cover image: Fantastic Figure

20.500.12592/zfx2hh

Fantastic Figure

This painting is created by an Indian artist Rabindranath Tagore. The angularly drawn figuration is common in the earlier phase of Rabindranath Tagore's Art. The dramatic gesture reflects his interest in theatre. Art historian R. Siva Kumar dates this work to c. 1929-30. He gives it the descriptive title Geometric Figure and notes the medium as 'Ink on paper'. The artist signed 'Sri Rabindra' in Bengali at the bottom left corner of the painting with a brush and black color.
artwork modern painting
Identifier
ngma-01278
Material
Ink, Paper
Note
Rabindranath Tagore was primarily known as a writer, poet, playwright, philosopher and aesthetician, founder of a unique educational institution, Visva- Bharati, music composer and choreographer. Tagore's emergence as a painter began in 1928 when he was 67 years old. Beginning with scratching and erasures on the pages of his manuscripts during the mid-20s of the 20th Century, he slowly moved towards drawing and painting independent images. Between 1928 and 1940, Rabindranath painted more than 2000 images. He never gave any title to his paintings. Fed by memories and the subconscious, Rabindranath's art was spontaneous and dramatic. His images did not represent the phenomenal world but an interior reality. Rabindranath veered towards abstraction in his figuration. Expressionism in European art and the primitive art of ancient cultures inspired him. Fantasy, wild imagination and an innate feel for the absurd gave a distinctive character to his visual language. The National Gallery of Modern Art has a representative collection of his imagery.
Pages
11 x 38.5 cm
Published in
India
Type
Painting