Nandalal Bose
Lalit Kala Academy (1954), Deshikottam (1952), honorary doctor of the University of Calcutta |
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Nandalal Bose (3 December 1882 – 16 April 1966) was one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism.
A pupil of
Today, many critics consider his paintings among India's most important modern paintings.
He was given the work of illustrating the constitution of India.
Early life
Nandalal Bose was born on 3 December 1882 in a middle-class Bengali family at
In 1898, at the age of fifteen, Nandalal moved to Calcutta for his high school studies in the Central Collegiate School. After clearing his examinations in 1902, he continued his college studies at the same institution. In June 1903 he married Sudhiradevi, the daughter of a family friend. Nanadalal wanted to study art, but he was not given permission by his family. Unable to qualify for promotion in his classes, Nandalal moved to other colleges, joining the Presidency College in 1905 to study commerce. After repeated failures, he persuaded his family to let him study art at Calcutta's School of Art.[8]
Career
As a young artist, Nandalal Bose was deeply influenced by the murals of the Ajanta Caves. He had become part of an international circle of artists and writers seeking to revive classical Indian culture; a circle that already included Okakura Kakuzō, William Rothenstein, Yokoyama Taikan, Christiana Herringham, Laurence Binyon, Abanindranath Tagore, and the seminal London Modernist sculptors Eric Gill and Jacob Epstein.[9][10]
To mark the 1930 occasion of
His genius and original style were recognised by artists and art critics like Gaganendranath Tagore, Ananda Coomaraswamy and O. C. Ganguli.[citation needed] These lovers of art felt that objective criticism was necessary for the development of painting and founded the Indian Society of Oriental Art.
He became principal of the Kala Bhavana (College of Arts) at Tagore's International University
He was also asked by Jawaharlal Nehru to sketch the emblems for the Government of India's awards, including the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Shri.[12] Along with his disciple Rammanohar, Nandalal Bose took up the task of beautifying/decorating the original manuscript of the Constitution of India.[13]
He died on 16 April 1966 in
Today, the
His place in Indian art
In his introduction for the Christie's catalogue, R. Siva Kumar wrote-[18]
Nandalal Bose (1882–1966) occupies a place in the history of Modern Indian art that combines those of
Okakura Kakuzo and Mahatma Gandhiinto a unique and unified programme for the creation of a new art movement in India. And like Durer he combined a passion bordering on devotion with an irrepressible analytical mind that compelled him to prise open different art traditions and unravel their syntactic logic, and make them accessible to a new generation of Indian artists. But he did this so quietly and without self-assertive fanfare that the significance of his work is yet to be fully grasped even in India.
Students
Some of his notable students were
Honours and awards
Nandalal Bose, who left a major imprint on Indian art, was the first recipient of a scholarship offered by the Indian Society of Oriental Art, founded in 1907.
In 1954, he became the first artist to be elected Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi, India's National Academy of Art. In 1954, Nandalal Bose was awarded the Padma Vibhushan.
In 1957, the
The Academy of Fine Arts in Calcutta honoured Nandalal with the Silver Jubilee Medal. The Tagore Birth Centenary Medal was awarded to Nandalal Bose in 1965 by the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
Acharya Nandalal, an Indian documentary film on the artist was made by Harisadhan Dasgupta in 1984.[20]
Publications
- Drishti o srishti [Vision and the Creation] by Nandalal Bose, published by Visva-Bharati Granthana Vibhaga [ Edition Language - Bengali ]
- Shilpa Charcha [ শিল্প চর্চা ] by Nandalal Bose, published April 1956 by Visva Bharati [ Edition Language - Bengali ]
- Pictures from the life of buddha by Nandalal Bose
- Rupavali by Nandalal Bose
References
- ^ C. H. Prahlada Rao (January 2014). "Nanadlal Bose". Rashtrotthana Sahitya.
- ^ "San Diego museum showcases Nandalal Bose". Rediff.com News. 25 June 2008.
- ^ Robert L. Pincus (15 March 2008). "The Art of Nandalal Bose' is first U.S. showcase for an Indian icon". Paramus Post. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-7619-3381-6.
- ^ Nine Masters "The Government Museum and Art Gallery Chandigarh, India". Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2010. Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh. "Nine Masters: Rabindranath Tagore, Amrita Sher-Gil, Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose, Raja Ravi Varma, Gaganendranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Sailoz Mookherjea, and Nicholas Roerich."
- ^ Samsad Bangali Charitabhidhan by Anjali Bose, 1976, p. 236
- ^ C.H.Prahalada Rao; Litent (1 January 2014). Nandalal Bose. Litent. pp. 3–. GGKEY:D9L3P5T7YE4.
- ^ Dinkar k Kowshik (1985). Nandalal Bose, the doyen of Indian art. National Book Trust, India. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- ISSN 1071-6068.
- London University School of Advanced Study, March 2012.
- ^ Mandal, Panchanan (1968). Bharatshilpi Nandalal (in Bengali). Vol. 1 (1st ed.). Santiniketan: Rarh Gobeshona Parshad.
- ^ "Nandalal Bose paintings on display in U.S." The Hindu. 15 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 March 2008.
- ^ "The Constitution of India". World Digital Library. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
- .
- ^ "National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi". ngmaindia.gov.in. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ Chatterjee, Prerna (3 December 2018). "Celebrating Nandalal Bose, artist who rejected everything British & designed India's constitution". ThePrint. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Bengal School of Art exhibition to open in US". The Economic Times. 24 June 2008.
- ^ "Nandalal Bose (1882-1966)".
- ^ "Annual Convocation". University of Calcutta. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012.
- ISBN 9780851706696. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
Further reading
- Nandalal Bose and Indian painting, by Ramyansu Sekhar Das. Tower Publishers, 1958.
- Bharat Shilpi Nandalal, Volumes 1-4, (in Bengali) by Panchanan Mandal, Rarh Gobeshona Parshad, Santiniketan, 1968
- Nandalal Bose: a collection of essays : centenary volume. Lalit Kala Akademi, 1983.
- Nandalal Bose, the doyen of Indian art. (National biography), by Dinkar Kowshik. National Book Trust, India, 1985.
- Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose, exhibition catalogue. Sonya Rhie Quintanilla. San Diego Museum of Art. 2008.