Nandalal Bose With A Biographical Note An Album

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NANDALAL BOSE

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AN ALBUM OF
NANDALAL BOSE
WITH A
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
SANTINIKETAN ASRAMIK SANGHA
CALCUTTA
19 5 6

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Publishıcd by
Sm. Pratiina Gupta
On lichalf of Santinikctan Asramik Sangha
47 Southern Avenuc, Calcutta-29
Printed by S. N. Guha Ray, at Sree Saraswaty Press Limited,
32, Upper Circular Road, Calcutta-9

FOREWORD I am happy to learn that the Santiniketan Asramık Sangha of Calcutta has decided to publish a representative collection of Sri Nandalal Bose's pictures Nandalal Babu has been the doyen of artists in India and I should like to pay my tribute of respect and admiration to lum I hope he will live long and add to the treasures he has alrcady given to the nation JAWAHARLAL NENRU ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In 1953 the Santiniketan Asramik Sangha held an arghya-dan ceremony in honour of Acharya Nandalal Bose. At that time the Sangha decided to organise, on a large scale, an exhibition of the artist's works and later to publish a representative album of his paintings. Accordingly, a most successful exhibition of Nandalal's works was held in March-April, 1954. Simultaneously with the exhibition, the planning of the proposed album was taken in hand. The opportunity was taken of the large collection of paintings at the exhibition to make a preliminary selection which was finalised with the artist's approval. It is impossible to overrate the debt which both the exhibition and the planning of the album owed to the help and guidance of the late artist, Ramendranath Chakravorty, who was himself a pupil of Nandalal and whose untimely death last year caused such a great loss to the realm of art in India. The publishers gratefully acknowledge the kind response of the Government of India and the State Government of West Bengal to their request for financial and other aids towards the publication of the album. But for the subsidies granted by these Governments it would not have been possible to issue the album at its present price. Many kind friends, including the owners of the Raja Praphullanath Tagore Collection, have helped us by loaning pictures in their possession, for which we thank them sincerely. We would put on record our appreciation of the assistance given us in various ways by Visva-Bharati, the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta and the Ananda Bazar Patrika. We must also acknowledge the co-operation we have received from Sree Saraswaty Press Ltd. The Colour Plates were made by Sree Saraswaty Press Ltd. Lastly, it is a pleasure to refer to the interest shown in this undertaking and help given to it by so many members of the Santiniketan Asramik Sangha from far and near. There is no question of giving them thanks, for they are us.

