Bengal
School of Art
Dhirendranath
The Bengal School of Art commonly referred as Bengal School,[1] was an influential art movement and a style of Indian painting that originated in Bengal, primarily Kolkata andShantiniketan, and flourished throughout India during the British Raj in the early 20th century. Also known as 'Indian style of
painting' in its early days, it was associated withIndian nationalism (swadeshi) and led by Abanindranath Tagore (1871-1951), but was also promoted and supported by British
arts administrators like E. B. Havell, the principal of theGovernment
College of Art, Kolkata from
1896; eventually it led to the development of themodern Indian
painting.[1][2][3]
History
The
Bengal school arose as an avant garde and nationalist movement reacting against theacademic art styles previously promoted in India, both by Indian artists
such as Raja Ravi Varma and in British art schools. Following the influence of
Indian spiritual ideas in theWest, the British art teacher Ernest Binfield
Havell attempted to reform the teaching methods at the Calcutta School of
Art by encouraging students to imitate Mughalminiatures.[4][5] This caused controversy, leading to a strike by students and
complaints from the local press, including from nationalists who considered it
to be a retrogressive move. Havell was supported by the artist Abanindranath Tagore, a
nephew of the poetRabindranath Tagore. Tagore painted a number of works influenced by Mughal art, a style that
he and Havell believed to be expressive of India's distinct spiritual
qualities, as opposed to the "materialism" of the West. Tagore's
best-known painting, Bharat Mata(Mother
India), depicted a young woman, portrayed with four arms in the manner of Hindu
deities, holding objects symbolic of India's national aspirations. Tagore later
attempted to develop links with Japanese artists as part of an aspiration to
construct a pan-Asianistmodel of art. Other painters and artists of Bengal school
were Gaganendranath
Tagore(Tagore's brother), Asit Kumar Haldar, M.A.R Chughtai, Sunayani
Devi (sister of Abanindranath Tagore), Kshitindranath Majumdar, Nandalal Bose, Kalipada Ghoshal,Sughra Rababi and Sudhir Khastgir.[1]
The Bengal school's
influence in India declined with the spread of modernist ideas in the 1920s. As of 2012, there has been a surge in
interest in the Bengal school of art among scholars and connoisseurs.[6]
In the early years of the 20th century there was a renewed
upsurge of nationalist fervour. In the arts this resulted in the search and
revitalisation of Indian cultural history and spirituality, albeit one that was
expressed not through the pictorial vocabulary of the foreign rulers but by
reviving indigenous techniques and material.
The nationalist project in art was led by Abanindranath Tagore (1871-1951) and some enlightened Europeans such as EB Havell, the principal of the Government School of Art in Calcutta from 1896, and Sister Nivedita, an associate of Swami Vivekananda. Moving away from oil painting and subjects that were popular with both the British and Indian intelligentsia, Abanindranath looked to ancient murals and medieval Indian miniatures for inspiration both for subject matter as well as indigenous material such as tempera. The philosophy of a Pan-Indian art that he developed found many enthusiastic followers and this came to be known as the Bengal School, The style developed by him was taken up by many of his students and others who formed the nationalist art movement often called the Bengal School, even though the style and philosophy spread well beyond the borders of Bengal. They sought to develop an indigenous yet modern style in art as a response to the call for ‘swadeshi’ to express Indian themes in a pictorial language that deliberately turned away from western styles such as those practiced by Raja Ravi Varma.
In his rejection of the colonial aesthetic, Abanindranath turned to Asia, most notably Japan in an effort to imbibe and propose a pan-Asian aesthetic that stood independent of the western one. Japanese stalwarts like Okakura Kakuzo left a lasting impression, as the Bengal school artists learnt the wash technique from them, innovating and modifying it to better suit their own needs. The themes most often seen in the Bengal School include misty and romantic visions of the Indian landscape, historical scenes and portraits as well anecdotes and incidents from daily life in the countryside. Many artists charted individual paths even though they used the techniques and material popularised by the Bengal School. Notable artists of the Bengal School include Asit Haldar, M.A.R Chughtai, Sunayani Devi and Kshitindranath Majumdar.
