M.V. Dhurandhar, renowned for visually documenting the city of Bombay and its people as well as painting scenes from Hindu mythology, was born in Kolhapur in Maharashtra. The son of an artist, he studied art at Bombay's Sir J.J. School of Art, where he won several prizes and medals; he was later to become the first Indian director of this school.

In recognition of his talent, the British government conferred the title of Rao Bahadur upon him in 1927. Dhurandhar was accomplished in oils, watercolours and pencil drawings. Nearly 50,000 works have been credited to him, excluding drawings and sketches. A number of his works were reproduced for mass circulation at Ravi Varma's presses. Unlike Ravi Varma, his senior contemporary, Dhurandhar was trained in academic realism which is evident in his style.