Mud House Of KHARAGPUR (Lino Cut) In the absence of an authoritative book of reference or a comprehensive collection on permanent view in a public gallery or a representative album, comparatively few persons have an ade quate idea of the range of the artistic output of Nandalal Bose s genius, and especially of his work in later life let almost every picture by Nandalal could be regarded as having the significance directly or indirectly, of a landmark in the history not only of the Bengal School but of modern Indian art as a whole For in a long and prolific career as an artist Nandalal s work has been distinguished by an astonishing variety in terms of idea style technique and treatment In fact it would be impossible to provide a full view of his genrus in a single volume As reflecting the course of the unfoldment and evolution of Nandalal s art the view available from the present album can be regarded a that of an outline only The pictures included here may however be taken as representative of Nandalal s art from the standpoint of aesthetic realisation as well as of technical achievement Some notes are given about the paintings but not about the sketches These are but a selection from an immense storehouse of material in all kinds of style and technique carrying echoc from all periods of the artists life Apart from their intrins artistic merit the sketches chronicling moods and persons experiences give us a feel of the environment of the artist s ma) creative work in the respective periods As regards the biographical note that follows it does not pretenu to be elaborate The organic links picked up present a pictur which is coherent only in a limited degree What is given here i rather a series of allusions—to circumstances experiences and influences in the artist s life which have, more or less obviously some bearing on his creative work On would not miss, it was the mathematics class. The explanation lay in the attraction which Nandalal felt for the mathematics teacherthe well-known Gouri Sankar De. The personality of Gouri Sankar, including his manners and attire, had a moral-cum-aesthetic appeal for Nandalal who would never absent himself from his class if he could help it. There was no evidence of similar scrupulousness in attendance to the classes on other subjects subjects which Nandalal had previously liked more than he liked mathematics or which at least he had disliked less. The neat figure of the grey-haired Gouri Sankar dressed in spotless whitc—in a close-necked coat and dhoti that did not come more than an inch or two below the knces-exercised a kind of spell on Nandalal. There was also in Gouri Sankar's method of teaching and dealing with the students a preciseness, a quality of orderliness which made an impact on Nandalal. For Nandalal, the mathcmatics class under Gouri Sankar was rather like an aesthetic experience and, as such, held his interest though neither by nature and far less by previous nurture was he attracted to the subject itself. To return to the days at Kharagpur. After finishing with the maqtab Nandalal joined the local “middle-vernacular” school. Here the medium of instruction was Hindi, The Hindi learnt in childhood both at school and outside-even at home a lot of the local Hindi dialect must have been used along with Bengali--went into Nandalal's blood and has remained there. Even now when he is under an impulse to express some strong emotion, which is not often because he is terribly shy, it pours out naturally in Hindi. In telling stories to his children and later to his grand-children his habit was to use Hindi, In his childhood Nandalal absorbed not only Hindi and the scenery about Kharagpur. The peculiar tang of the human contacts made in those days also went into his being and can be sensed even now whenever there is a stirring of memory. Take, for instance, the occasion some years ago of that visit by a villager who appeared one morning at Santiniketan, asking for Nandalal Bose. The visitor, in turban and with a stout bamboo stick in his hand, looked a typical Bihari villager,--apparently a long way off from the world-renowned Director of Kala-Bhavana. Yet when he was taken to Nandalal it was like a meeting of long-lost brothers for the whole of that day Nandalal took leave from his students and his work and gave himself entirely to his boyhood friend from Kharagpur The happy pair spent the whole day off in talking, laughing, and eating together There was not the least trace of constraint on either side At Kharagpur, as a boy, Nandalal heard of a painter in a nearby village He searched him out The fellow was a crank He lived by painting pictures for the villagers One day Nandalal took to him painting materials-paper, paints and a brush-and asked him to make a picture The artist shook his head-'I paint only on a wall When the paper was fixed on a wall he said, 'I have no use for that brush and those paints' He made his own paint by mixing soot with water and made a brush by rolling up a piece of cotton rag Work began, of course, after a payment Then at one point it stopped Nandalal asked the artist, 'Why have you stopped ? That madman of a village artist answered, 'That's enough for one pice' So another pice was paid and the painting proceeded, but it was not long before another pice was demanded and paid And thus it went on till the picture was finished The crazy fellow did not know that he had done more than paint a picture for the boy Long afterwards, in the execution of his famous 'Natur Puja' series of frescoes in Cheena Bhavana at Santiniketan, Nandalal made a most successful use of the rag brush dalay championnating 1815745 BUDDHIST LAMA Collechon Jamuna Sen N completing the course of the "Middle" school at Kharagpur, Purna Chandra, was now posted at Darbhanga, the headquarters of the Raj estate He had bought a house in Calcutta so that the boys of the family might stay there for their education As already stated, the family seat at Banipur was not very far from Calcutta Nandalal used to go there every now and then to spend a few days away from the din and bustle of the city Not that Banipur was to remain entirely quiet The rural scene was being rapidly transformed, as a big jutemill was going up in the neighbourhood in its wake came all the attendant features of a 'mill area' That was a period when the keynote of 'industrialization here was naked exploitation The living MA WT So 14 4.4 conditions of the workers made an agonizing impression on Nandalal who was a frcqucnt visitor to the 'coolic lincs', cspccially when the workers were in trouble. The Europcan management's policy reſected one of the typically hatcrul and vicious fcatures of forcign rulc inasmuch as it cricd to kccp labour divided by cncouraging communal discord between Hindu and Muslim workers, pushing this policy on occasion to the point of actually inciting riots. The cvils of forcign rulc and the ugly side of 'industrial civilization' were thus brought home to Nandalal through personal observation. About this time loc was in close contact with a fricnd and rclativc-Dcbabrata Boscwho was a follower of Sri Aurobindo. Debabrata camc frequently to Nandalal's residence in Calcutta and discussed with him the country's unhappy condition. Nandalal's young mind was deeply agitated by these discussions to which may be traced the beginning of his sympathy for the revolutionarics of Bengal. In Calcutta, Nandalal first joined school and then, after passing the Entrance Examination, entered college. About this time his marriage took place. It was of course arranged by his guardians. The bridc- Sudhira-was the handsome daughter of Prakash Chandra Pal. The Pals were well-to-do and influcntial. They, too, lived in Kharagpur, only on the other side of the Mani which ran across the village. The head of the family was Prakash's father. He had plans of a doctor's carcer for Nandalal. But already the course of Nandalal's life was set in a dificrcnt dircction. Though his name was still on the college rolls, his interest in collcgc work sicadily dcclined. Noney mcant for thc purchase of tcxtbooks was spent in other ways, for instance, in buying illustrated magazincs after hunting the old-book shops. It was during this period that Nandalal madc a collection of prints of Raphael and Ravi Varma. An interesting thing to nolc about this period was a characteristic response of Nandalal's mind to the appeal of English poctry. Alongsidc Wordsworth's pocms in a college text-book Nandalal made drawings to illustrate the poci's imagcry. Long afterwards when Sir William Rothenstcin hcard about this hc wanted to scc thc illustrations. But nobody know where the book had gonc. By now Nandalal know what he must do. He had decided to join IIMALAYAN COTTAGE Collection R. V. Chakravorty Abanındranath Tagore's class in the Government School of Art, as the present Government College of Arts and Crafts was then called He wrote to his grandfather-in-law that he had lost all interest in the general academic studies for a degree and career and asked for his permission to join the Art school The people at Kharagpur already knew enough about the state of Nandalal's so called studies in Calcutta to realize that it would make little practical difference whether the permission sought was given or not So it was given And, of course, Nandalal had already acted in anticipation E B Havell was then Principal of the Government School of Art and Abanındranath Tagore Vice Principal The name of Havell will forever shine in the history of the aesthetic revival in modern India Havell arrived as Principal of the Government School of Art, Madras, to teach the method and ideal of Western art which the Indian mind was so eager to learn But Havell proved too great a man to encourage wrong values and he soon set himself to draw the attention of the authorities and the Indian public to works of Indian art and started his movement for the revival of the handloom industry After some time he came to Bengal as Principal of the Government School of Art, and here he began his work in right earnest till he fell ill and was compel led to leave India He set himself to restore the position of the village crafts in the art life of this country With this end in view he tried to remodel the then existing Art School and opened a new department of crafts, particularly the handloom He brought various craftsmen from all over India and made it compulsory for the art students to learn stencilling, paper cutting, etc , though to work under a mere artisan was regarded a great humiliation by many of the students Havell brought a hereditary artist, a man by name Lala Iswariprasad, for the students of his painting class The attached gallery of the School was full of copies of European masterpieces Havell had them all removed and brought in their place Indian miniature paintings of Mogul, Rajput and other schools All this was very shocking to the cultured' people of that age Though his own works do not conform to any of the traditional Indian schools of painting, Abanindranath is rightly recognised as the KURSEONG SCENE Collection R Chakravorty Seren reviver of Indian art in the modern age. To quote from Benode Behari Mookherjee, “By dint of his wonderful talent he (Abanindranath) effected a fusion of Western and Oriental techniques and evolved a new style of painting. The problem of absorbing the Western technique without detriment to the character of their own art-tradition, has been a serious one to the modern artists not only in India but also in China and Japan. The success with which Abanindranath solved it is perhaps unique in the history of modern Oriental Art.... It is the influence of Abanindranath that has made us (modern artists of Bengal) modern. And now that we have become modern we turn to understand the Indian classical art. It must be clearly understood that we have not become modern through the pursuance of the old. When in England, indeed almost everywhere in Europe, sheer academic jugglery in light and shade was being practised in the name of art, it was an achievement of no mean order for an Indian artist to have risen above the lure of naturalism and to have visualised the ideal of real creative art. Abanindranath's early training was in the Western technique reflected in his works up to 1895. In 1897 Havell introduced him to some of the best specimens of the Mogul and Rajput schools which lent their influence to Abanindranath's art during the next following years. During 1901-1902 Abanindranath became acquainted with modern Japanese artists and their works. This happened through the agency of Count Okakura who had met Vivekananda in Japan and followed him to India. Okakura believed a nation's art to be the deepest expression of its soul. To him the significance of his own country, Japan, became real through its art. He believed, once herart-mind was awakened, India's whole being would be pulsating with life. Okakura also believed 'Asia is one. He came to persuade Vivekananda to go to Japan on a prolonged visit. But Swamiji's health had already broken down. On returning home Okakura sent Hori San to study Sanskrit at Santiniketan and the artists, Yokoyama Taikan and Hisida, to Calcutta to consort with Indian artists for mutual benefit. Abanindranath studied Japanese art with Taikan and Hisida and took from them practical lessons in drawing in Japanese style. The most important of all contacts for his future as an artist began on that day in August, 1905 on which Nandalal, seeking admission into BANARAS : Collection Indulekha Gho INA 111 the Government School of Art, was taken by a student whom he had known before, to Abanındranath Tagore in his room at the School Presenting Nandalal to the Master, the young interceder said, 'Please, Sır, you must take him in 'Abanındranath looked up A slim youth, curly-headed and of a smooth dark complexion, was standing before him with a bundle of papers in his nervous hand But there was no mistaking the sparkle of intelligence in the handsome face and the bright eyes The first question was a playful teaser 'A truant from school ? Nandalal gravely answered, 'No, Sir, I have finished school and have even read in a college I can prove this by certificates But the certificates that really mattered were in the bundle--a copy of Raphael's Madonna, some crayons, copies of Greek statues and several specimens of still-life painting Abanındranath took Nandalal to Havell Havell inspected the pictures He preferred the original pieces and was particularly pleased with the work Mahashu eta So Nandalal became a student at the Art School Willy-nılly hus guardians had to agree but their misgivings and anxiety about Nandalal's worldly future were not easily set at rest At last, carrying the family's fears, Nandalal's father-in law one day arrived in Calcutta and went straight to Abanındranath Abanındranath tried to convince him that it was possible to live and maintain a family on 'Art'. Finally, Abanındranath said, 'Please have no fear I accept all responsibility for Nandalal With this assurance, Prakash Chandra returned home with an easy mind HILL GIRL Collechon Jamuna Sen The There was no 'schoolmastering' in Abanındranath's class Its keynote was a spirit of dedication common to both the teacher and his pupils. A feature of the class was cultivation of the association of literature with art Discourses on historical subjects and the puranas were arranged for the benefit of the students, who found sources of inspiration in them Evidence of this is provided by Nandalal's works of that period--Siddhartha with the wounded duck in his lap, Death of Dasharatha, Kali, Satyabhama, Krishna, the tandata dance of Shiva, Satı, Shiva-Satı, Bhishma taking vow, Gandhari, Dhritarashtra, Sanjaya, pictures on themes from Betal-Pancha-Vimshati, and so on ir !! }, 11539 - : . The Siddhartha showed a marked originality of conception. It was clone entirely in the decorative style. When Abanindranath wanted to correct the anatomy Havell said, 'No, Ict it remain as it is.' Havell had understanding of the essence of the decorative principle in Indian art and lic realized Nandalal's genius, especially in the perspective of that art's tradition. When Nandalal was a student at the Art School Sistcr Nivcdita (Miss Margaret Noble) visited it one day in the company of Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bosc. Nandalal's work made il grcat impression on her. Not that she refrained from criticising what she considered dcfects; but on ihe whole she was deeply moved. Bcforc Icaving shc very carnestly asked Nandalal 10 sce lier at hier residence. After this, the young artist was a frequent visitor at Nivedita's place. Nivedita's contribution in the movement for the regeneration of Indian art must be given a very high place among her great and astonishingly varicd scrvices to this country. Her inspiring contact with and unfailing interest in Nandalal's work right up to the time of her death were of great value to the artist. About Nivedita Nandalal has said, 'Thcrc was a rare shining grace in her countenance. It cxuded a glow of purity and strength. Illocvcr saw that face cien once could not forget it in liſe. I can never say cnough about thic cncouragement I rcccived from her. When shic dicd it was like being deprived of the presence of a guiding angel. It was Sister Nivedita who introduced me to the idcas