Nandalal Bose (1882 - 1966)
Born in 1882, Nandalal Bose was one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism. A pupil of Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose was known for his ‘Indian style’ of painting. He became the principal of Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan in 1922. He was influenced by the Tagore family, E B Havell, A K Coomaraswamy and Mahatma Gandhi. Bose achieved fame not only for his renderings of plays by Rabindranath Tagore but also for his designing and execution of the venues of the Indian National Congress conventions in Lucknow, Faizpur and Haripura from 1935 to 1938. He was the only artist that Gandhi ever patronized. While he had already been internationally recognized as an important artist, his association with Gandhi elevated him to the status of a national icon. In the year 1954, he was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan award.
Akar Prakar has exhibited his works in numerous exhibitions since 2011 including Postcards by Nandalal Bose at Akar Prakar, Kolkata (2011), Nandalal Bose & Benode Behari Mukherjee at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi (2012), Nandalal Bose at Akar Prakar, Kolkata (2023) and Mastermoshai Nandalal Bose at Akar Prakar, New Delhi (2024).
Nandalal Bose | Shakuntala | Watercolour on paper | 15 x 9.75 in
Nandalal Bose | (front) Untitled | Pen and ink on paper | 3.5 x 5.5 in
Nandalal Bose | Untitled | Pen and ink on silk | 13.75 x 10 in
Nandalal Bose | Untitled | Pen and ink on paper | 3.5 x 5.5 in
Nandalal Bose | (back) Untitled | Pen and ink on paper | 3.5 x 5.5 in
Nandalal Bose | (front) Untitled | Pen and ink on paper | 1.75 x 3.25 in