Important Notice

One of the most influential participants of the Bengal Renaissance, Asit Kumar Haldar is celebrated for his artistic versatility, with contributions spanning across painting, sculpture, illustration, as well as literature and poetry. Primarily informed by his Bengal School training and his experience documenting the Ajanta frescoes and murals early in his career, Haldar created a unique artistic idiom that was characterised by subtlety and... One of the most influential participants of the Bengal Renaissance, Asit Kumar Haldar is celebrated for his artistic versatility, with contributions spanning across painting, sculpture, illustration, as well as literature and poetry. Primarily informed by his Bengal School training and his experience documenting the Ajanta frescoes and murals early in his career, Haldar created a unique artistic idiom that was characterised by subtlety and accuracy, and often incorporated elements from Rajput and Pahari miniature art as well as techniques from East Asian wash painting.

A distinctive characteristic of Haldar’s practice is his mastery of narration and storytelling. A member of the Tagore family, he frequently captured themes of social, historic, and cultural significance through his art. In the present lot, Haldar brings together two eminent leaders of modern India, Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, who played a significant role in shaping the political ideals, social values, and arts and culture of an independent India. According to Haldar, “If Tagore was a living spirit, Gandhi was the life of the undivided India. In other words, Tagore inspired harmony among the diversities of the Universe and Gandhi lived to baptise the world in ‘Ahimsa’.” (Artist quoted in Dr Radha Kumud Mookerji, Indian Culture at a Glance, Lucknow: The Department of Education, 1960, pl. 30)

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