of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda.' Towards thic cnd of 1908 Havell had lo rctirc from thic Art School and Icavc for England on account of his licalth. He was succccded by Percy Brown as Principal. Abanindranath continued as Vicc- Principal. Brown was a stricter disciplinarian than Havell and undoubicdly the previous régimc had permitted a somewhat casual attitude towards thic rules. One of the carlicst things Brown did was to make it clcar that lic would insist, for example, on punctual aticndance both by students and tcachers. In order to impress this on all concerned hc ordered that the gate should be closed at 10 o'clock so that those who came late would be shut out for the day. On the very first day of the promulgation of this order Nandalal was to find the gate closed before him. He asked the gatcman to inform IN TIE RAir: Collection Indulckha Ghosh a Abanındranath of his predicament and the Vice-Principal had personally to come to the gate to help the late comer gain admittance Nandalal was a student at the Art School for five years When he finished the course the authorities of the Art School offered him a post which he declined For he had a call from Abanındranath for work at the latter's house at Jorasanko where a rich variety of jobs awaited him He assisted in the preparation of catalogue of Abanındranath's famous "Tagore Collection' This included miniatures of the Rajput and Mogul schools, book illustrations of the Persian schools, colour prints from China and Japan, illustrations of palm leaf manuscripts of the Buddhist schools, Nayıka and Ragını pictures of Rajputana, Shaiva and Varshnava paintings of the Hill School, metal sculptures of Nepal and Tibet, bronzes from the South, wooden and stone images of the Pala School, pat paintings of Bengal, ivories, terra-cottas and specimens of the doll maker's art from all parts of India, and also textiles Nandalal copied for Abanındranath a large number of old drawings Also, Nandalal had become Art teacher to the children of the Tagore family And, of course, being in daily contact with the Master, he was learning all the time That was the time when the vigour of the new art movement was already reflected in the growth of a recognizable school and a circle of painters, which, with Abanındranath as the centra) figure and acknowledged guru, included Nandalal, Asit Kumar Haldar, Surendranath Ganguli, Samarendranath Gupta, Kshıtındranath Mazumder, Surendranath har, K Venkatappa, Halim Mahammad Khan, Sailendranath Dey and Durgesh Singha Apart from Havell's, the support which the new school received from Gaganendra Nath Tagore, himself an outstanding artist with a distinctive style of his own, Ananda Coomaraswamy and OC Gangoly is especially mentionable It should be noted that Abanındranath's studio at Jorasanko was not merely a painter's workshop Those who gathered there did not limit their attention to the classical and the folk arts There were readings and discussions to promote informed criticism, a new awareness of aesthetic values and an enlargement and heightening of feeling about beauty and art ANTELOPE Collechon Indulekha Chash Eleren Thesclattcr objcctives, however, nccded a special forum or organizalion for their pursuit on a wider, national scale. And this was provided by the Indian Society of Oriental Art which had been formed in 1907. The principal initiative was Havell's, backed by Sir John Woodroflc, Sister Nivedila, banindranatlı, Gaganendranath and others. The object of the Socicry was stated to be the 'cultivation by its members, and the promotion amongst the public, or a knowledge of all branches of ancient and modern oricntal art by incans of the collection by its members of objects of such art and the exhibition of such collcctions to the Society; the reading of papers, holding of discussions, the purchase of books and journals relating to art; correspondance with kindred socictics or collectors and connoisseurs ; thic publication of a journal ; as also the furtherance of modern Indian art by means of holding public loan exhibitions of objccts of ancient and modern and in particular oriental art owned by the members of the Socicy or others; the encouragement and assistance of Indian artists, art students and workers in artistic industries by, among other means, help given to them by the Socicly towards thic disposal of their work, the holding of public exhibitions of works of modern Indian art and the award of prizes and diplomas at such cxhibitions.' Nandalal became associated with the work of Indian Society of Oriental Art. His picture Shira-Sali at onc of the Socicly's exhibitions brought him a prize of Rs. 500. This provided the whicrewithal for a tour in northern India in the company of a friend. With an cyc for things of artistic intcrcst whicrcver he went, Nandalal visitcc Gaya, Banaras, Agra, Delhi, Mathura and Vrindaban. Not long afterwards lic carricd oui, with O. C. Gangoly, a tour of pilgrimage in Southern India also. Not only the architecture and sculptures of the temples were studied. The south Indian way of life also was observed with cqual interest. Thesc tours, in north, and south India, formed a special chapter in Nandalal's lifc. The caves of Ajanta in Hyderabad first became known to the world in 1819. Descriptions of them appcared in the 'Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Socicty' in 1829. In 1844 the Socicy addressed the Directors of the East India Company with a plea for the prcscrvation HILL AND PLAIN : Collection R. N. Chakravorty تهنیت . Twelve n' of the caves and the execution of copies of the frescoes and as a result of their minute, Major Gill of the Madras Army was engaged to make facsimile copies of all the pictures and was allowed adequate assistance Major Gill worked with devotion at Ajanta until the Vutiny and sent from time to time about thirty copies to London where they were kept in the Museum of the East India Company Those were painted in oils and were, except for vehicle, facsimiles In 1875 the Government of India sanctioned an annual grant and Mr John Gnffiths with the help of students from Bombay School of Art began the work of copying the frescoes The copies were sent to South Kensington Museum But on June 12 1885 out of 125 canvases which had been sent to South Kensington 87 were destroyed or damaged by fire Nearly a quarter of a century later, at the instance of the India Society and of Lawrence Binyon of the British Museum Lady Herringham, wife of Sir Wilmont Herringham came out to India on a mission whose object was the execution of a new set of copies of the Ajanta frescoes In this work Lady Herringham secured financial assistance from many Indian patrons of art including some Indian Princes She had brought some artists from England but they were not enough to cope with the work So she asked Sister Nivedita for some Indian artists When Nandalal received Nivedita s message he was at first unwilling to go to Ajanta as it was so far away But Nivedita was determined to send some Indian artists and especially Nandalal, on this job She saw Abanındranath and explained to him the importance of the matter But even Abanındranath s approval and encouragement could not completely overcome Nandalal s hesitancy At last one day Nivedita appeared and declared with a note of finality that she had fired up everything, nothing being left to Nandalal and the three others who were to accompany him except to get ready and start The party consisting of Nandalal, Asit Haldar, Venkatappa and Samarendranath Gupta left for Ajanta in December, 1910 An idea of the nature of the job that awaited them at Ajanta can be had from the following description by one of Lady Herringham's artists T GRAND MA Collect on R A Chakra orly Thirteen 'It is nearly impossible to get at once an impress of the whole of the largest composition without the aid of artificial light. The acetylene lamp which we used gave a good general light over two-thirds of a wall and this was useful for completing copies. For tracing frescoes in dark parts, a strong motor lamp on a tall three-legged stand, and so arranged that the light could be turned on the top or bottom of a wall, would have been most satisfactory. Oil lamps are possible but they are difficult to manage and the light is not so concentrated. When the painting was very much darkened with agc thc best way of tracing accurately was to fasten the two top corners of the tracing paper with adhesive slips, roll it up quickly from the bottom with left hand, look at the outline, roll the paper back and trace. In this way it is casier to copy the various thicknesses of line ; and it is not necessary to draw lines freely on the paper. The outline everywhere is sensitive. When coloured copies were made, a fairly rough tracing was done first and transferred to the painting paper on the frames and the outline accurately copied from the fresco afterwards ; but in the case of those intended to remain as outlines, the exact tracing was made on the wall. The coloured copies were executed on thick cartridge paper.' After completing their allotted tasks at Ajanta, Nandalal and his three colleagues returned to Calcutta in February, 1911. By this time Nandalal's fame as an artist had spread, not only in India. The works of Abanindranath, Nandalal and their colleagues belonging to what was now called the 'Bengal School of painting with an established position in the country roused interest among art-lovers and connoisseurs in some foreign countries also. About 1913 Nandalal had an argument with Abanindranath. The discussion has not been published but it is known that the point at issue was whether art was for the people or for the elite alone. Nandalal now came to live in the family house at Banipur. He felt an urge for pat-painting. Following the 'Kalighat and other models, he went on painting picture after picture while he conceived an extraordinary scheme to dispose of the products of his brush for the benefit of jute mill workers and other common folk. The idea was to offer pictures at such a low price that poor people could buy them. So the pat-pictures were priced at four annas each and Nandalal made HIMALAYAN GORGE Collection R. N. Chakravorty Fourteen an arrangement with a grocer's shop for displaying and selling them For the shop, the pictures had an advertisement value because they attracted people So the artist was not charged any commission Every evening Nandalal would call at the shop to collect the day's sale-proceeds from his pictures This scheme came to an abrupt end when Abanındranath, on coming to know of it, sent for Nandalal and bought up his entire stock of pat-pictures During this period of his stay at Banipur Nandalal had constant engagements in Calcutta where he came almost daily For instance, the frescoes in the Basu Vijnan Mſandır (Sir Jagadish Bose's Institute) were executed while he was staying at Banipur Nandalal assisted also in the activities of the Indian Society of Oriental Art in various ways The then Governor of Bengal, Lord Carmichael, was a lover of art and he took great interest in the Society He was eager to have some works of the Bengal School of painting exhibited in Europe This was just before the outbreak of the first World War A collection of pictures was made through the Society and these, together with other objects of art assembled from various parts of India, were despatched by ship for London But war had already broken out and the ship was torpedoed in the Mediterranean and lost with all it contained Among the pictures so lost were several by Nandalal including Satı's Tapasya and Poush-Parian The tragedy was deeply felt by Nandalal It is difficult for others to gauge the depth of an artist's feeling for his creations In this respect Nandalal is especially sensitive His pictures are so much a part of his self that his mind seems to carry a vivid imprint of each one's genesis—the background of its inspiration, what problem or problems it set and how he solved them, anything of interest about the material used, and so on Reproductions of Poush-Parian can be found in the Calcutta periodical 'Prabashi 'Sati's Tapasya was printed in Sister Nivedita's posthumous book Rabindranath Tagore's contribution to the renaissance in India is immeasurable Apart from his own superb direct contribution, Rabindranath was a source of inspiration, encouragement and help to whosoever or whatever showed any promise in literature, art, science, scholarship or in fact in any field of creative activity, including the economic He radiated faith in a resurgent India and wherever ARTISTS' CAVP, FAIZPUR Collechon Indulekha Ghosh Fifteen he saw any talent or genius struggling for self-expression he would go to the limit of his power and resources to help it. The 'Bengal School of painting owes an immense debt to Rabindranath. If its guru or creator was Abanindranath, the latter himself was in a sense created by Rabindranath. The Poet took a deep interest in the members of Abanindranath's circle of disciples and colleagues. Among them, he had already recruited Asit Haldar as an art teacher for his school at Santiniketan which was the nucleus of the present Visva- Bharati. Later, Surendranath Kar also joined Santiniketan. Mukul Dey, another prominent member of Abanindranath's 'family of artists, was a former student of the school at Santiniketan. It was Rabindranath's great hope that Nandalal, too, would join Santiniketan. But at that time the resources of the Brahmacharya Vidyalaya were limited and it was some years before Nandalal came to join the institution at Santiniketan permanently. His first visit to Santiniketan took place in the summer of 1915 on an invitation from the Poet. Rabindranath made an occasion of it by giving a reception to Nandalal in the traditional Santiniketan style at the Amra-Kunja. The Poet read a poem specially addressed to Nandalal. The other artists present-Asit Haldar, Suren Kar and Mukul Dey-also shared in the ceremonial honours. An incident associated with this occasion may be mentioned here to give a glimpse of the playful side of Nandalal's character. It had been arranged among Mukul Dey, Surendranath Kar and Nandalal that they would assemble at a particular spot at the Howrah station from where they were to take train for Bolpur. When Mukul Dey arrived Nandalal and Suren Kar were already waiting for him at the appointed place under a gas light. When they met, Nandalal said to Mukul, 'We arrived a few minutes ago. Now, here is something for you. Okakura gave me this stick of Japanese ink. I give it to you.' Nandalal handed the present to Mukul who was very glad to keep it. At Santiniketan, Rabindranath told Mukul that he wanted some good paper on which to write a poem on the occasion of the reception and present to Nandalal. Mukul had in his stock some good 10" X 12" Chinese handmade paper ornamented with cherry blossoms with light gold edge. He took it to the Poet who asked now for some good WAYSIDE COTTAGE: Collection Indulekha Ghosh zem intre Sixteen 233783 14. * 19,12137;.'' 1 ink That was easy to produce Mukul brought forth the stick of 'Japanese ink' which he had received from Nandalal at Howrah station It was not possible to dissolve the stick and put it in an inkpot So Mſukul put a new nib on a new penholder and gave it to Rabindranath to write while he himself stood by to supply ink on to the nib from the stick with a wet brush As the writing proceeded the Poet went on wondering why the ink was so dull Mukul assured him there was no cause for worry—the ink would brighten up afterwards After the ceremony, the artists returned to the cottage where they had put up By that time daylight had dimmed and when they tried to read the poem, Tagore's writing appeared faint and hardly legible A kerosene lantern was brought in but its light made no improve ment Then Nandalal asked Mukul Dey, 'Do you know what paint was used to write the poem "' Mukul Dey said, 'Why, it was that Japanese ink given by Okakura' Nandalal gave out a cry. What have you done, Mukul! It was a joke Okakura has indeed given me a very valuable stick of Japanese ink But what I gave you at Howrah was neither that nor any other Japanese ink It was a carbon stick that had fallen from one of the gas lamps at the station' The joke played on Mukul Dey contained the suggestion of a fling at the craze, then prevalent among many of Nandalal s artist friends, for everything Japanese It was enough to say that it was Japanese ink' to make Mſukul Dey fall for a stack of carbon Of course, a few days later Nandalal received from Rabindranath another copy of the poem in the Poet's handwriting—this time no doubt in ink of a more orthodox kind During the cold weather of 1915 Nandalal, along with Mukul Dey and Suren Kar, spent over a month as the Poet's guest at and near Sılardah in the Tagores' estate in North Bengal Most of the time they lived in house boats on the river Padma or in tents on chars The whole day passed in painting and sketching The glittering river with its wide expanse, the chars extending to the horizon, hundreds of thousands of wild ducks from the Himalayan regions come to plains in the winter, the human scenes of village life on the river side-provided no end of subjects for the artist's brush and pencil When the visit concluded, Nandalal and his colleagues had, after exhausting their own stock of D. ma FISHERMAN Collection Jamuna Sen Seventeen

