Government of India
A Sketch from Album No 62
Keywords: Sketch
Artwork
Issue Date: 1949
Publisher: National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
Description: Through his various exploratory nature studies, like this one above, Nandalal Bose created a visual language by the use of monochromatic tones and simple brush strokes to model and bring about the corporeality of form and substance. Nandalal Bose in his book 'Vision and Creation' writes, "A tree grows upward; it is driven by a singular urge to spread towards the sky- trunk, branch, and leaf. The trunk is like the tree's backbone, so its characteristic rhythm has to be drawn first; then its main structure with branch and twig; and finally, the total image with its bunches of leaves and shoots...". In this sketch, the fluid brush strokes and their strong delineation in the calligraphic style gives a textured rendition to the trunk of the tamarind tree, accentuating its robustness and strength. The sketch bears an inscription mentions, signed 'Nanda' in Bengali and dated '2.1.49' in English at the left margin of the painting with brush and black color. There is another inscription- 'Tentul' in Bengali that is translated as tamarind.
Type: Painting
Received From: National Gallery Of Modern Art, New Delhi
| DC Field | Value |
| dc.creator | Bose, Nandalal (1882-1966) |
| dc.coverage.spatial | India |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-09-21T16:24:01Z |
| dc.date.available | 2020-09-21T16:24:01Z |
| dc.description | Through his various exploratory nature studies, like this one above, Nandalal Bose created a visual language by the use of monochromatic tones and simple brush strokes to model and bring about the corporeality of form and substance. Nandalal Bose in his book 'Vision and Creation' writes, "A tree grows upward; it is driven by a singular urge to spread towards the sky- trunk, branch, and leaf. The trunk is like the tree's backbone, so its characteristic rhythm has to be drawn first; then its main structure with branch and twig; and finally, the total image with its bunches of leaves and shoots...". In this sketch, the fluid brush strokes and their strong delineation in the calligraphic style gives a textured rendition to the trunk of the tamarind tree, accentuating its robustness and strength. The sketch bears an inscription mentions, signed 'Nanda' in Bengali and dated '2.1.49' in English at the left margin of the painting with brush and black color. There is another inscription- 'Tentul' in Bengali that is translated as tamarind. |
| dc.date.issued | 1949 |
| dc.description.statementofresponsibility | Nandalal Bose, popularly known as the Master Moshai, was born on December 3rd, 1882 in Kharagpur, Monghyr District, Bihar. A disciple of Abanindranath Tagore, he graduated from Government School of Art, Calcutta in 1910. Nandalal was fascinated by the potential of folk art and indigenous modes of expression and inculcated them in his works although stylising them in a unique representation for depiction and narration of local life. His explorative temperament with the artistic materials allowed him to create a vast body of work with printmaking techniques as lithography, linoleum prints and Sino- Japanese techniques while remaining faithful to his narrative subject: India's environment and its ethos. Nandalal Bose's art conjures newness unbound but still flushed with the memories of yesterday. Inspired by Far Eastern sensibilities that celebrate the traditional, the genius of his art's lies in the interplay of sensual silhouettes and his powerful rendering of contemporary themes with the traditions, customs and sensibilities of Indian heritage. It is this intermingling that invigorates his works and captures the minds of his viewers. He began his artistic career in the fervour of Swadeshi movement, rejecting western colonial norms of art and taking inspirations from the ancient murals of Ajanta and Bagh caves as well as Mughal miniatures. In 1919, Nandalal Bose accepted Rabindranath Tagore's invitation to become the Principal of the newly established art school Kala Bhavan at Visvabharati University in Santiniketan. He travelled in and out of India including places like Burma, China, Japan, Malaysia, Java and Sri Lanka seeking artistic stimulus from observing different cultural traditions. He also painted a series of posters for the Indian National Congress at Haripura in February 1938. The range of Nandalal's artistic expressions is seen in his various landscapes with human figures, his varied images of nature and the Santiniketan Murals. His works reflect the changing landscape, portraying people and places at a time when modern India's cultural development was at its threshold. Nandalal Bose died on April 16th, 1966 in Santiniketan, West Bengal. He won several accolades including the Padma Vibhushan by the President of India in 1953. He was awarded with an honorary Doctorate in Letters (D. Litt.) from Banaras Hindu University in 1950 and Calcutta University in 1957. The NGMA has over 6800 of his works in his collection. |
