A look at the rich Bengal School legacy

The Bengal School artists have invariably lagged behind the high profile Progressives whom they preceded. To start with, Santiniketan gave a thrust to Indian art’s reach and popularity. The famous artists of the era almost belonged to its Kala Bhavan.

Nandalal Bose, Rabindranath, Abanindranath and Gagendranath Tagore were all doyens in their own right. The institution set the pattern and tone for modern art in the country, to nurture a new movement. Unfortunately, it did not last beyond a few years. The impact of the Bengal School movement is still considerable.

Jamini Roy blended a fabulous folk tradition with international sensibilities and subjects. Both Binode Behari Mukherjee and Ramkinkar Baij adopted styles rooted in their captivating cultural foundations rather than searching for a universal space.

Nandalal Bose’s artistic ideas were far-reaching, albeit executed with the same unmistakable simplicity as in the works of Chittaprosad or Hiren Das. This tendency subtly reflected into the oeuvre of artists like Sunil Das and Bikash Bhattacharjee. The depth of the subject matter was treated through a lens of reality or photo-realism.

It is believed that more constructive effort to market the Romantics will push the price bar higher for them. Barring a few exceptions, they have fetched prices in the range of sub-Rs 1 crore (Rs 30-70 lakh) at auctions. In comparison to them, most leading Progressives easily get over Rs 1 crore. The latter created a legacy, which outlasted the Bengal School once basking in glory.

However, the scene is gradually changing. For example, the most keenly watched auction of Indian art last year, of 12 paintings by India's first Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, stayed true to the hype. The works fetched prices between £91,250 and £313,250. The deputy director with auction house Sotheby’s, Maithili Parekh, then quipped that there was a lot of interest in Tagore's works both by private collectors and institutions. This is an indication of the increasing spotlight on the Bengal School and its rich legacy.