Abanindranath tagore

The Artist and his life with art

1. ABANINDRANATH TAGORE Date of Birth:  May 7, 1871 Place of Birth:   Bengal, British India Date of Death:   August 7, 1951 Place of Death:   Calcutta (now Kolkata), India Profession:  Painting, Writing Spouse:   Suhasini Devi Father:   Gunendranath Tagore Siblings:   Gaganendranath Tagore, Sunayani Devi AbanindrainathTagore , the nephew of Rabimdranath Tagore, was born on August 1871 . He was one of the most prominent artists of the Bengal school painting, along with being the first major supporter of swadeshi values in the Indian art . Abanindra Nath is also regarded as a proficient and accomplished writer . The painter tried to modernize Mughal and Rajput traditions as an answer to the growing influence of western art under the British Raj . CHILDHOOD:- Abanindranath Tagore was born in the Jorasanko town of west Bengal. The younger brother of Gaganendranath Tagore an eminent artist, Abanindranath was introduced to art in the 1880s . Since he grew up amidst the famous Tagore family, art and literature were always a part of his childhood and he inevitably developed a liking towards them . EDUCATION:- When he was studying at the Sanskrit College in Kolkata, he started learning the nuances of art. After his wedding in 1889, he left Sanskrit College, where he was studying for the past nine years, and joined St. Xavier's College and studied English for one and a half years.

2. He then enrolled at the famous Calcutta School of Art in the year 1890. There he was trained by European artists, O. Ghilardi and Charles Palmer. While he learnt to master the usage of pastels from Ghilardi , he acquired profound knowledge on oil painting from Charles. Around 1897, he learnt various techniques, including the techniques used in European paintings, from the vice-principal of Government School of Art. It was then that he started to develop a special interest towards watercolor and came under the influence of Mughal art. EARLY LIFE:- He then started making some beautiful paintings based on the life of Lord Krishna, which reflected a strong influence of Mughal style . When he had a few issues with the teaching style that was being used at the Calcutta School of Art, he met E.B. Havell and explained him the importance of retaining Indian elements in Indian art. This paved the way for a change in the method of teaching at the school.  Also, along with his brother Gaganendranath Tagore, he came up with the Indian Society of Oriental Art, which focused on the importance of Indian style of art. Abanindranath had immense faith on the traditional Indian techniques that were used in the early Mughal and Rajput paintings. He wanted to propagate this very technique and strived hard towards achieving his goal . CAREER:- Though Abanindranath Tagore started painting at a young age, his career took shape in the late 1890s. Most of his works revolved around Hindu philosophy and other things Indian . In the year 1930, he came up with a series of paintings titled ‘Arabian Nights’. The paintings depicted Calcutta’s emerging cosmopolitanism but used the stories from Arabian Nights as its trope. Even today, this collection of paintings is considered as one of the finest achievements of Abanindranath Tagore. HIS STYLE:- Abanindmath Tagore believed in the traditional Indian techniques of painting . He was very much influenced by the Mughal school of painting as well as Whistler's Aestheticism . In his later works, Tagore started integrating Chỉnese and Japanese calligraphy tradition into his style . The intention behind this move was to construct an amalgamation of the modern pan-Asian artistic tradition and the common elements of Eastern artistic and spiritual culture. His works reflected his ideologies and since they were simple in nature, his paintings were a hit among Indian art lovers .

3. SOME OF ABANINDRANATH’S FAMOUS PAINTINGS:- Ganesh Janani  – Painted in the year 1908, ‘Ganesh Janani ’ depicts an image of Lord Ganesh in his child form. The Lord is seen playing by hanging on to a branch of a tree while his mother wears a concerned look on her face . Bharat Mata  – This beautiful painting was completed in the year 1905. The painting depicts Bharat Mata (Mother India). She is portrayed as having four hands, carrying important elements in each of her hand. The painting reflects Indian tradition, which features in most of his works . GANESH JANANI The Victory of Buddha – ‘The Victory of Buddha’ depicts a portrait of Buddha after achieving enlightenment. It also answers Buddha’s ultimate question pertaining to the human sufferings. The Passing of Shah Jahan  – This is a scene straight out of Mughal EmperorShah Jahan’s final day. The picture depicts Shah Jahan in his death bed, trying to get a final view of Taj Mahal , which would be his final resting place.  THE VICTORY OF BUDDHA  THE PASSING OF SHAH JAHAN Journey's End - Painted in the year 1913, ‘Journey's End’ depicts a tired looking camel, which looks more relieved than happy after coming to an end of its journey . Death: Abanindranath Tagore died on August 7, 1951 at Calcutta (now Kolkata), India JOURNEY'S END