| dc.format.extent | 8.9 X 13.9 cm |
| dc.format.mimetype | image/jpg |
| dc.publisher | National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi |
| dc.subject | Sketch Artwork |
| dc.type | Painting |
| dc.identifier.accessionnumber | ngma-08622 |
| dc.format.medium | image |
| dc.format.material | Watercolour, Postcard |
| DC Field | Value |
| dc.creator | Bose, Nandalal (1882-1966) |
| dc.coverage.spatial | India |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-09-21T16:24:01Z |
| dc.date.available | 2020-09-21T16:24:01Z |
| dc.description | Through his various exploratory nature studies, like this one above, Nandalal Bose created a visual language by the use of monochromatic tones and simple brush strokes to model and bring about the corporeality of form and substance. Nandalal Bose in his book 'Vision and Creation' writes, "A tree grows upward; it is driven by a singular urge to spread towards the sky- trunk, branch, and leaf. The trunk is like the tree's backbone, so its characteristic rhythm has to be drawn first; then its main structure with branch and twig; and finally, the total image with its bunches of leaves and shoots...". In this sketch, the fluid brush strokes and their strong delineation in the calligraphic style gives a textured rendition to the trunk of the tamarind tree, accentuating its robustness and strength. The sketch bears an inscription mentions, signed 'Nanda' in Bengali and dated '2.1.49' in English at the left margin of the painting with brush and black color. There is another inscription- 'Tentul' in Bengali that is translated as tamarind. |
| dc.date.issued | 1949 |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Nandalal Bose, popularly known as the Master Moshai, was born on December 3rd, 1882 in Kharagpur, Monghyr District, Bihar. A disciple of Abanindranath Tagore, he graduated from Government School of Art, Calcutta in 1910. Nandalal was fascinated by the potential of folk art and indigenous modes of expression and inculcated them in his works although stylising them in a unique representation for depiction and narration of local life. His explorative temperament with the artistic materials allowed him to create a vast body of work with printmaking techniques as lithography, linoleum prints and Sino- Japanese techniques while remaining faithful to his narrative subject: India's environment and its ethos. Nandalal Bose's art conjures newness unbound but still flushed with the memories of yesterday. Inspired by Far Eastern sensibilities that celebrate the traditional, the genius of his art's lies in the interplay of sensual silhouettes and his powerful rendering of contemporary themes with the traditions, customs and sensibilities of Indian heritage. It is this intermingling that invigorates his works and captures the minds of his viewers. He began his artistic career in the fervour of Swadeshi movement, rejecting western colonial norms of art and taking inspirations from the ancient murals of Ajanta and Bagh caves as well as Mughal miniatures. In 1919, Nandalal Bose accepted Rabindranath Tagore's invitation to become the Principal of the newly established art school Kala Bhavan at Visvabharati University in Santiniketan. He travelled in and out of India including places like Burma, China, Japan, Malaysia, Java and Sri Lanka seeking artistic stimulus from observing different cultural traditions. He also painted a series of posters for the Indian National Congress at Haripura in February 1938. The range of Nandalal's artistic expressions is seen in his various landscapes with human figures, his varied images of nature and the Santiniketan Murals. His works reflect the changing landscape, portraying people and places at a time when modern India's cultural development was at its threshold. Nandalal Bose died on April 16th, 1966 in Santiniketan, West Bengal. He won several accolades including the Padma Vibhushan by the President of India in 1953. He was awarded with an honorary Doctorate in Letters (D. Litt.) from Banaras Hindu University in 1950 and Calcutta University in 1957. The NGMA has over 6800 of his works in his collection. |
| dc.format.extent | 8.9 X 13.9 cm |
| dc.format.mimetype | image/jpg |
| dc.publisher | National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi |
| dc.subject | Sketch Artwork |
| dc.type | Painting |
| dc.identifier.accessionnumber | ngma-08622 |
| dc.format.medium | image |
| dc.format.material | Watercolour, Postcard |
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