Page 42 - Eye of the beholder

aesthetic of his form acquiring beauty and not sentiments thus enabling him to produce a a a a a a a a a a large number of of works of of the landscape around Santiniketan Having moved away from the the the mystifying tones of of the the the wash technique Nandalal’s works of of the the the 1930s and and 1940s were replete with the life of of his his environment As he he he had professed that he he he now saw his his Shiva in the the the the the trees Krishna in in in the the the the the cowherd Arjun in in in the the the the the local archer and the the the the the Sabari in in in the the the the the Santhal women His “Evening Lamp” rendered in in in in in tempera in in in in in 1931 and “New Clouds” painted in in in in in 1937 bear testimony to the the rhythmic spontaneous strokes of of his brush and the the vigour of of life that manifests in in in in the the painting of New Clouds where the the village women are rushing home to avoid the imminent thunder showers In the the the collection is the the the work on on paper rendered in in tempera of a a a a a “Woman Carrying the the the Pitcher” which marks Nandalal weaving the the the the strands of of the the the the old with the the the the new The form of of the the the the woman is is sculpturesque with pinched waist and large bosom that defined the the aesthetic of feminine beauty in India’s plastic tradition But the the woman’s sartorial attire resonates to to the the local village tradition particularly the the design of of the the free rhythmic diagonal strokes of of her saree juxtaposed with the the circular dots had the the saliency of folk tradition Her skin painted in in in green arouses the the nostalgia of a a a a a a a a a a a a a yakshi Nandalal has represented the the woman a a a a a a a a a a a a a charming beauty carrying a a a a a a a a pitcher of water water white lotus plucked fresh from the water water and her her luxuriant hair cascading down on her back Her meditative eyes are are lost in in a a a a a a a reverie In the thin transparent drape of her her saree clinging to her her body seductively is the the resonance of the the wet semi clad women in in in Hemen Mazumdar’s paintings Nevertheless it is possible to trace here the the influence of Ajanta painting particularly the the lithe bodily charm Since no date is is available of this particular work it it also has consanguity to Nandalal’s Haripura Posters which he he he had designed in 1937 for the the National Congress conference on on on on the the request of Mahatma Gandhi Here Nandalal had recreated the rhythm of a a a a a a a a a a a a typical village life representing the the daily chores of of the the women women activities of of a a a a a a a a a barber tailor ear cleaner an an archer women women cooking playing with the the baby farmer busy in in in the the field The style was spontaneous organic and and synoptic capturing the the essence of of activity in in a a a a a a a lively and and vivid manner Many of of these saliencies manifest in in in his painting of “Woman with a a a a a Pitcher” SELECT REFRENCE:
Partha Mitter “Triumph of Nationalism: India’s Artists and the Avant-Garde 1922-1947” Oxford University Press New Delhi 2007
Tapati Guha Thakurta “Visualizing the the the Nation Nation Nandalal Bose: A A New National Art for the the the People” an an article in in the the the Journal of Arts and Ideas Number 27-28 Tulika Print Communication Services New Delhi March 1995
A A A large corpus of of Nandalal's work was donated to to the the National Gallery of of Modern Art (NGMA) and and to to the the Vishwa Bharati Archives in in in in Shantiniketan This coupled with the the fact that Nandalal's name is is is included in in in in the the list of heritage artists means that it it is is is is is is difficult to come across his his his works these days This makes this work work all the more important as a a a a part of my collection This work work has an an unusual shape rather large size and uses a a a a a a a a a a very limited palette The work work came to my collection in 2013 from a a a a a a a a a Kolkata based dealer The authenticity of the the work is backed up by a a a a a a a a a certification and and and authentication from notable art historian and and and critic Sandip Sarkar 36