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shoulder the major responsibilitv, he must come to Calcutta at once. Coming from Abanındranath, it was for Nandalal a summons from the Guru Yet he was unwilling to leave Santiniketan and wrote so to Abanındranath Abanındranath replied that the Society's scheme would have to be dropped if Nandalal did not come Rabindranath was not at Santiniketan when he heard about all this He lost no time in writing to Nandalal, 'If you leave Santiniketan, Kala Bhavana will close down' Eventually, Nandalal had to yield to Abanındranath, and he returned, unwillingly, to Calcutta after he had been with Visva- Bharatı only for some months The wrench was painful on both sides but it did not remain unrepaired for long In fact, even when Nandalal worked for the Society in Calcutta he continued to be in close touch with Santiniketan He spent every week end there This routine continued for more than a year when a complaint reached the authorities of the Society about Nandalal's weekly visits to Santiniketan because he could not always return to Calcutta by Monday Lest any bitterness should arise out of it, Nandalal resigned from the Society's work as soon as he heard of this complaint He now came to stay permanently at Santiniketan, but some time passed before he rejoined Visva-Bharatı wholly, in a stipendiary capacity This was the time of Gandhiji's first Non co-operation movement and the whole country was in a state of agitation which to some extent affected Nandalal's mind also At this juncture an interlude of three strenuous months at the Bagh Caves provided a sort of emotional restorative As Nandalal himself recalls. 'It was 1921. We were trying to settle down to our work at Santiniketan but my mind was rather distracted owing to the political upheaval in the country There came one day about this time a wholly unexpected invitation from the Gwalior Darbar to go and undertake the copying work of the frescoes in the Bagh Caves which were fast crumbling down The offer opened up a possible avenue of much. needed change in environment and occupation Situated in the southern slopes of the Vindhya range on the left bank of the riser Wagh or Bagh, a small tributary of the Narmada, the Caves extend over a frontage of nearly 750 yards 'On detraining at Mhow we (Nandalal, Asit Haldarand Suren Kar) IONSOON TIME AT SANTINIKETAN Collection Indulekha Ghosh ، را، به were met by an officer of thc Gwalior State who put us in a motor bus which stopped at dusk at Dhar, a small taluka outpost in Gwalior. After ncarly a wcck's preparation thcrc thc thrcc artists set out onc morning for Bagh. Four bullock-carts were waiting outside the Dhar dak-bungalow. The road from Dhar to Bagh traversed through dense forests at scveral points and deprcdations on highways by panthers and tigers were not absolutcly unknown. We were, however, well protected by military guards. On the fourth cvening in a most romantic carly winter twilight we rcached Bagh bustec, a mcrc collection of about a dozen Bhil huts with a cluster of denscly wooded hills on all sides, one of which contained thc famous Caves with frescocs. 'The next morning as soon as we had a hurricd brcakfast wc ran to thc Caves for we werc impatient with excitement. But a rudc shock was in storc for us. The Caves, though discovered about five decades ago, had been allowed to run to almost complete decay. The roof over the entrance on whose walls were all the frescocs, had collapsed, lcaving the pictures exposed to the ruinous cffects of thc sun and rain. We saw beforc us nothing but a dark patch over thc walls, roughly 50 fcct by 20 fect with traces of faint lines and colour hcrc and there. We would not havc believed at all but for the insistcncc of the Statc archacologist that we were actually standing in front of the frescoes which we were commissioned to trace and copy. Wc stood there dumbfounded and completcly perplexed when we were informed that the pictures would become visible if water were thrown upon the walls, as indeed was the casc. On liberal application of water soused over the walls, the pictures considerably lighted up no doubt but we could not carry on long with this method, as the carthen plastering of the walls would come crumbling down along with water. Such vandalism was certainly not for an artist. We eventually planned a modified method ; instead of roughly throwing water over the walls, we would apply a soaked sponge gently over a small portion of the picture and as the lines showed themselves we would carry on with a little tracing. This, however, was a most laborious and monotonous method with the additional difficulty that even after a few days' work we were unable to understand what actually were the pictures in their entirety as we could see only a very small portion at any one time. We had yet to TRAVELLERS : Collection Jamuna Sen Twenty omny igle wrsic solve the main problem--a proper method of tracing the pictures The task was exceedingly difficult as even after the application of water, the lines would not be so very clear as to show appreciably through the tracing paper I was, however, lucky to remember that a Japanese artist friend of mine kampo Arai San, had a method of his own to deal with such difficult cases-he would place the tracing paper over the picture, lift the paper round a corner a Ittle, scrutinize the lines closely and then immediately replace the paper and hurriedly do a httle tracing That was the only possible method and after three or four days' constant practice, we became quite quick with the work But this was nevertheless a very dull process and robbed us of most of the arustic joy of our work for three long months we plodded on like that, every day for close upon eight or nine hours and brought our task to a satisfactory finish' VET ARTISTS DAUGHTER Collechon Jamuna Sen ISITORS to Kala Bhavana will see an interesting map kept there from it an idea can be had of the far-flung influence of the Santiniketan school of art A dot is put on this map for every student who has received training at Kala Bhavana, indicating the place from where he or she came The whole of India is now full of such dots There are a few which mark places outside India also About the method of teaching followed at hala Bhavana Nandalal once sard 'Here in Kala-Bhavana, the students are encouraged to try their hands at original work right away from the very beginning, and gradually, according to individual needs they are taken through all the different branches of technique till they finish their course, the whole process taking full five years 'Technique, for our purpose, is divided into six main categories All these are of equal value , individual need determines the particular branch to be taken up first 'The six main branches may be enumerated thus 1 The correct reproduction of a picture or an object as seen by the eye 2 The study of an object from all possible viewpoints and in such Tuentione We a manner that it can be reproduced from memory when such object is not within sight. It must be mentioned here that a one-without-a-second viewpoint in the study of an object has no place in our system. These studies are intended to drive the object deep into the sub-conscious mind from where they are expected to emerge, the basic rhythm and correct proportions of the object standing clear on the conscious mind of the learner. 3. The above studies are followed up, in natural sequence, by an attempt at concretising the abstract form behind the object. 4. The study of light and shade and of perspective in order to represent a solid mass in its proper dimensions. 5. The study of the anatomy of the human body. 6. The study of colour : Its right use and the harmonious blending of its various tones and depths in order to create the desired effect. “This last is a special study by itself. The student is encouraged to make a close study of nature and of good pictures so that he may develop within himself a deep sense of colour harmony. ‘The above as a course of study in the principles and practice of technique, it will be observed, closely resembles the formulae as laid down in our ancient art treatises. They are, (1) Discrimination (as between forms, etc.) ; (2) Comparison (in similarity or otherwise) ; (3) Proportion ; (4) Expression of emotions ; (5) Grace and beauty (in treatment) ; and (6) Finishing (which in its comprehensiveness includes colour composition, harmony in form and in expression, etc.) 'Our own experience has been that careful discrimination has to be made between student and student according to their respective needs and capacities in the matter of timing the study of the different branches of technique. The natural tendency and the individual bent as revealed in their original work must suggest the order. Technique is not recognised as a study by itself nor are lessons as such given in it. The aim always kept in view is that technique must help forward the original work of the student. And as individual needs differ, the order of study differs accordingly. 'In our view, a real work of art must show the artist's personality, must be natural and must conform to tradition as well. The artist CLASS-ROOM SKETCH Collection Indulekha Ghosh Twentytwo cannot afford to ignore any of these essentials nor can he concentrate on one at the expense of the other two They must be well balanced Too much emphasis on personality may lead to eccentricity, on naturalness, to mere imitation, on tradition, to inelasticity The students here are taught to avoid these pitfalls "Ithat is understood by composition in the academic sense has no place in the system followed in Kala Bhavana le prefer the term creation instead By composition is meant the bringing together of certain unrelated parts and then shape them into a rhythmic uhole, the life movement coming last It is like creating the body first and putting the breath of life into it afterwards To the Indian artist the life movement suggests itself along with the Idea Then comes rhythm closely followed by form In other words, the life urge creates the form best suited for the expression of the Idea "To our mind, art is a complete whole and it is to be judged as such A mere analysis of its component parts is of no help Art is a live something and it is so intermingled with the artist s personality that it is well nigh impossible to separate the two To understand the artist, one has to study the entire background of his life, his day to day inspirations and his way of opening himself up to them, his individuality and the measure of its power All these the guru must do in respect of his pupil artists and that with a deep and subtle sympathy in order to be able to guide them and help them to realise their own power This is our way in Kala-Bhavana 'Gurudeva had recognised that an artistic atmosphere was essential in creating artists And it was in order to start such an atmosphere that he summoned us to the Santiniketan Asram Here in Kala- Bhavana it is recognised that to keep up such an atmosphere, the teachers must continue producing orginal works of art which will inspire the pupils to similar efforts This is considered to be an essentral part of teaching and, without it, teaching would be a mechanical process devoid of inspiration and utterly useless Those who will come after us must of necessity conform to this view They must keep a watchful eye on the atmosphere built up with so much thought and care and see that it does not deteriorate and all our sacrifices go in vain It is not so much by their skill in teaching that they will be ITHAL Collect on Jamuna Sen Tu entythree /. Thanh mm * judged but by the spirit with which they are actuated as artists and by their devotion to the sacred cause. That is the only way to keep up the ideals of Kala-Bhavana of Abanindranath and of Gurudeva.' Nandalal on another occasion said: 'For an Oriental artist it is not necessary to start with a strenuous effort to master anatomy as an isolated subject, because in Oriental art an understanding of life-rhythm is enough to start work with and to give expression to ideas. With the progress of the artist's observation his knowledge of form increases and can be utilized in conception. But such knowledge should be utilized only to the extent necessary. One must guard against an excessive use of detail in form to the detriment of life-rhythm. The movement of the idea and the rhythm in its expression derive from life-rhythm. Perception of life-rhythm is instinctive in man. This can be seen even in pictures by children because it is this with which children start their work. Other examples are dolls made by the village potter, and the pats. The works of children and rural craftsmen, in general, all primitive art, become natural because they have little knowledge of form. The works of a high class artist are also natural because he is a master of that knowledge but eschews unnecessary complexity of detail in the expression of the idea and rhythm. 