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Lot 67

 

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An important member of the Bengal School, Kshitindranath Majumdar was influenced by the artist Abanindranath Tagore. The Bengal School gravitated towards other traditional Asian art styles as part of their rejection of the Western academic style. Abanindranath struck up a friendship with the nihonga (traditional art) Japanese artist Okakura Kakuzo Tenshin, who sent his pupil Yokoyama Taikan to India to foster an exchange of ideas. “Under... An important member of the Bengal School, Kshitindranath Majumdar was influenced by the artist Abanindranath Tagore. The Bengal School gravitated towards other traditional Asian art styles as part of their rejection of the Western academic style. Abanindranath struck up a friendship with the nihonga (traditional art) Japanese artist Okakura Kakuzo Tenshin, who sent his pupil Yokoyama Taikan to India to foster an exchange of ideas. “Under Taikan’s influence, Abanindranath gave up strong colours and hard outlines, learning to draw each line with great care, and with a light touch. He discovered the importance of gesture and brushstroke from Japanese art, adapting the morotai wash technique for his own purposes.” (Partha Mitter, “The Bengal School: The Rise of Artistic Nationalism in India”, Modern Indian Painting: Jane & Kito de Boer Collection, Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2019, p. 27) This present lot, done in a wash, shows the clear influence of Japanese techniques in Majumdar’s work.

FROM THE COLLECTION OF JANE AND KITO DE BOER

Jane and Kito de Boer’s collection is a rare survey of Indian painting from the late 19th century to the present day, covering major movements including photography, the Bengal School, the Progressive Artists from Bombay, and many different developments in Delhi and its environs since Independence.

This collection, one of the largest in private hands, is remarkable for its broad historical scope and represents critical periods in Indian art history. Besides notable names including F N Souza, M F Husain, and Somnath Hore, the collection also highlights the best works of lesser-known artists such as Prakash Karmakar, Nikhil Biswas, and J Sultan Ali who played a significant role in the development of Indian art. Alongside their strong aesthetics, the significance of many of the works in the collection is deepened by the de Boers’ personal association or encounters with several of the artists like Rameshwar Broota and Laxma Goud.

In their words, “One of the most important aspects of the collection is that it is a personal journey: it is our journey.... We are individuals following our passion and our collection is the sum of what we see and whom we meet. We have the art collection we have, with all its twists and turns.”

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