Head of a Bald Man

One of the earliest works in this collection – executed in the year Trindade took over as Superintendent of the Reay Workshop of Art at the Sir J. J. School of Art, Bombay – Head of a Bald Man is an exception to the traditional bearded men depict by the artist. The clean-shaved sitter expression suggests concern and inward-looking self-inquiry rather than connecting with the viewer and the outer world. While this man is hairless with sagging skin around his neck and creviced cheeks, he does not look old, only pensive or concerned.
Trindade’s command over the line and chiaroscuro technique are evident and essential to the pictorial impact of this work. A deep understanding of the emotional profile of his sitter makes Trindade one of the most significant portraitists of his time in the Indian Subcontinent.
References: Shihandi, Marcella, et al, António Xavier Trindade: An Indian Painter from Portuguese Goa (exhibition catalogue), Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, 1996; Gracias, Fátima, Faces of Colonial India: The Work of Goan Artist António Xavier Trindade (1870-1935), Panjim, Goa, Fundação Oriente, 2014.