Nehru and Gandhi

William H. Johnson, Nehru and Gandhi, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.665
Copied William H. Johnson, Nehru and Gandhi, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard, 33 7⁄8 x 27 7⁄8 in. (86.0 x 70.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.665

Artwork Details

Title
Nehru and Gandhi
Artist
Date
ca. 1945
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
33 7⁄8 x 27 7⁄8 in. (86.0 x 70.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on paperboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Nehru
  • Portrait male — Gandhi, Mahatma
  • Figure group
  • Landscape — celestial — moon
  • Animal — dog
Object Number
1967.59.665
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1967.59.665

Artwork Description

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869--1968), known widely as the Mahatma (the Great Soul), was an Indian lawyer who advocated nonviolent protest and resistance against British colonial rule of India. Raised in a Hindu family, he studied law as a young man before practicing in South Africa for twenty-one years and campaigning for civil rights. Upon his return to India, Gandhi led the Indian National Congress and began the push for India's independence from British rule. His protest marches, peaceful boycotts, and personal fasts made him a national icon despite several arrests. In 1944, after Gandhi was released from prison for the final time, the British made plans to withdraw from the subcontinent. 
 
Johnson depicted Gandhi to the right of Jawaharlal Nehru (1889--1964), India's first Prime Minister. While the two shared the goal of complete independence for India, Gandhi envisioned a traditionalist society for the freed country; Nehru envisioned a modern India with an international presence. Johnson portrayed the two men as fathers of the new country. They are surrounded by skeletal bodies and shrouded remains that are haunting reminders of the horrors of the final years of British rule. 

Exhibitions

Media - 1967.59.1146 - SAAM-1967.59.1146_2 - 141130
Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice
March 8, 2024–September 10, 2024
Smithsonian American Art Museum
William H. Johnson's Fighters for Freedom series from the mid-1940s is a tribute to African American activists, scientists, teachers, and performers as well as international leaders working to bring peace to the world.