3915102 1122 ame 2015179 occa -ng EVENING : Collection Indulekha Ghosh ** 'When it does not fit in with the picture, one would be well advised to suppress one's knowledge of anatomy. In my picture Shiva-Sati, with the dead body of Sati lying in Shiva's lap, his left knee should not be visible according to correct anatomy. But the picture demanded it and had it. The situation can be likened to the predicament of a couple fallen in the hands of robbers in a forest. If the husband loves his wife, he tries to save her first and not the ornaments she may be wearing. Similarly, the real artist, if necessary, will not hesitate to throw his knowledge of anatomy to the winds in order to save the picture. * * ** * 'Art depends, simultaneously, on three things—tradition, nature and originality. An work of art which excludes any one of these cannot be whole or perfect. Art which relies on nature and originality Twentyfour only but has no link with tradition and no strong roots in the past tends to remain in a sort of perpetually infantile stage subject to will eccentricities of the artist On the other hand, tradition and originality, without nature, make art lifeless while in the absencc of origi. nality it becomes stereotyped * 'Pictures, again, can be put into three classes--rcalistic, decoratie and traditional In a realistic picture reality is followed as far as thus is possible without any detriment to the integrity of the picture In decorative work such combinations are permissible as a horse joined to a lotus stem, a bird to a fish or a human face to a duck's body Traditional art abounds with examples of the combination of the first tuo styles, that is, realistic and decorative Onc, however, has to be very careful in the use of such combination and guard against recklessness that can easily become disastrous from the point of vicw of art For instance, I felt a shock when I saw a gramophonc in the border of a Banarası saree instead of the traditional conch, or crccper or flower The designer must have thought that he was scoring on the "old men", but in fact, he had marred and not made art "When painting, the artist must constantly keep in mind thic mai note of the picture, what one wants to scc and say through it Some particular detail may be good and locautiful by itself and yet out of place in the picture in which case it will have to be discarded There must be control so that neither line nor colour becomes loud There is Do rule that one must always follow thic cxact juxtaposition of colours in nature What is essential is to observe their basic inter-relations and congruity to ensironment As one can start a sing on any notr so a man can lor painted in red or even in grrr Thor important thing is to knom what colour to put next to it to inakr st com- of best im dacoralse art, it would byr promissible to paint the sky or a cloud or a bu! en green like that of the young puddy 'Thyr artist lies to learn from nature the deeper and finns relatiom-ups Brewern colour and colour BAMIT's COTTAGE TITHALKACAP Collection Indulet ha Gheh Junton cft Nandalal has always stressed the importance of developing personal relations between tcacher and student. It was for this rcason that he would not take in too many students. Every ycar there were morcapplicants than could be admitted. When working at a picture it was Nandalal's practice cvery day to have, by turns, two students near him as hiclpcrs. He would talk to them, not necessarily about art or the picture in hand all the time. They would converse on all manner of subjects, including personal matters and the students' liomc lifc. In this way thc tcacher brought the students close to him. Apart from this, there were picnics and thc rcgular annual outings of two or three weeks cach in which all the students and tcachers of Kala-Bhavana lcd by Nandalal joined. Rclationship between Icachers and students was also strengthened by joint creative work which has been an outstanding feature of the life and tcaching at Kala-Bhavana. Evidence of this will be found in the frescocs and other works in the various buildings at Santinikctan. When Nandalal was invited by thc Government of Baroda to cxccutc frescocs in the Royal Mausolcum there in 1943 hic took along with him a batch of students who shared in thc work. Whilc on the subject of frescocs, we may recall two disappointments which were deeply felt by Nandalal. He was very cager for the work in the Alulagandhakuti Vihara at Sarnath, but according to the terms of the endowment it could be given only 10 an artist who was also a practising Buddhist. Nandalal was also very cager to cxccute frescoes in the Ramakrishna icmplc at Bclur, but later hc had to give up this dearly cherished hope on account of ſailing health. A large number of sketches were donc both for Mulagandhakuti Vihara and Ramakrishna Temple. Orders from outside for fresco-painting, poster-drawing, book-illustrating, etc. were executed through the Karu-Sangha, an organization which Nandalal cstablished in 1929 for the benefit of the members of Kala-Bhavana, especially students. For, Nandalal had found that there were many among the latter who werc far from well off. It would be a great help to them if they could carn some moncy as they went through their course. Also, all did not get regular employment imme- > THE LAKE NOT FAR FROY KHARAGPUR Collection Indulekha Ghosh Twentysix 7 jalan TA how my montren ABANINDRANATH'S STUDIO diately on their passing out The Karu-Sangha helped many such artists through difficult times In 1924, Nandalal accompanied Rabindranath on a four months' tour of China, Japan, Malaya, and Burma The party included also a number of Indian scholars The object of the tour was to revive and foster closer cultural contacts and exchange of ideas berween those countries and India The tour provided Nandalal with an opportunity, which he fully utilised, of making first-hand acquaintance with the arts and the artists of the countries visited Ten years later, when Rabindranath visited Ceylon, Nandalal was with him Twentyseven THOUGII hic had been known to Gandhiji beſorc, Nandalal camo into closc touch with the Mahatma first in 1935, about the timc of thic Lucknow session of the Indian National Congress. Gandhiji, who gave a top place to art in the liſc of the nation, had summoned Nandalal to Lucknow to decoratc thc pandal in which the Congress was to be hicid. Nandalal took with him a batch of students from Santiniketan to help him in the task. Nandalal bcautified the Congress pandal in a way never done before. Hc had set a new stylc of pandal decoration. Next ycar the Congress was held at Faizpur, a village in Maharashtra. Again the summons camc, but Gandhiji himself was not surc whcthcr Nandalal could stay away from liis work at Santinikcian for morc than a month required by thc job at Faizpur. But to Gandhiji's joy, Nancialal went to Faizpur and, as usual, with his batch of students. There he did not take up residence in the ‘lcaders' camp' as he was cxpccicd to do but stayed with his students among the volunteers. What he made with bamboo and straw as his main matcrials was wonderful. The following ycar's Congress session was to be held at Haripura, a village in Gujerat. llell ahcad of the daic an invitation came to Nandalal to go to Bardoli to moct Gandhiji for preliminary discussions about the planning of thc pandal. Thc rcply went in a telegram from Nandalal bcgging to bc excused this timc bccausc he was ill. But in less than a week and without any previous intimation Nandalal was at Bardoli, to Gandhiji's joyful surprisc. Nandalal cxplained, 'I didn't expect to get well so soon. The day I felt well I staricd for Bardoli.' After a few days at Bardoli, Nandalal went to Haripura for having a close look at thc pcasantry's life in thc locality. For he wanted that the art which was to be displayed in the making and decoration of the Congress pandal should be in tunc with the lifc around. Rcturning to Bardoli, Nandalal told Gandhiji, 'I have now a clcar idea of my task and am ready to start work.' 'No,' said Gandhiji, 'I see you are not quite well yet. You must rest yourself for a few days first. Why not come with me to Tithal ?' So Nandalal went to Tithal with Gandhiji for rest. Here is the account of a small but revcaling incident about which Nandalal wrote in a letter from Tithal : 'One day coming KALA-BHAVANA PICNICKERS RETURN to the sca-side for a walk, I left my shocs on the sand and strolled away Collection Indulekha Ghosh 9 1 Twentyeight sam 1 I 1 3 barefoot As I came back ait time I found Gandhiji standing with his staff, keep ng guard n shoes' Here are your shoes, he said What a wateli 1 (inc'hi heeps even on the smallest things' He was keeping on In shoes lest there should be any difficulty for me in it! 20t the shoes all right but felt terribly abashed After that! Laring shoes for many days The days at Tithal with 1 ork soon became somewhat dull for Nandalal 11 hen Gandhi saw this he told Nandalal, 'You cannot paint because you have not brought any paints with you Why not try with carth? That was a good idea Nandalal collected earths of different colo irs and made a series of pictures on post cards in poster style depicting rural life Recollections of Harpura include the story of a dispute which was finally settled bi Gandhiji himself On the top of the flag-staff Nandalal had placed a flower made of cloth To this the politicians objected They said the flag must have the highest place, nothing could be above it Nandalal said he had given the highest place to art, the flower must not be pulled down Why didnt they object to the pulley at the mast-head ? The engineer in charge was called in but he was unable to settle the dispute At last Gandhiji himself had to intercede His verdict was that what Nandalal had said must prevail The pictures which formed a part of the decoration of the Congress pandal became famous as thr Haripura Posters In matters relating to Art Gandhiji's faith in Nandalal was un bounded There was a proposal, which eventually did not materialize, to hold a Congress session at Puri in Orissa In this connexion, a section Congress leaders allowed their minds to be exercised over the nudes in the sculptures of the Puri and Konarak temples An industrialist offered to have the offending sculptures plastered over at his cost He actually got Gandhiji's consent for his proposal When Gandhiji asked for Nandalal's opinion, Nandalal made a vigorous protest "The proposal,' he said, 'is an impossible one The question here is one of viewpoint To obliterate these figures will be to destroy some of the best creations of art It is indisputable that the figures, as creations of art, belong to a high order' Gandhiji accepted Nandalal's opinion and the proposal was buried lands KRISHNA KAHO Collection Indulekha Ghosh Trentynine Gandhiji regarded Nandalal's work at Santiniketan as being of the highest value to the nation. Pre-eminent among the reasons that lay behind Gandhiji's anxiety for the future of Visva-Bharati and his efforts to help it, especially after the death of Tagore, was his conviction about this value. There are examples in history of poets, painters and musicians being patronised and rewarded with titics or money-gifts by persons in authority, but the quality of the love and respect which India's supreme national leader felt for India's greatest modern artist was unique. For graciousness and spiritual purity, the Gandhi-Nandalal relationship was without a parallel. Among the few things that adorned the bare walls of Gandhiji's hut at Sevagram was Nandalal's love-gift of a picture depicting the Buddha with a wounded lamb in His arms proceeding to the place of King Bimbisara's yajna. F OR some time past Nandalal's health has not been too good. Yet, despite his years and a weakened body, much of the old routine of a disciplined, hard worker is intact. Nandalal rises at 3 A.M. and, after ablutions, reads the Gita, Rabindranath, Ramakrishna, Aurobindo and such like, till dawn and then goes out for a walk. During the walk he would pick up little things of beauty--maybe a flower, or a pebble or a piece of wood. Most of these daily acquisitions find their first resting place in a bag which Nandalal has named Lakh tahar jhuli or the Lakh-rupee bag. Returning from the walk he starts work and paints through the morning. His advice to his pupils used to be: 'Morning time and morning light are the best for original work. Do your copying in the afternoons.' Nandalal has been a whole-hearted participant in the cultural life of Santiniketan. There has never been a more regular attendant at the evening functions, whether musical, dramatic or literary. But anyone looking for him anywhere near the frontline of the audience would be doomed to disappointment. Invariably Nandalal would take a back seat, usually in the very last row. Many a time the Poet had tried to make Nandalal sit near him but never succeeded against the artist's adamantine shyness. Thirty ob List of Ploie Plates (luc inn 1 SATI 2 AHALYA REDEEMEN 3 PARTHASARATHI 4 OVER THE PADVA IN WINTER 5 RAIN SWEPT honar 4K 6 LOST IN THE Woods 5 Al kendt uth Tagore Ralı pl It unath Tagore Sri Altarr di inath Sagore Kaja ) rapli allinath Tagore Rajil raph lla sath Tagore Raju Iraphullanath Tagore Raja I raphullanath Tagore Raja Praphullanath Tagore Sri Ramkum Karım! Sm Srunau Tagore Sni Gotri Bhanja 7 SANTIAL GIRL 8 GRIEF OF UMA 9 THE SPIRIT OF THE RAIN 10 VEENA PLAYER 11 OUT ON A STORMY MICH 12 MANDIRA DANCC OF LATILAW 13 PWE DANCE 14 hur KSHETRA 15 GURU ABANINDRANATII 16 DANCING GIRLS WOR311 Raja Praphullanath Tagore Raja Praphullanath Tagore Srs Alakendranath Tagore Raja Praphullanath Tagore antachandrn & Sın Raru Vahalanobis Sri hamundranath Chakravorty Sri Ratanmohan Chattopadhya 17 RETURY ST 18 THE STARTING OF THE BRIDECRL ON 19 CHAITANYA TEACHING I HI SCIO 20 THE DALGUTER N LAW 21 DANDE MARCH Raja Praphullanath Tagore 22 ROAD TO BOLPUR 23 PINE FOREST 24 SHRIMATE AND MALATI 25 BURNING PIVE 26 MOUNTAIN MIST Sri Binodebeharı Vookherjee 27 A SANTHAL MARRIAGE PROCESSION 28 STORY 29 SPRING FESTIVAL

