Government of India
A Sketch from Album No 72
Keywords: Sketch
Artwork
Issue Date: 1935-05-25
Publisher: National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
Description: Nandalal was indefatigable in his sketching routines that formed an adjunct part of his daily life. Making instantaneous visual records of anything amusing happening in his surroundings or of social events, or observing the demeanor and mannerisms of people, the cattle, and observing intently the ways of nature was inspiring and a source of delight for Nanadalal. His smaller sketches are testimony of Nandalal's keenness to observe and his empathy for the environment in which he lived. In this postcard drawing, Nandalal records the visual form of a bearded man smoking. The artist for this ink sketch has experimented in the representation of lines to attain texture, to add rhythm, vigor, and life to the form of the figure. The postcard also bears inscriptions in English and Bengali. Dinkar Kowshik in his article, 'Drawings and Sketches of Nandalal Bose', writes- "Nandalal's drawings are vast in number and varied in technical interest. He was indefatigable in his search for form and to the end of his life, he remained a student. Whatever he saw, and wherever he went he recorded the flora and fauna, the people of the place, their dress, their carriages, the head-dresses, the landscape, the festivals, the architecture, and while doing that he went on attaining a felicity of expression. His drawings often on card size format turned into independent works of art; they were fresh and vivid because of their immediacy and rapport with felt reality." The sketch bears an inscription mentions, dated '25/5/35' in English at the top right corner with pen and black ink.
Type: Sketch
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 | 2020-10-08T16:21:00Z |
| dc.date.available | 2020-10-08T16:21:00Z |
| dc.description | Nandalal was indefatigable in his sketching routines that formed an adjunct part of his daily life. Making instantaneous visual records of anything amusing happening in his surroundings or of social events, or observing the demeanor and mannerisms of people, the cattle, and observing intently the ways of nature was inspiring and a source of delight for Nanadalal. His smaller sketches are testimony of Nandalal's keenness to observe and his empathy for the environment in which he lived. In this postcard drawing, Nandalal records the visual form of a bearded man smoking. The artist for this ink sketch has experimented in the representation of lines to attain texture, to add rhythm, vigor, and life to the form of the figure. The postcard also bears inscriptions in English and Bengali. Dinkar Kowshik in his article, 'Drawings and Sketches of Nandalal Bose', writes- "Nandalal's drawings are vast in number and varied in technical interest. He was indefatigable in his search for form and to the end of his life, he remained a student. Whatever he saw, and wherever he went he recorded the flora and fauna, the people of the place, their dress, their carriages, the head-dresses, the landscape, the festivals, the architecture, and while doing that he went on attaining a felicity of expression. His drawings often on card size format turned into independent works of art; they were fresh and vivid because of their immediacy and rapport with felt reality." The sketch bears an inscription mentions, dated '25/5/35' in English at the top right corner with pen and black ink. |
| dc.date.issued | 1935-05-25 |
| 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 the 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 artistic materials allowed him to create a vast body of work with printmaking techniques such 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, yet it is flushed with the memories of yesterday. Inspired by Far Eastern sensibilities that celebrate the traditional, the genius of his art 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 the Swadeshi movement, rejecting western colonial norms of art and taking inspiration 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 expression 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 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 its collection. |
| dc.format.extent | 8.9 X 14 cm |
| dc.format.mimetype | image/jpg |
| dc.publisher | National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi |
| dc.subject | Sketch Artwork |
| dc.type | Sketch |
| dc.identifier.accessionnumber | ngma-08872 |
| dc.format.medium | image |
| dc.format.material | Pen, Ink, Postcard |
| DC Field | Value |
| dc.creator | Bose, Nandalal (1882-1966) |
| dc.coverage.spatial | India |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-10-08T16:21:00Z |
| dc.date.available | 2020-10-08T16:21:00Z |
| dc.description | Nandalal was indefatigable in his sketching routines that formed an adjunct part of his daily life. Making instantaneous visual records of anything amusing happening in his surroundings or of social events, or observing the demeanor and mannerisms of people, the cattle, and observing intently the ways of nature was inspiring and a source of delight for Nanadalal. His smaller sketches are testimony of Nandalal's keenness to observe and his empathy for the environment in which he lived. In this postcard drawing, Nandalal records the visual form of a bearded man smoking. The artist for this ink sketch has experimented in the representation of lines to attain texture, to add rhythm, vigor, and life to the form of the figure. The postcard also bears inscriptions in English and Bengali. Dinkar Kowshik in his article, 'Drawings and Sketches of Nandalal Bose', writes- "Nandalal's drawings are vast in number and varied in technical interest. He was indefatigable in his search for form and to the end of his life, he remained a student. Whatever he saw, and wherever he went he recorded the flora and fauna, the people of the place, their dress, their carriages, the head-dresses, the landscape, the festivals, the architecture, and while doing that he went on attaining a felicity of expression. His drawings often on card size format turned into independent works of art; they were fresh and vivid because of their immediacy and rapport with felt reality." The sketch bears an inscription mentions, dated '25/5/35' in English at the top right corner with pen and black ink. |
| dc.date.issued | 1935-05-25 |
| 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 the 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 artistic materials allowed him to create a vast body of work with printmaking techniques such 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, yet it is flushed with the memories of yesterday. Inspired by Far Eastern sensibilities that celebrate the traditional, the genius of his art 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 the Swadeshi movement, rejecting western colonial norms of art and taking inspiration 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 expression 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 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 its collection. |
| dc.format.extent | 8.9 X 14 cm |
| dc.format.mimetype | image/jpg |
| dc.publisher | National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi |
| dc.subject | Sketch Artwork |
| dc.type | Sketch |
| dc.identifier.accessionnumber | ngma-08872 |
| dc.format.medium | image |
| dc.format.material | Pen, Ink, Postcard |
Recognizing the ongoing need to position itself for the digital future, Indian Culture is an initiative by the Ministry of Culture. A platform that hosts data of cultural relevance from various repositories and institutions all over India.