Bengal School - NGMA, Bangalore

"In the early years or 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, and 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 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 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 practised 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 independently of the western one. Japanese stalwarts like Okakura Kakuzo left a lasting impression, as the Bengal school artists learnt that 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 Chaghtai, Sunayni Devi and Kshitindranath Majumdar " - Bengal School, NGMA


Works from this collection & my thoughts on them:

Abanindranath Tagore - Mumtaz (water colour on paper )
-She looked sad, pale,lost and wearing white. 
- I didn't really like this so much. There was something very negative about this picture..to me.

Abanindranath Tagore - Gurudwara in the Terrace ( wash & tempura on Paper)
- Interesting beard. Other than that it didn't really impress me.

Abanindranath Tagore - Badshah - Sa- Alam (wash & tempura on Paper)
- I loved the detailing on the wall. Very intricate.

Abanindranath Tagore - Daughter of the Soil (wash & tempura on Paper)
- I loved this picture. Very bright and calming colours. Loved the blues and yellows and the fading trees in the background. The single woman stood out.

Rabindranath Tagore - Seven Figures (Ink on Paper)
- I didn't like it one bit. It was very dark and depressing. I couldn't really understand the significance behind it.

Abanindranath Tagore - Peace Cottage ( Water colour on Paper)
- I loved the picture of the house on the moor. Very peaceful with a house hiding in the grass.

Rabindranath Tagore - Veiled Woman (Ink on Paper)
- Again i didn't like it at all. It was too dark and depressing for me.

Abanindranath Tagore - Advent of Autumn ( Water colour on Paper)
Very Very Pretty. i loved the Blue sky with the yellow and orange tree.