Important Notice

Gaganendranath Tagore’s art was distinct from the trend of Bengal School revivalism in the early 20th century initiated by Abanindranath Tagore, his brother, and Nandalal Bose, Abanindra’s student. The revivalist trend at the time was fuelled by a nationalistic drive. Western ideals, imposed till then upon Indian artisans, were rejected in favour of drawing inspiration from miniature paintings, Mughal, Pahari and Ajanta stylisations. Gaganendra... Gaganendranath Tagore’s art was distinct from the trend of Bengal School revivalism in the early 20th century initiated by Abanindranath Tagore, his brother, and Nandalal Bose, Abanindra’s student. The revivalist trend at the time was fuelled by a nationalistic drive. Western ideals, imposed till then upon Indian artisans, were rejected in favour of drawing inspiration from miniature paintings, Mughal, Pahari and Ajanta stylisations. Gaganendra sought a different approach, balancing his European learnings with Oriental techniques.

Gaganendranath was a self-taught artist. His lack of formal education gave him the freedom to develop his own style. His earliest sketches date from 1905; his caricatures, which appeared early in his artistic career, provided a satirical comment on the lives of Bengalis. Gaganendra’s introduction to Okakura, a Japanese aesthete, immersed him in the technique of Japanese brush and ink drawings. His European influences are evident from his penchant for Impressionism and later, his studying of Cubist principles. Gaganendra’s works fall into ‘phases’—though not characterised by chronology, they are categorised by theme.

This watercolour is a part of his ‘landscape’ phase. The current work reflects his experiments with Japanese-style brush drawings and portraiture in its stylisation. Rendered in a naturalistic manner, the tones are subdued, lending a sombreness and discomfort to the scene. “His early landscapes show that he had thoroughly mastered the art of watercolour. [...] Open views mostly rather than regular forms captured the artist’s attention; his aim was to create atmosphere, and not so much to depict objects in nature. On the one hand, the plains of Bengal attracted him; on the other, the mountains and woods in Ranchi and Hazaribagh area are also caught in his brush again and again. In his Bengal landscapes he did not seek to present that concentration of objects as is to be found in his other landscape studies.” (Binodbihari Mukhopadyaya, “Gaganendranath Tagore”, Gaganendranath Tagore, Calcutta: The Indian Society of Oriental Art, 1972, p41)

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