A captivating cauldron of art in West Bengal

While the artists considered belonging to the Bengal school continue to perform reasonably at international auctions, the fact remains that they have not managed to scale the million dollar peal attained by the Progressives.

Art writer Ashoke Nag of The Economic Times makes some pertinent observations in this regard (Need to reassess Bengal school in the Indianness of Indian art). A recent exhibition that took place in the city of Zurich eulogized the masters of magnificent Indian miniatures. The curators did not hesitate to place them right at par with some of the greats who belonged to the glorious European Renaissance period.

Amongst other concerted efforts, many of the early Bengal School practitioners made an attempt to modernize the ancient miniature tradition. This foray was led by none other than Abanindranath Tagore. Husain, well aware of the endeavors made in this direction, once counted Ganesh Pyne among the topmost Indian artists.

His art practice evolved out of a subtle synthesis of the practice of artists like Abanindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore and Jamini Roy, seamlessly blended with Indian mythology. Ganesh Pyne also effortlessly fused the then western concepts in his images. Still, the core Indianness evident in this astute amalgam was unmistakable.

The article quotes Kolkata based Chitrakoot art gallery director, Prakash Kejariwal, as saying that Husain was the first artist to notice this, Abanindranath's emphasis on carrying the miniature tradition forward and drawing from Japanese and Chinese schools resulted in launch of a major Bengal School movement. The Society of Contemporary Artists further catalyzed this significant thrust toward modernism. A glimpse of this captivating cauldron of art in West Bengal can be had at an exhibition, entitled ‘Summer Oasis’, at the gallery.

The elaborate exhibit showcases works by the various artists including Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy, Hemen Mazumdar, Atul Bose and the Tagores, from among the older masters. Works by the later modern masters such as Ganesh Pyne, Somnath Hore, Shyamal Datta Ray, Nikhil Biswas and Bikash Bhattacharjee are also on view.