Abalal Rahiman

Abalal Rahiman (1860-1931) was born in Kolhapur, and for generations, his family was involved in calligraphy and handwritten copies of the Quran. As a child, Abalal helped his father in creating manuscripts of the Quran and that is when he began painting. While in school a wife of a British resident saw Abalal's paintings and persuaded the family to send him to Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai. Abalal enjoyed the ambience of the art school and decided to focus his complete attention on inculcating the aesthetic values.

Abalal completed his training in 1888. He received numerous prizes including one from Lord Dufferin, the Governor's Gold Medal for a number of his black and white pictures. The Shahu Chhatrapati selected Abalal as a court painter on his return to Kolhapur after completing art education. The Maharaja took him wherever he went, which included the Radhanagari Jungle or Dajipur. He loved visiting Kotiteertha Lake and Sandyamath, where he painted religiously. Repetitively painting the same landscapes, Abalal focused on studying the effect of sunlight just like Monet, the European impressionist. In addition, he also used glass by which the windows and doors of the New Palace in Kolhapur were decorated. Also, his works depict the town hall museum in Kolhapur and the scenic landscape of the Bijapur mosque.

Abalal had deep-rooted loyalty and held Chhatrapati Shahu of Kolhapur in the highest regards. The death of Maharaja was a great shock for him. In a fit of remorse, he threw many of his paintings in the Panchaganga river and lost all interest in painting until his death. Being one of the early students of the Bombay School, Abalal Rahiman is noted for his anatomical dexterity and classical compositions.