Nandalal had a strong affinity for sketching; his subjects being from the surrounding environs, people in their everyday life or anything that he found fascinating. The artist has executed this humorous sketch of a feline keenly observing the single leaf in black as it sways with the wind. The inscription at the bottom of the painting in Bengali described the drawing as such. Nandalal has used delicate lines to create the form of the feline, the tree, the leaves and the environ in the backdrop. The artist emphasised on the strong delineation of line in the calligraphic style in his works which was the influence of the Far Eastern art practices. Nandalal developed his unique visual language using fine lines to thick contouring lines for rendering his subjects and to bring about the tonal variations using simple strokes to bring about the corporeality of form and substance. Dinkar Kowshik in his article 'Drawings and Sketches of Nandalal in the book titled "Nandalal Bose - A collection of Essays" has elucidated about the sketches of Nandalal in the words, "Nandalal's sketches , in fact, provide a moving record of a humble life and natural environment in which he lived. These are not in any way preliminary studies for his larger finished compositions in black and white or in colour. They are finished and self-contained in themselves like a Japanese 'Haiku'. Their spacing, their distribution of black and white, their linear or tonal accents and the signature all form a part of a single unit." Nandalal explored a wide range of artistic traditions to arrive at his unique visual language and has left behind a large corpus of works in a variety of styles, expressions and techniques. He studied the art practices and traditions not only of India but also those of other nations and re-produced them in his environs in Santiniketan. This sketch was signed and dated 'Nando, 8.12.54' in Bengali at the right bottom corner of the painting in pen. The painting also has an inscription in Bengali along the lower margin of the painting.
- Identifier
- ngma-09203
- Material
- Pen, Ink, Postcard
- Note
- Nandalal Bose, popularly known as the Master Moshai, was born on December 3rd, 1882 in Kharagpur, Monghyr District, Bihar. A disciple of Abanindranath Tagore, he graduated from Government School of Art, Calcutta in 1910. Nandalal was fascinated by the potential of folk art and indigenous modes of expression and inculcated them in his works although stylising them in a unique representation for depiction and narration of local life. His explorative temperament with the artistic materials allowed him to create a vast body of work with printmaking techniques as lithography, linoleum prints and Sino- Japanese techniques while remaining faithful to his narrative subject: India's environment and its ethos. Nandalal Bose's art conjures newness unbound but still flushed with the memories of yesterday. Inspired by Far Eastern sensibilities that celebrate the traditional, the genius of his art's lies in the interplay of sensual silhouettes and his powerful rendering of contemporary themes with the traditions, customs and sensibilities of Indian heritage. It is this intermingling that invigorates his works and captures the minds of his viewers. He began his artistic career in the fervour of Swadeshi movement, rejecting western colonial norms of art and taking inspirations from the ancient murals of Ajanta and Bagh caves as well as Mughal miniatures. In 1919, Nandalal Bose accepted Rabindranath Tagore's invitation to become the Principal of the newly established art school Kala Bhavan at Visvabharati University in Santiniketan. He travelled in and out of India including places like Burma, China, Japan, Malaysia, Java and Sri Lanka seeking artistic stimulus from observing different cultural traditions. He also painted a series of posters for the Indian National Congress at Haripura in February 1938. The range of Nandalal's artistic expressions is seen in his various landscapes with human figures, his varied images of nature and the Santiniketan Murals. His works reflect the changing landscape, portraying people and places at a time when modern India's cultural development was at its threshold. Nandalal Bose died on April 16th, 1966 in Santiniketan, West Bengal. He won several accolades including the Padma Vibhushan by the President of India in 1953. He was awarded with an honorary Doctorate in Letters (D. Litt.) from Banaras Hindu University in 1950 and Calcutta University in 1957. The NGMA has over 6800 of his works in his collection.
- Pages
- 5.7 x 8.7 cm
- Published in
- India
- Type
- Painting
