Nandalal explored a wide range of traditions to arrive at his unique visual language and has left behind a large corpus of works in a wide 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. His intent being to understand and assimilate the various artistic elements involved for excelling in his domain and which also enriched his own visual vocabulary.In this delightful drawing the artist has portrayed a banyan tree with its dense and widespread bower executed with a range of linear styles with pen and ink that lends tonality and brings out the true form of the shadowy tree. The artist has also portrayed a diversity of birds : peacock, sparrows, pigeons, fowls that have nestled in the tree. The fluid handling of the brush and the strong delineation of the fine and bold contouring lines not only lends tonal variations but also assists in true representation of the tree and birds as well. Nandalal preferred drawing from life, often sketching outdoors with the subject being life, nature studies, landscapes, figure drawings, animals. Often the sketches were small in scale although invigorating with the rich detailing of the artist's observations, experiences and sojourns to various places. This sketch was signed and dated 'Nando, 21.3.55' in Bengali along the lower margin of the painting in brush.
- Identifier
- ngma-09161
- 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
- 9 x 14.2 cm
- Published in
- India
- Type
- Painting
