SallieChinnery5 at 10:23, 7 May 2026

2026-05-07T10:23:24Z

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{{Short description|Indian painter (1860–1931)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2025}}
'''Abalal Rahiman''' (1860{{snd}}28 December 1931) was a celebrated painter of [[Kolhapur]] (Maharashtra). He was the first art-school trained artist of the region.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mitter |first=Partha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mRTtkri8E0C&dq=Abalal+Rahiman&pg=PA86 |title=Art and Nationalism in Colonial India, 1850-1922: Occidental Orientations |date=1994 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-44354-8 |language=en}}</ref> After 1888, he served as the court painter of the [[Kolhapur State]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Abalal Rahiman |url=https://dagworld.com/abalalrahiman.html |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=dagworld.com |publisher=[[Delhi Art Gallery]] |language=en}}</ref> and remained under the patronage of [[Shahu of Kolhapur|Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj]] till the latter's death. During the time he was active as a painter (starting 1890), Rahiman created over 20,000 paintings,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2015-08-28 |title=20th century Kolhapur artist's work comes to life in SUK's art gallery |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolhapur/20th-century-kolhapur-artists-work-comes-to-life-in-suks-art-gallery/articleshow/48704550.cms |access-date=2025-04-12 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> and is known for his realist-style portraits and landscapes executed in watercolour.

== Early life and career ==
Rahiman was born into a family skilled in illumination of Quranic manuscripts. He received a scholarship to study at the [[Sir J. J. School of Art|Sir J.J School of Art]] in [[Mumbai|Bombay]] from the Maharaja of Kolhapur upon the recommendation of the local British Resident.{{fact|date=April 2025}}

At the J.J School of Art, he trained under [[John Griffiths (artist)|John Griffiths]]. He was a promising student, and his teachers expected his art-career to grow in the direction of [[Pestonji Bomanji]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Mitter |first=Partha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mRTtkri8E0C&dq=Abalal&pg=PA89 |title=Art and Nationalism in Colonial India, 1850-1922: Occidental Orientations |date=1994 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-44354-8 |language=en}}</ref> In 1888, Rahiman was also awarded the inaugural Viceroy's Gold Medal.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Relia |first=Anil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BylQCgAAQBAJ&dq=Abalal+Rahiman&pg=PA59 |title=The Indian Portrait: An artistic journey from miniature to modern |date=2010-10-12 |publisher=Archer Art Gallery |language=en}}</ref>

A personal setback (his mother's death, followed by tensions with his step-mother) forced him to live a secluded life on the outskirts of Kolhapur. Occasionally, he participated in shows by the [[Bombay Art Society]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-02-18 |title=The iconic Bombay Art Society unveils an arts complex in Bandra |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/the-iconic-bombay-art-society-unveils-an-arts-complex-in-bandra/story-TvgXm0YF6Ae94n5sw50QlM.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121011716/https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/the-iconic-bombay-art-society-unveils-an-arts-complex-in-bandra/story-TvgXm0YF6Ae94n5sw50QlM.html |archive-date=21 January 2025 |access-date=2025-04-12 |work=Hindustan Times |language=en-us |url-status=live }}</ref>

During his lifetime, Rahiman did not receive much patronage outside of the Kolhapur Court and did not have a steady income. After the death of his patron (Shahu Maharaj) in 1922, Rahiman's income stream declined further, leading him to live in poverty. Unable to afford large canvases, he resorted to painting on scrap papers and produced miniatures; the financial strain and [[Depression (mood)|depression]] in the aftermath of his patron's death caused him to destroy many of his works.<ref name=":1" />

Abalal Rahiman's works remain part of many important collections including the Kolhapur Palace collection, [[National Gallery of Modern Art]], [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya]], DAG, [[Zapurza Museum of Art & Culture|Zapurza Museum of Art and Culture]] and also in private collections.<ref name=":0" />

== Influence and legacy ==
Abalal Rahiman was a mentor to prominent artists like [[Baburao Painter]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sawant |first=Shukla |date=2017-06-01 |title=The Trace Beneath: The Photographic Residue in the Early Twentieth-century Paintings of the "Bombay School" |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0974927617700768?icid=int.sj-abstract.similar-articles.7 |journal=BioScope |language=EN |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=1–29 |doi=10.1177/0974927617700768 |issn=0974-9276|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and S.Fatelal, founder of the [[Prabhat Film Company]]<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kaur |first1=Raminder |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BzcdRXXTHkEC&dq=Abalal+Rahiman&pg=PP41 |title=Bollyworld: Popular Indian Cinema Through A Transnational Lens |last2=Sinha |first2=Ajay J. |date=2005-07-13 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-0-7619-3320-5 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=DAG World |url=https://dagworld.com/story-page/?id=6595 |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=dagworld.com}}</ref> and his career inspired the work of painters such as M.K Parandekar<ref>{{Cite web |title=M. K. Parandekar |url=https://dagworld.com/m.k.parandekar.html |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=dagworld.com |language=en}}</ref> and [[M. V. Dhurandhar|M.V Dhurandhar]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Untitled |url=https://auctions.pundoles.com/lots/view/1-70OC1R/untitled |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=Pundoles |language=en}}</ref> Rahiman's work has been considered instrumental in establishing the ''<nowiki/>'Kolhapur School of European Naturalism'''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bahulkar |first=Suhas |date=2022-03-07 |title=Artists of the Bombay School |url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/artists-of-the-bombay-school |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=Sothebys.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nair |first=Nandini |date=2022-06-10 |title=Finding Husain in Kudje |url=https://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/finding-husain-in-kudje/ |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=Open The Magazine |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:People from Kolhapur district]]
[[Category:Indian male painters]]
[[Category:Sir J. J. School of Art alumni]]
[[Category:Painters from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Bombay School]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian painters]]
[[Category:1931 deaths]]
[[Category:1860 births]]

Abalal Rahiman - Revision history

SallieChinnery5 at 10:23, 7 May 2026