is showing its age. The patches of faded black are no doubt signs of having been stored in humid conditions, perhaps pressed too close to the glass of a frame, or having at one time stuck to another surface (a frequent problem for art in hot and wet climates that has been improperly stored). But in spite of the imperfection that has come with age, I find this print a welcome addition to the collection. I am trying now to give it a better home.
It is interesting to remember that it was in 1923 that the Mexican artist Fryman visited Santiniketan to demonstrate the multi-colour woodcut process, and only in 1925 that Chakravorty wrote Madame Karpeles in Paris inquiring about methods and materials. Also, it was in 1925 that Nandalal Bose travelled to China and Japan, bringing home examples of prints from the Far Eastern tradition. Set in this time frame, the above woodcut seems very early indeed. In 1931 Chakravorty had just recently been appointed Head Assistant Teacher at the Government School of Arts, Calcutta, under the principalship of Mukul Dey.
In Husking Rice we see a stylized scene that contrasts the soft curvature of female bodies against the rectangular grid of the background fence. An elegantly scrolled banana leaf pokes up among the bending leaves, echoing the fluid curves of hair and dress. Yet, even though this image is strong with stylized formal beauty, the hard work of the toil is evident.
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