Page 59 - Eye of the beholder

Academic naturalism were churned out by the Art School who could be painters, portraitist or draughtsmen, but despite the presence of a large numbers of these artists; Gangooly managed to stay afloat. The reason being many opportunities of exhibiting his works outside the home city, critical opinions penned extensively by critics in the various local print media and found appreciation, patronage and acceptance at the home of the Tagore’s. But there was also the x-factor in Gangooly who had specialized in the particular genre of landscapes, mountains and river scapes creating romantic and sentimental effects that aroused a response of emotions in the viewer. This genre of works that Gangooly engaged with made a sentimental appeal of mood and sublimity, which captured the viewer’s eyeballs.
Over the years he developed a magical attraction to the Himalayas the river Padma and the scenes of rural serenity that enabled him to create the picturesque and the sublime that became the saliency in his understanding of the various forms of nature in its geographical formation and configuration. But apart from the mountains what attracted him most was the river Padma. His oils spoke the language of grandeur and majesty of nature.
According to Anirban Sadhu, the collector, “This particular painting, namely the “Seascape at Vishakhapatnam” surfaced in an auction in Germany. The consignor was an Indian family who had been in Germany since the 1950s. Perhaps this explained why the painting was in such an impeccable condition. The painting depicted a view of the dawn in Vishakhapatnam, where the artist was known to have taken a long holiday and painted other seascapes”.
REFERENCE
Partha Mitter, “Art and Nationalism in Colonial India, 1850-1922: Occidental Orientations”, Cambridge University Press, New York 1994
Thakurta, Tapati Guha, “The Making of New ‘Indian’ Art: Artists, Aesthetics and Nationalism in Bengal 1850-1920”, Cambridge University Press New York, 1992
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