‘Saraswati playing the lute’ is an original painting by the artist Ravi, 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, colourful originals to illustrate the 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, given the style's ability 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, on paper mounted on wood with white edges, produced in the late 1950s. This gouache was framed by Cécile Chappuis of the Carton Noir studio, who designed and produced this blue-tinted cardboard box, in perfect harmony with this portrait of Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, with her peacock against a cosmic background.

Translated with DeepL.com