The nationalist project in art was led by Abanindranath Tagore (1871-1951) and some enlightened Europeans such as EB Havell, the principal of the Government School of Art in Calcutta from 1896, and Sister Nivedita, an associate of Swami Vivekananda. Moving away from oil painting and subjects that were popular with both the British and Indian intelligentsia, Abanindranath looked to ancient murals and medieval Indian miniatures for inspiration both for subject matter as well as indigenous material such as tempera. The philosophy of a Pan-Indian art that he developed found many enthusiastic followers and this came to be known as the Bengal School, The style developed by him was taken up by many of his students and others who formed the nationalist art movement often called the Bengal School, even though the style and philosophy spread well beyond the borders of Bengal. They sought to develop an indigenous yet modern style in art as a response to the call for ‘swadeshi’ to express Indian themes in a pictorial language that deliberately turned away from western styles such as those practiced by Raja Ravi Varma.
In his rejection of the colonial aesthetic, Abanindranath turned to Asia, most notably Japan in an effort to imbibe and propose a pan-Asian aesthetic that stood independent of the western one. Japanese stalwarts like Okakura Kakuzo left a lasting impression, as the Bengal school artists learnt the wash technique from them, innovating and modifying it to better suit their own needs. The themes most often seen in the Bengal School include misty and romantic visions of the Indian landscape, historical scenes and portraits as well anecdotes and incidents from daily life in the countryside. Many artists charted individual paths even though they used the techniques and material popularised by the Bengal School. Notable artists of the Bengal School include Asit Haldar, M.A.R Chughtai, Sunayani Devi and Kshitindranath Majumdar.
The Bengal School of Painting was a style and approach
of art which flourished in India during the British Raj in the early part of
the 20th century. The art was associated to Indian nationalism, at the same
time; it was supported and promoted by British arts administrators as well.
Just like the richness of the culture of Bengal, Bengal school of painting is
affluent and vibrant. The colors and graceful beauty of this painting school
are splashed in the piece of writing that follows.
History of Bengal School
of Painting
The Bengal school came up as an avant garde and
nationalist movement acting in response against the academic art styles that were
previously promoted in India, both by Indian artists and in British art
schools. Following the impact of Indian religious ideas in the West, the
British art teacher Ernest Binfield Havell tried to improve the teaching
methods at the Calcutta School of Art by motivating students to try to be like
Mughal miniatures. This resulted in controversy. Students went on a strike;
complaints from the local press started to come up including nationalists who
found it to be a retrogressive move. Havell was fully supported by the artist
Abanindranath Tagore, nephew of the poet Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore painted
scores of works that were influenced by Mughal art. Abanindranath Tagore and
Havell believed that the former’s style is an expression of distinct spiritual qualities
of India, as contrasting to the materialism of the Western countries. Tagore's
best ever known painting, Bharat Mata (Mother India), illustrated a young
woman, who is portrayed with four arms in the manner of Hindu deities, carrying
objects that are symbolic of India's national ambitions. Later, Tagore made
efforts to develop links with Japanese artists as part of a goal to build a
pan-Asianist model of art.
When modernist ideas spread in the second decade of
last century, the influence of Bengal school of painting declined.
Characteristic Features
of Bengal School of Painting
Bengal School of painting has the following
characteristics-
·
The essence of Ajanta is clearly
noticeable in Bengal paintings. The Bengal painters have made best possible
efforts to bring in the rhythm, linear gracefulness and poise of Ajanta in
their painting.
·
The paintings were simple and standard.
·
Figures were refined and elegant without
any hardness.
·
Attractive color scheme technique has been
used with no bright colors to bring synchronization wash.
·
The paintings have an impact of Mughal and
Rajasthani School.
·
The paintings exhibited dexterously
exposed light and shade with no hardness.
Artists of Bengal School
of Painting
Bengal still houses some of the most eminent and excellent
artists of modern India. Among the best artists of Bengal School of painting,
the most popular artists of this day Bengal are Nirmal Dutta, Ganesh Pyne,
Manishi Dey, Jahar Dasgupta, Devajyoti Ray, Nilima Dutta, Sudip Roy and Paresh
Maiti and Bikash Bhattacharje. Pradosh Dasgupta, Chittoprosad Bhattacharya and
Subrata Kundu are other notable painters of this school. Sanat Chatterjee is
amongst the last living legendary pioneer of Bengal School of art.
Bengal School of Painting is elegant and lively. Its
grace and glamour has given new heights to the Indian painting.
No comments:
Post a Comment