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Y 2 AHALYA KO.DCCMCD 1910

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44 3 IARTH ISAR ITHI 1912

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4 OVER THI IDI IN WINTIR F brry 1915

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5 RAI\ SI FPT LOVARAK (1917!

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6 LOST IN THE WOODS 1918

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1 SANTHAL, GIRL 1919

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1? VI INDIRA DANCF OF KATHIAWAD April 1923

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13 PWE DANCE 1924

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15 GURU ABANINDRANATH August 1926

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16 D INCIN CIRLS IT ORSHIP January 1997

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Li
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RETUR Felcary 1977

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CE 18 THE STARTINC OF THI BRIDEGROO11 November 1928

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20) THE DIUCHTERIN LAN November 19

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21 DANDI VIRCH 11
1 1930

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22 ROAD) TO YO PUR May 1934

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23 PN FORLST June 1938

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24 SHRIVATI AND MALATI Apr ! 1942

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ILRVICII e 194

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6 MOUNTAIN MIST V y 1943

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27 A SI\THI I 1 (1 PROCESSION May 1948

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8 STORV July 1948

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عدها
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29 SPRING FESTIVAL
March 1949

性 ABOUT THE PL ires PLATE 1 SITI (1908] 11 ash Painting Si e 12' x 71 MATERIAL Whatman Handmade Paper COLOURS Burnt Senna lellow Ochre Ind gn Chrome Yellow Termal oild t M n n og h e After killing Ravana in battle Rama sent i ord to Sua Sita performed ablutions de led herself in fine clothes and ornaments and then proceeded in a chariot t1 mert Rama On seeing Sita Rama s mind was tormented with do bts Iſe told Sita Ravana la at lustful eyes on you I should not by taking you back bring a slur on my no!! Then Sta mournfully told Lakshmana I no longer sit beut it slander cast on me The funeral pyre is the only remely prepare o e fo pyre was made ready and set alght Sita fearlessly stopped to the frr In she looked I ke the vision of a golden goddess Then again tl Gd ul Fire in person He removed the pyre and in his arms was Sita un arn d an! w tl a radiance Then the God of Fire handed over Sata to Ran id sad Ra back your Sita there is not a trace of sin in her Sant or Sita s ordeal of fire was painted by handalal when he 1 as a student It! School of Art After being exhibited in Japan in 1910 chis fictre us pults! magazine lokka of Tokyo In India this picture won warm pra se as so r coloured wood cut prints On its first appearance the picture cred tiren usi! Its conception and artistic creativeness are the first shnın busarhi leo (nirh of modern art Sall receives mention in Abın ndranaths mut counts Havell had got up a society with a fers Eur pein n mi and wune m rnb Ty They used to work in the Art School for an hour or ti o mth eset ne a sort la club where discussions and criticisms rere held nd ala, onrus : 1 Thornton of the Martin Company used to look lier it every 11 1 Intrt i was his look out Not only that he was a big buyer too any of wisp nur hlum About the t me he bought Nandalal s Salı we had decided t sed! lest petur pri ted and put into circulation Some we did get printed and the curril ifre Szlan oth r paintings were carefully packed and despatched to Japan for reprvi ut nun Oh lh ra, Taikan and others made the arrangements Tle reproduct on aine lid ifter jr sted in coloured wood cut Thornton s San also came back When Thorn pcl ert the icture he couldn t recognise it at all Come sharp lie sent ord toe s meibiny s rar ye las happened Salt as changed somel ow Its no longer ti e or gris rt po thaste 11 hat could it be I asked myself and then saw that really indee 1 W cmnl had turned into the colour of ashes as it were It was just The ol in distem er Viv his ches happened? Thornton asked Paint has d scoloured but hn ? tk 10 I replied Cant it be restored ? Thornton asked No that s not poss ble nd I Thornton felt dejected his Salt in such a wretched state! In those days we ourselves usd li lot rf paintings I had been keen on having Satu I couldn t get it because Ti orton ha l take it off I told Thornton If you have no use for it then let me have the pcture and you the sum other picture in exchange of it 'So I brought Sah home and started th nkug what could be done about J ant er 1

