Dr Annie Besant

Annie Besant (1847-1933) was a colourful personality and powerful political figure in colonial India. Born in London, educated in science at London University and South Kensington, she made her mark as a social reformer, Fabian Socialist and Theosophist, before gaining fame in the Indian Subcontinent as a leader of the Independence Movement. Besant arrived in India in 1893. From her headquarters in Banaras, she learned Sanskrit, published a translation of the Bhagavata Purana and lectured Hinduism. Besant joined the Indian National Congress in 1913 and allied herself with Tilak, the militant anti -Raj activist. After creating the Home Rule League, she was elected president of the Indian National Congress for one year. She was later arrested for sedition, accused of criticizing British Imperial policies in the New India, the Madras newspaper she edited, but was released after three months.
Revealed in photographs as a formidable figure flanked by powerful politicians, Trindade chose to present Besant the person rather than the icon. Probably portrayed in her 80’s Besant had already achieved her greatest fame. Though matronly and overweight, she looks vigorous with smooth skin and dark eyes focused intently on the viewer. A golden tone pervading the surface contributes to a warm, relaxed mood that contrasts with the familiar black and white photos exaggerating Besant’s white hair and formal posture. Visible brushstrokes contribute to an informal setting that compensates the academic conventions of reverse lighting with the sitter’s face illuminated from the left and a dark background.
Trindade’s presentation offers a personal engagement with his sitter, as opposed to a likeness of the formidable activist. It is plausible that Trindade painted Besant from life rather than from a photograph.
References: Shihandi, Marcella, et al, António Xavier Trindade: An Indian Painter from Portuguese Goa (exhibition catalogue), Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, 1996.