“India - Durga on her tiger” is an original painting by artist Utam Prakash, intended to be reproduced for calendars sold in bazaars in India in the early 20th century. Calendar art developed in India with the expansion of printers, who asked painters for vibrant, colorful originals to illustrate calendars. The images produced could depict Hindu deities, religious figures, places of pilgrimage, historical figures... and later advertisements for a wide variety of products. The visual imagery of Calendar Art is still present in Indian pop culture and continues to influence advertising, film production and contemporary artists, such is the ability of this style to capture the spirit and identity of the people.

Most of the 50 originals presented by Retour De Voyage are signed by the artist and noted by the printer on the back. This one is a polychrome gouache. in vivid, sharp, contrasting colors, depicting the invincible warrior goddess, Shiva’s spouse. Five of her arms are armed, two are holding a conch shell and a lotus, and the last is in the Abhaya Mudra position, with an “om” inscribed in the palm of her hand.