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this juncture that krishna adjured Arjuna overcome his faint heartedness and to be ready to fight for his right as well as to fulfil his duty as a Kshatriya Parthasarath was painted after h s return from the Buddhist Cave temple at Ajanta where Nandalal with a group of artists had copied the wall paintings for oser three months The picture was exhibited in Calcutta and sold to Norman Blunt a nored connoisscur of Indian arts and crafts It was Blunt who had introduced Abanındranath Tagore to E B Havel] While in England Norman Blunt being in pecuniary difficulties wrote to Abanındranath if he could secure a buyer for the Parthasarath The latter himself offered to purchase and brought back the painting to India Since Parthasaruth the artist has made several attempts in this style It s interesting to note that none of them reflects the same depth idea PLATE 4 OVER THE PADUA HIVTER February 1915 Il ash Painting St < 36 x 154 MATERIAL Cartridge Paper COLOURS Neutral Tint Blue Black Gamboge Ch nese White In the winter of 1915 Poet Tagore invited landalal and two other artists Surendranath Kar and Mſukul De to Shel dah the seat of his estate in North Bengal There they spent over a month in many places I ving with the River Padma--partly in boat partly in tent on the rivers de or on sand banks During the rainy season the swollen swift moving Padma a name of the Ganga as it flows through central Bengal before joining the Brahmaputra turns into a vast sheet of water when from one bank of the river the other bank becomes almost invisible in winter the river presents quite another picture The waters recede and the submerged lands come up again many in the form of Islands There the wild ducks gather by hundreds of thousands and the swift waters are outspread to the farthest point of the horizon There are scenic pictures all around Nandalal also painted here a few pictures for illustrating Tagore s book a collect on of poems PLATE 5 R111 SII EPT KO IR 18 (1917) Il ask Painting şi e 60" X 26" MATERIAL Cartridge Paper COLOURS Burnt Sienna Yellow Ochre Ind an Red Chinese Ink Emerald Green Vica honarak Surya Deul for its size the most richly ornamental bu Id ng-extremely at least in the whole world was erected in the middle of the Thirteenth Century by Varasındeva and dedicated to the Sun God It stands today on a lonely stretch of sea coast north cast of Pun in Orissa The entire sanctuary was conceived as an architectural likeness of the Sun God s chariot which gives an illusion as though it is actually flying through the sky Othe terraces of the roof as interruptions to the lines of the cornices are monumental statues of female musicians Surasundaris They have massive heroic beauty quite in keeping with their function of serving as architectural ornaments to be seen from a great distance 111 Thır visit to Konark in 1917 introduceret ry Pictur ir thir risolution of. Vanlilal's artistic fruits. Ilr W. Il companied b Sutradanth Kor and the Japanese artist, Kimpo 1. San. 'Ilir triple prostiral ilir sommes ortists wills subjeres fris scorrs of sl.ciclics. This ..! ۱۱ را.) 1 ۱.۱۲۰۰۰ ۱۰۱۱۱۲، ۱۱، ۱۱ ۱۱۲ ۱۱ 1'1..111: 11 1.OST 1.1 I'III: 11'001), 1117, 11ar l'irrr:11, 11r 18,9 11.TEKN Cririillir l'oper's (' Rours murrakel licen. Prllooss Oilure, Burnt Siruin., Indian Rail, Chinese In, Chinese utr. I fingrat serair or losse doll coni'r around thu.ilatsepuur worse ther artist was forn and where hic yorut lots imas litmul clours. Il sot painted on ('irlerilla tlurins: tlir prrived lor undertoo. cominis. pristral wosk 11 Blir. live ir lirdir. 'Ilir 11111111 irtis, slimsa lor ficar el critirism alvoutils duzlarrr und wirpxr11800, elle ther picture outright into two, Bue lasert lie found his original comprensione sul cliron le lor come and rrjeel thirties pirers togrilire. P.111.7 5.11/11.11. (,181., 1419. Ili: I'::'!11., 11:11%26!* .11NT (intender loper Cooperetis Clunmar Ink, Indum Rrah, Burne Sienna. Yrilos Ollir, Burnt Chroic lightened with wilier, Abanindranath Tagor in his (inslowlabouse planted .sm dm.rfrei in Japanese style a banyan Irrr 11 a puit. In time this bns.nl ollainrelil maturity but its height ssas still a few inches only. 1hostinath dauracel Ilir pot with stone clips. Illien Vandalal joined Santinihctan in 1914 Vlanini...th proirnire thic tree to Vandall, de Santinihrian Vindalal broke the pot onld planeril ilir irre in the courtsund of the alien Kala-Bhalana. Sren by the sheer impulsc of its lifrofitar llir surtiski irrr prou up in stature. Looking at the liberated, lively ircc Vandulal said, "Beilscentlır life of this erre and in osin life there is much in common." .Iftcr C: ill., .ls.us fervan ilir iste's soisr .nd bustle Vandalal fele a sense of liberation in the sulitude of thr pro opera il Santiniketan. Visture toch possession of the artist's mind. Ilrrr lliere were uninterrupin virus of firlds on all sides, with stretches of red gravel-strcwn unudulacrime land intersening to add sticas las elie scene. T?ere kcrc Santhal girls collecting er learns and broke this and brandirs of recy; Santhal boys graring cows or with bons anul urrexiss roring in sal forests. Sandall painted his Santhal Girl soon after coining to Santiniketan. On the occasion of l'issa-Bharati's inauguration lc.irned men from all over the world gathered at Santinikctan. They unscol to liole discussions in the large hall of the Kala-Bhabana. With this picture, Santhal PLATE 8 GRIEF OF UM1, 1921, Tempera, Size 53' 31' MATERIAL Cartridge Paper COLOURS Clunese Ink, Emerald Stone Dust, Cobalt Blue, Vertul a pure "Vitr, Indian Red, Yellow Ochre From the legend of Shrya whuch Kalidasa hus immortaliscul in bu kumar il bu im Shr gods were bent on procuring the reunjon of Sluva and Saku in her new armato I'm - the beautiful daughtes of Himalaya The lisautiful damsrl case scwrslm her illele and stone beads and lowers attended by her mard and her companies I liry brought al, ut a meeting at the moment when Shiva was made to slike os for a few m mnts his swi eternal contemplation under the spell of Madan's bow Such a mencilla ratio only physical and Uma had made no spintual preparation for at Shivi u74 vrty milimet il at Madan's impertinence and from Shiva's"angry eyes' restless flashry searched the title Viny of Lose to ashes " Then the Great God left the spor-leaving the disappointed muutumn in grief and shame Grief-For she loved, and all her love wis van and slo unr spurned before her youthful train 1 PLATE 9 THE SPIRIT OF THE RIL\S, 1921, Tempera Siz 11" / MATERIAL Whatman Handmade Paper COLOLR$ Collyrium, Emerald Green, Light Red, Indian Rail, Yellow Orlor, (11 Painted after his retum to Santiniketan from the Bagh Carc temple in Cowalut State This picture is an ar the vision of Santiniketan during the rains It has a link with a 1, by Tagore the basm of the stam-lyd cinsine varith streaming hair Tra, Sở 17} <3 PLATE 10 VEEVA PLATER 1 MATERIAL Teak Word COLOURS Yellow Ou Terra Verde, Indian Port Citateur, Crem, Gril, Vermilion The South Indian 1, pr of Verna was introduced at Sartınıketan to the court musr an ri the Vaharaja of Pati apuram Płaszcz cz te t'assical musical instrument pernyatane in a short time became prqular in northern India Tre Teena ira musical qualities and the artistic way of playerz, created an interself as bacarrere The picture was first secured by the ind an Sxiety co-ertal Art and later acquart brothpresent owner PLATE 11 OUT ON A STORM 19 NIGHT, 1923, Wash Painting, Size 13}" X 9?" MATERIAL: Japanese Handmade Paper COLOURS : Indian Red, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Indigo, Light Red, Chinesc White, Mica, Gold. Out on a slormy Night is one among the many pictures by thc artist first published in the latc Ramananda Chatterjcc's periodicals, thc Prabashi and the Modern Review. It will not be out of place to refer to Chatterjcc's love for and eagerness to help spread the art movement of the new Group. In the carly days and for a considerable period these two monthly magazines served practically as the only means of contact with the public. Young artists in distant places got inspiration and new ideas from reproductions in the Prabashi and the Modern Revicw, PLATE 12 MANDIRA DANCE OF KATHIAIAD, April 1923, Ink Il'ork, Size 101" x 6" MATERIAL : Indian Handmade Paper COLOUR: Chinese Ink. Rabindranath Tagore, along with a number of professors of Santiniketan, visited Kathiawad in 1923. The folk-songs and folk-dances of Kathiawad impressed the Poet; he desired that boys and girls at Santiniketan should learn them. At the end of his tour, the Poet brought back with him a family of peasants from Kathiawad. A thirteen-year old girl of this family danced in the mango-grove with a pair of mandira in each hand. To what extent this subject attracted Nandalal can be estimated from the fact that he designed many sketches, lithographs (Kala-Bhabana collection) and coloured paintings on this mandira dance. PLATE 13 PILE DANCE, 1924, Tempera, Size 42" X 27}" MATERIAL: Silk COLOURS : Yellow Ochre, Chinese White, Chinese Ink, Indian Red. At an invitation from the Chinese universities in 1924 Rabindranath Tagore, accompanied by a number of Indian scholars made an extensive tour of China and other Far Eastern countries. The goal of the Mission was to renew the old cultural ties which China and other Far Eastern countries had with India and also to work out a constructive scheme of co-operation. The deputation included Kshitimohan Sen Sastri, Professor of Indology, Santiniketan, Nandalal Bose, Head of the Kala-Bhavana, L. K. Elmhirst, Director of Sriniketan and Kalidas Nag from Calcutta University. On their way the party halted at Rangoon for four days. One evening a Burmese songstress came to provide songs for the guests. Her father accompanied her on a Saung, a string instrument. The twelve-year old sister of the musician was a practised Pwe dancer, she was with them. On being requested to give recitals the fair-looking handsome little girl, Ma Dwe, vi said she had not come prepared for this national dance, there must have special dress and ornaments The guests insisted, "We do not want such formal show " A Banarası San was available With the Sart on and to the music her sister and father she performed erquisite dances Infinitely changing and varied every minute were the graceful movements of her tender blossom-like body, creating beauty in thousand new shapes and forms-sometimes it was like blowing flower, or a creeper swayed by the gentle wind or a rippling river, and sometimes again it was like a bird dancing, a peacock on a cloudy day Mandalal ceaselessly went on sketching the movements These forms, the artist said, were inimitably beautiful and hints of these were also found in old Indian sculptures One of the items of the dance symbolized the dropping Shephalika flower The picture was painted on Nandalal's return to India The artist himself mounted it in Japanese style PLATE 14 KURUKSHETRA, 1925, Tempera, Size 291' x 214" MATERIAL Cartridge Paper COLOURS Vermilion, Terra Verde, Chinese Ink Yellow Ochre, Stone White Lemon Yellow, Emerald Green A story from the epic Mahabharata The hauravas and the Pandavas after dynastic disputes extending over many years made ready for open combat As the opposing forces with their allies stood arrayed on the plain of Kurukshetra just before the great war began, Arjuna, the principal Pandava warrior, was overtaken by an intolerable internal conflict His heart quailed at the thought of the war and the mass murder that it involved including the killing of friends and relatives What use would be victory gained at such appalling cost? All the old standards seemed to fail him Lake his heart, the old values were in a state of collapse PLATE 15 GURU IBANINDR INATII, August 1996, Tempera Sic 12" X73" MATERIAL Indian Handmade Paper Colours Shell White, Yellow Ochre, Chrome Yellow, Vermilion, Emerald Green, Gold The modern art movement in India may be said to have been inaugurated by E B Havell It was through the writings of this great Englishman that the people of India were made aware of the vast significance of the Indian art and its ideal The pioneer genius who gave form, shape and character to this new ideal was Abanindranath Tagore Iven before Abanindranath came under the influence of Hasells guidance, his mind had been nourished in the atmosphere of literary renaissance It was Abanındranath who first created the taste for Indian art Acharya Mandalal was Abarındranath's student and worked for a considerable period under the influence of the latter's genius About Abanındranatlı, Mandalal said, ' To call myself a disciple of Abarundranath is but stating a fact But it leaves very much unsaid I hatever I am I know I am only a crcation of his He has created me in the world of Art and in that sense I am like a son unto him We recognise that the master attracts not so much through his skill in teaching as through his ideal 11 loral Curiri impara dormeell for lux cascaple IIr..s CAICONr.igros clir pupil to desclop 1114 posset in lus en W.11." Ihr picture 119 a butlidis milt to lus Curiod wis rambuted by the Indian Society of Onrntillom (ili l'. 111. 16 DIHIN(11L,'S ORSINII, 702 11; 19.7, Irfa af! It'ash Soci" 3/" .V11111 Silk (nein Yellross (elirr, miten krii, l'irimirir, Clurir ini, lupinirse Wuer I arrur Iran lopurrin dr.m, Dancing Ciirl's Worlup, beseel on a Buddhist threr 'I hc d 111 illi xil licer does the thir girinin mrr dres reimalımes tlır 134. sture's clloss rolur. 