Abanindranath Tagore

Why is in news? Celebrating Kolkata’s veteran artist

Abanindranath Tagore took birth in a family of Tagores of Jorasanko in Kolkata in 1871.

Abanindranath Tagore, the nephew of Rabindranath Tagore, was one of the most prominent artists of Bengal school of art in India.

He was the first major supporter of swadeshi values in Indian art.

In his youth, Abanindranath received training in European and Academic style from European artists.

His idea of modernizing Mughal and Rajput paintings eventually gave rise to modern Indian painting, which took birth at his Bengal school of art.

Bengal School of Painting:

It is also called the Renaissance School or the Revivalist School, as it represented the first modern movement of Indian art.

It rediscovered the glories of Indian art and consciously tried to produce what it considered a truly Indian art inspired by the creations of the past.

Its leading artist was Abanindranath Tagore.

They broke away from the convention of oil painting and the realistic style, and turned for inspiration to medieval Indian traditions of miniature painting and the ancient art of mural painting in the Ajanta caves.

They were also influenced by the art (wash technique) of Japanese artists who visited India at that time to develop an Asian Art movement.

Associated Pupils: Nandalal Bose and Kshitindranath Majumdar

Popular Paintings: Bharat Mata, My Mother, Journey’s End, etc.

Popular Books: Rajkahini, Nalak, etc.

He died on 5th December, 1951.