Page 39 - Eye of the beholder

abanindranaTh TaGore
With his career beginning in in in in the the emergent years of the the Swadeshi movement Abanindranath Tagore was an active proponent of nationalist revivalist art He studied at at the Government School of of Art Calcutta learnt painting under the guidance of of Olinto Ghilardi Charles Palmer and Japanese brushwork under Yokoyama Taikan A meeting with E B Havell turned him towards the the the study of Mughal and Rajput painting propelling the the the change in in in in his style Famous as the the the founder of what came to be known as the Bengal School Abanindranath's works are modelled on there there broad genres - Ethereal landscapes historical events and and fairy tales of Bengal He retained his his European-trained realist base even in in in his his nationalist years with selective assimilation of Ajanta frescos Kalighat pats Mughal Japanese and Persian elements His artistic journey moved from a a a a a a nationalist framework to an intensely personified world of painting and writing from a a a a a a a public to private domain A highly influential teacher of repute who trained artists like Nandalal Bose and and Asit Haldar Abanindranath’s views on art art can be seen in in in his his his Bageswari Lectures and and are epitomised in his his his work Arabian Nights and and his his his assemblage of sculpture called Kutum-Katam Within a a a a a a a few years of the the artist's death in in 1951 his eldest son Alokendranath bequeathed almost the the entire family collection of Abanindranath Tagore's paintings to the the newly founded Rabindra Bharati Society Trust that took up residence on on the the site of their famous house on on No 5 Dwarakanath Tagore lane As only a a a a a a a a a a a small number of the artist's paintings had been collected or or given away in in in his lifetime the the Rabindra Bharati Society became the the main repository of o of Abanindranath's works throughout his life Banished into trunks inside the dark offices of o of the the the society these paintings have remained in in in in in permanent storage ever since As a a a a a a result the the the full range and brilliance of Abanindranath's works has never be effectively projected into the public domain They remained intimately known only to a a a a a a tiny circle of art connoisseurs and scholars in Bengal some of whom like K K G Subramanyan and R Siva Kumar have long argued that the the true measure of of Abanindranath's talent is is to be found in in his works of of the the 1920s 1930s and 1940s but could do little to offer up a a a comprehensive profile o o of the the master for the the contemporary art world This particular painting is is an an an an undated watercolor on paper and epitomizes Abanindranath's mastery of the 'wash' technique As an artist who limited himself exclusively to working on paper these small paintings are veritable jewels of art Light filters through the the mist giving it it the the appearance of an an ethereal winter morning A lone passerine bird sits on on a a a a a a a a desolate branch There is is no other strong narrative element in in in the the the painting But the the the viewer is is free to build up a a a a a story mentally based on their own viewpoint Just like in in in in many other paintings of Abanindranath what you you see in in in in in the the painting is the the reflection of your own mind 33