Page 58 - Eye of the beholder

By now Gangooly had realized that his affinity and aptitude lay ffin in in in painting the specialized genre of dusky sky sky atmospheric landscapes and and river scapes scapes It eventually became his chosen genre in the 20th century when he he he developed his specific style of densely mist laden atmospheric effects of sunrise and and sunsets on bathing Ghats river banks and and mountain ranges He surpassed himself in in the the the picturesque views of the the the Himalayas and and in in the the the village and and river river river scenes of Bengal He executed many a a a a a a a a river river river scapes The river river river Padma was a a a a a a a a recurring theme in in in in his paintings as as as well as as as the the the mountain scene from the the the lower Himalayas situated near Mussorie where Gangooly often spent his holidays and was known to have executed also the the the Himalayan mountain views He painted hundred oils on the the the sun setting over the the the river Padma Padma which led him to acquiring the sobriquet “Painter of Padma” It can be reliably said that no other painter in in India at at this time possessed the the unique quality of an engagement with oil technique like Gangooly It was specifically his manipulation of the shifting gradation and variations of light which he he not only studied from nature but the transient and changing play of light on the human face too As an artist his visibility was made possible by active participation in the exhibition circuits and and winning awards regularly These exhibitions were held at Simla Bombay Madras and and Calcutta The artists who exhibited at at these salons or the the exhibitions were generally trained at at art schools but not all of them the the exceptions being Ravi Varma who belonged to a a a a a a princely family of Kerala and Gangooly who was related to the wealthy Tagore’s The exhibitions hosted at Simla particularly did not not debar Indians but most of the Indian Indian artists could not not afford to exhibit outside their home towns The exceptions were Ravi Varma J P Gangooly and few others and they became the the the regular prize winners Gangooly’s familial connection to the versatile artistic literary influential and intellectual Tagore’s’ served him in in good stead His rising success and popularity could be attributed to the Jorasanko connect and and his early teachings from renowned and and prominent teachers that paved the the way for Gangooly to nurture himself as a a a a a a a painter Artists specializing in in in the the oil medium and 52