Nandalal studied the art practices and traditions not only of India but also those of other regions and reproduced them in his environs in Santiniketan. His intent being to understand and assimilate the various artistic elements to enrich his visual vocabulary. In this sketch, as the inscription suggests, the artist has reproduced the form of the deer from a book or journal by studying the works of old masters. Nandalal had a deep admiration for the rich artistic history of India and often incorporated elements from it in his works. In this album of 60 sketches, the artist has studied ornamental depictions of antelopes and deer from various textual sources and indigenous styles of painting and reproduced them on paper. As Jaya Appasamy in the article 'Nandalal- Master Draughtsman' in the book, 'Nandalal Bose (1882-1966) Centenary Exhibition' elucidates, "While Nandalal had a great respect for the Indian tradition, he was not a mere copyist as has often been supposed. The past to him was a source of principles and ideas; it had an artistic grammar, that was a discipline for hand and eye." There is an inscription in English that reads, 'Koka, Jan-Dec 1922', referring to a textual source, along the lower margin of the sketch.
- Identifier
- ngma-09493
- Material
- Pencil, Paper
- 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
- 16.8 x 21 cm
- Published in
- India
- Type
- Painting