'l lor lors intelis tlır sanir el drision to thir Budalhin Shirini, tir polace dancer. kini .11111111111 i derrimi listir ther lingsins of Worshilerr from Buddluse influence Um untere lys tie i mno's oreire pributin' worlapot tlır Buddhist stups, Shiruniti prepara lurperlis olles protestuf thr alınar, rinin durumuusi's trun in the rusalsirdenta Mot lorer tlır Buddhalte *} Will the enirn of multing ixth Buddhind dir dining till. 10.11 rileen rearril the Slarimni ila 100 diner lictorr thir Buddlust allar Brautıfulls Iratirol dir pipirina lyrloor thor ofugo Bulls the surprise of all, lors danre turns out to be an .!!? sorollspy Slip birints in duur is slir dury, shr unfairns hier ornimenes one one and there is thirst the bit of clir slupi lirntuills thir katrol sinies Shrumili who fulls down drus) In the fun ** 18":11,' of thirst im in (wheat the artist's cldene ducherr .pprired in the role or Shrimili 11111 0157.1 mense mnou in an inspireel proform inrr Sandall decorated the stage ini preparati ilir conduine for the loss lompir or link sufficientis aware of Vandalal's oriminal contributions traforritund rummult ma il dicorations Ihr stile formerly fullumeel in drund «rthuida real frndruri The more remarkable trail of the new style dricloral los lumisili dimenzlics Lovellus malc-tips, the fings, queens, m uds, ordinary Citurns, robbers or other personel you cannot call them as belonging in .t porucul ir country rir a particular rrion, yrithes des sot pprir unrcal PIII. 17 NILIRI. Prown), 1927, Preil Dialinif, Ser&M , 4710 VITINIAI ('hrtridge Pasper llic painting of this picture proucial the artist's mental escape from the bustle of festivities on the occasion of a mn irti.com lus famils Amidst crowds and din hic finislied it unrumcd It was sold at the one-man shon licki at Darjeeling lrter about two scars Tagorc wrote a poem on the picture Il'hen soll u ont far au aj Spring's store of jogs uas not yet spent. It is scribed in a cornier in the Poct's own hands riting 'I his is the only pencil drawing of great dimensions by the artist. 1111 PLATE 18 THE STARTING OF THE BRIDEGROOM November 1928 Tempera S 61' 41' VIATERIAL Nepalese Handmade Paper COLOURS Vermilion Indian Red Chrome Yellow Emerald Green Ultramarine Chinese White Chinese Ink Mandalal has not painted many pictures in th s particular Bengalı Pat style After h s student days at the Art School he lived for a period in his ancestral home in the neighbourhood of Calcutta While there he painted a number of pictures in the pat style and used to give them away to the peasants and working people of the locality for a few annas About pal paintings Mandalal has later said Painting develops mannerism when for a long t me an object invariably through habit compared to another fixed object Pat is that kind of painting hch suffers from the defect of such mannerism There should be change in manner and techniq in accordance with the changing tastes of a nat on in the process of time The art st mu r himself discover new modes of resemblance and comparison Nandalal painted three pictures of this size and style during this time PLATI 19 CHAITAA YA TEACHIGI HIS SCHOOL July 1929 Ink Ti ork Sw8 X 51" MATERIAL Nepalese Handmade Paper COLOUR Chinese Ink The Great Vaishnava religious teacher, Chaitanya was born in the year 1485 in Nadia Bengal Of Brahmin parentage he received the usual education of a Brahmın boy and thanks to his extraordinary talents became even when he was still in his teens famous for his pro ficiency in all branches of Sanskrit knowledge, spec ally grammar rhetoric logic and philosophy Naturally enough he started a Tol (school) where he taught these subjects This way before he renounced the world and became completely absorbed in his spiritual mission PLATE 20 DAUGHTER IN LIIT November 1929 Lenoprint Sie 7" x 5" MATERIAL Nepalese Handmade Paper From the children s illustrated book Sahaj Path by Rabindranath Tagore Mandalal s interest in graphic art can be traced from the year 1925 He has not had too many wood cuts most of them are done in lino The Dandı Afarch and Xhan Abd l Ghaffar Khan are important specimens of his lino-cuts PLATE 21 DANDI ALARCH March 1930 Tempera Se 151x91" MATERIAL Teak Hood COLOLRS Indian Red Yellow Ochre, Terra Verde White Stone Chinese Ink In December 1929 the Indian people decided to launch a campaign for Independence Mahatma Gandhi searched for a form of cini disobedience On March 2 1930 he sent a long 1x letter to the Viceroy giving notice that civil disobedience would begin in nine days. In his letter the Mahatma said, "Nothing but organised non-violence can check the organised violence of British Government.” “This non-violence," he continued, "will be expressed through civil disobedience for the moment confined to the inmates of the Sabarmati Asram, but ultimately designed to cover all those who choose to join the movement." The first batch of chosen Satyagrahis numbering 79 hailed from the Punjab, Gujerat, Maharashtra, U.P., Cutch, Sind, Kerala, Rajasthan, Andhra, Karnatak, Bombay, Tamil Nad, Bihar, Bengal, Utkal, Nepal and Fiji. The age of the Satyagrahis varied from sixteen to sixty-one, the oldest being Gandhiji. On March 12, 1930 at 6-30 p.m., with the whole world watching on, Gandhiji started with 78 followers on the historic March to Dandi, 241 miles due south of Sabarmati, to break the Salt Law. Gandhiji carrying a lacquered staff, one inch wide and 54 inches long with an iron tip, walked the distance in 24 days. Peasants sprinkled the winding dirt roads with water and strewed green leaves on them. From miles around peasants gathered to kneel by the roadside as the Satyagrahis passed. Gandhiji and all the 78 followers are in the picture. Nandalal also painted during these days some posters which were utilized by the Civil Disobedience movement. The police used to tear them down at sight. The same subject has been treated in lino-cut,--in the black-and-white version the background with small figures has been omitted. PLATE 22 ROAD TO BOLPUR, May 1934, Tempera, Size 21" x 13}" MATERIAL: Handmade paper COLOURS : Yellow Ochre, Indian Red, Terra Verde, Chinese Ink, Stone White. Before painting frescoes in the Santiniketan hospital buildings, Nandalal made some preliminary paintings for showing his students how to work. This is one of those. During the sowing and harvesting seasons, landless Santhal peasants are called away to different parts of the district. For a month or two during these seasons, Santhal peasants with their families, wives and children, move to distant places for earning a living. Groups of Santhal peasants, who have left their homesteads in search of work in distant villages, are seen trudging along the road to Bolpur running by the side of Santiniketan. PLATE 23 PINE FOREST, June 1938, Dry Point, Size 7}" x 42" Pine forest of Tagdah Valley, Darjeeling. The artist's interest in etching came rather late in his life. He worked in this branch of art hardly for ten years. But within this short period he has produced works of a very high order. This composition of the Pine Forest was later on interpreted in a painting. X PLATE 24 SHRIVATI AND MALATI Apnl 1942 Executed d rectly on plaster u all in egg nedum Se 48* x 36" COLOURS Gold Brown Ochre Indian Red Terra Verde 1hite Ink Some of the principal episodes of the Buddh st ballad the Dancing Girls Torship (sec note on Plate 16) have been painted in a fresco in the Cheenabhavana of Sant n ketan If this fresco is divided into three sections it will be seen that in each of the first two cctions there are two episodes In the th rd three episodes in succession have been painted In the first Shrimati is proceeding with the sacred offering in her hands In the second pprar Shrimati and Malatı Shrimati is singing Valati a village maiden is Isten g Malatı communicates to Shrimatı her w sh to be employed in look ng after the sacred altar in the royal garden In the next ne the second section of the fresco there is the palace scene In the first episode there is the meet ng between Lokeswarı Maharaja B mb saras » fe and the Buddhist nun (Bhikshunt) Utpalparna The second ep sode shows the monk Bh kshu Upal receiving alms from the hands of Shrimat in the royal palace Princess Ratnasal s protesting against this alms giving On bended knees Shrimati is paying her respects to Lpalı The princesses are entertaining themselves with songs and music The first picture in the third section shows the procession of the princesses th sacred offerings moving in the direction of the altar under the Asoka tree In the second pcture Shrimati appears in her dancing costume she is to dance according to the royal order before the altar under the Asoka trce Women guards stand behind het In the third picture a single event is portrayed in a series of scenes Carrying in both hands a plate with burning lamps set on 4 Shrimatis song and dance beg Bımbısara s wife Queen Lokeswari looks on grief stricken hd ng her face behind a pllar some in angu share weeping their hands covering their eyes The altar is decked in a garland of lamps Before the altar with each movement of her worshipful dance Shnmatı casts off her dancer s costume and offers up her ornaments At last she is seen in the saffron robe of a Buddhist nun At the foot of the altar the black mass of her hair together with the crown she lays down as offering In the last scene the bg broad disc of the setting sun is seen on the horizont It looks like a Buddhist mound (stupa) The background is threaded with a forest line on the left hand side stand three giant trees tall and straight The whole scene is suffused with the saffron light of the setting sun In the foreground Shrimati s lifeless saffron clad body hangs in the hand of a woman guard Different versions of scenes from the Dancing Girls Il orship have been dep cted by the artist in frescoes line-drawings and pa nt ngs Bes des the Cheenabhavana frescoes he executed this story both in Baroda Kurti Mand r and in the Santın ketan Library bulding The latter work was done in Jaipur method 1 PLATE 25 BL'R.VI.VG PIVE, June 1912, Painted in bodly colour, Size 331" X 201" MATERIAL.: Nepalese Handmade Paper. COLOURS: Yellow Oclire, Indian Red, Terra Verde, Chinesc Ink, Whitc. Painted during the artist's stay at Almora. a giant old pine tree stood by thic roadside on the way to Mayavati. Somebody had touched it with a burning cigarette-and the resinous gum in a scar on the body of the tree liad caught fire. Nonth after month thc wounded trce continucd to burn. The giant tree was on fire and it burnt on helplessly. Sightseen used to coinc and scc the strange spectacle of the tree on fire. Mandalal felt deeply luri at the sight of the trcc burning within itself slowly. Vandalal had been at Almora for a good long period. During this period, he said in the course of a talk at Mayavati Advaita Asrama, “Born in a llindu family, I have been brought up in Hindu ideas and practices. At one time I used to paint mostly pictures of goods and goddessen. Vow, however, I paint pictures of ordinary cueryday lifc as well as pictures of deities and both equally delight mc. Conceiving the images of divinity alonc is lorty and the images of ordinary things around 11s are trilling, so I liad thought in the past. In my past days I saw divinity only in the images of dritics; now I try to see it in man, in tromy and mountains." PLATE 26 VOL.VT.11.V VIST, Jay 1915, Tempera, Size 33'' x 20!" MATERIAL: Vepaloc Handmade Paper COLOURS : Emerald Green, Burnt Sienna, Chinese Ink, Stone White, Cobalt Bluc, Indian Red, Terra Verde. A morning scene from Darjecling town. PLATE 27 1 SANTHAL MARRIIGE PROCESSIO.N, Vlay 1948, Line Drawing, Size 101" X 81* MATERIAL : Silk About thc evolution of his life as an artist Mandalal has written, “I was born in a far away village in Bihar. There my boyhood was spent in scclusion. The mud-liuts and humble grain stores of pcasants, farms and broad paddy-fields and low-lying ranges of hills formed my surroundings. In Santinikctan around me there were reddish-brown carth and at intervals rows of Sal and palm trees; small Santhal hamlets lying scattered over the wide, sparscly populated land. Thc Santhals were my ncighbours; I mixed with them as one of them and thicy also took me as thcir kin." PLATE 28 STORNI, July 1918, Touch Il'ork, Size 13" X 8" MATERIAL: Ncpalesc Handmade Paper The artist's inclination towards ink and brush was apparent during 1916-18. But till 1930 he had not adopted this method for scrious works. One of his most important works, xii Vahaprastlaner Pathry (Sarabhai C llai ny sh us his mastery olet ink and brush There are numerous landscapes and seascapes that are un talled in the whole realm of modern Indian art The painting reproduced her al pecimen of the artists latest style of work 1 PLATE 29 SPRING FESTII (L, March 1941 Te np MATERIAL Vepalese Handmad- Paper COLOURS Yellow Ochrt, Terri erde (1 1 te Indian Red Characteristics of the artists latest style ur brush work and simplicit lle mrct with tt experiments involving proportion and bala works is traceable to direct and more intor it between post 193+ paintings and the art st complete in sets only For instance Spring ! ! one such sct There is a uniformuy in treatient íge and Sabari in Old Age and also in Ha anbas! I e restricted colour free in ind compos tion and The inspirauon for these Ive There is basic link Ti se generally are con const tutes 1th Saban in Voddle h 17 The cover design is made from the line drawi executed on a Sriniketan bulding wall The HIT fresco in the same year by the artist assisted by listu 1 col c later on 815 rendered in 7 Dates Given In Plates When not quite certain dat h

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Front matter

Nandalal Bose With A Biographical Note An Album