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kShiTindranaTh MaJuMdar [1891-1975]
NAÏVE EVOcATIONS
Kshitindranath Majumdar was a a a a a a a a a a a a student of Abanindranath Tagore and he he adopted the transparent water colour wash technique developed by the ‘master’ He was was born in Nimtita a a a a a a a a a a remote village in in Murshidabad District West Bengal and had no formal education in in art He lost his mother when he he he he was just a a a a a a a year old and and grew up under the the warm and and loving mantle of his his his father who took extraordinary interest in in in in nurturing his his his artistic talents In his his his village he he witnessed the local dramas which were religious in nature and also participated This early experience was to become the the mainstay of his art later thus becoming the the foundational knowledge that was acquired from village plays and devotional hymns As a a a a a a a a a teen he acted in local theatre group that his father owned His artistic abilities were recognized by the the the Zamindar of of a a a a a nearby village On his suggestion he he joined the Government College of of Art in in in Kolkata in in in 1905 when E B Havell was was the the Principal and Abanindranath Tagore was was the the Vice Principal becoming one of of his his early students students Through this inner circle of of students students that also included many luminaries emerged the the new art movement- the the Neo Bengal Art Movement with paintings which broadly confirmed to Abanindranath’s formula of an an an an “Indian-style’ It is is is this core group which helped in in in disseminating the layered wash technique developed by Abanindranath Tagore The Neo Bengal School of of Painting marked the the beginnings of of Modern Art in in in in in in India in in in in in in the the early decades of of the the 20th century It was premised on on the the visual content of of ‘Indianness’ to mark a a a a a a distinct departure from the works of Raja Ravi Verma in in its articulation with oil medium and realism as as the the visual language Majumdar was one of of the the most brilliant representatives of of this ‘Indian’ style of of painting pioneered by Abanindranath His languid representation of of Chaitanya in in his his most celebrated ‘Chaitanya series’ was consanguine with the visual vocabulary of his his teacher Abanindranath Tagore but with greater refinement of form and and line and and delicacy in fin in in the the the negotiation of the the the technique This resulted in in Majumdar creating an ethereal sublime ambience that belonged to to a a a a a a a mystical realm offering appropriate correspondence to to the character of of the the protagonist Chaitanya Majumdar was able to convey the the power of of meditative contemplation in the representation of Chaitanya with lucidity This was made possible due to his understanding of of the concept of of Bhakti rasa Tremendously influenced by Chaitanya’s Vaishnavism he he he he abstracted the the Bhakti concept in his works which he he he he visualized through the the element of of of light and the the the the denial of of of the the the the representation of of of either man or nature evoking the the the the power of spiritual stillness through his transparent layered wash technique He leaves the viewer with a a a a a a a a a feeling of of contemplative serenity a a a a a a a a a dialogue that establishes Majumdar’s powers of of the visual language in in its interface The expressive quietitude he he imparted to his representation was also his accomplishment as a a a a a a a a singer singing songs from Krishna Leela and also sang hymns With drawing as his his expressive tool he made it it central to to his his conception of images considering it as as as a a a a a a a a skeleton which can be fleshed out accordingly The wash technique that he he he adopted was was an an intensive process requiring initially the the delineation of drawing on on on paper and the the application of of the the first layer of of colour wash Next step was was dipping the the paper in in a a a a a a a a water bath and when partially dry the second coating or layer of water water colour wash was was was applied The water water bath was was was repeated to enable the the strengthening of colours evenly that resulted in in in creating a a a a a a seamless
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