Adhunik Bangiyo Chitrakala
 
Until very recently, modern Indian painting meant third imitation of thirds rate Occidental painting and the resultant theory about the poverty of Indian art as a whole. The current trade shows a welcome change in the tide. This article attempts to outline a few traits of this change.
 
Sometimes during the end of the last century, art schools proliferated around the metropolises of the country under British [Occidental] guidance and principles. The thrust was on Occidental tradition and the production of Indian art was developing along the Western lines. At this spatio-temporal juncture, Abanindranath Thakur took the pioneering steps to change the tide.
 
Abanindranath was initiated in painting in the Western tradition and produced remarkable works in the genre. Soon, however, he realized that the modern Western line of painting was not satiating his bent of mind and as a result dedicated himself to the great tradition of ancient and medieval Indian tradition. He followed the Mughal tradition and along with his few followers initiated a new line of painting that prepared to look beyond the objective to the subjective through the arrangement of the paintbrush along the Mughal tradition.
 
As a path-breaking pioneer Abanindranath and his followers and supporters like Nandalal Basu, Surendranath Gangopadhhay, Shailendranath De and others had to face intense, at times cruel criticism from the so-called art-critics. They were ridiculed and bombarded with all sorts of pugnacious criticism. Nevertheless, Abanindranath managed to stick to his chosen path where famous Western artists and art critics like acclaimed his works. Famous Japanese painters Okakura, Taikkan, Hisida, Aray etc. came to India to learn the new line initiated by Abanindranath as well as to teach the Japanese art tradition to the Indians. Abanindranath’s elder brother Gaganendranath blended the Oriental and Occidental traditions in painting at this juncture. Indian Society of Oriental Arts sponsored the works of Abanindranath and his followers where they presented works as joint ventures. Finally, they crossed Indian shores and presented their exhibitions in Japan, Java, Europe and other places around the globe. Thus, in a totally individual venture, Abanindranath initiated the Renaissance in the canvas of Indian art, which is a throbbing branch now.
 
This article was originally published as “Modern Bengali Painting” in the “Journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Arts” [Ed. Abnindranath Thakur and Stella Chromes, V. 2nd, 1st year 1933]. Debashis Gupta translated it in Bengali.
 
Kedarnath Chottopaddhay [12.12.1892- 16.05.1965] completed B.Sc. and A.R.C.S. in Geology from London’s Imperial College. He returned to India after being hurt while working in the arsenal in Kent. Then he joined as the professor in the journalism department in Kolkata University and worked as the producer of two magazines “Modern Review” and “Prabasi”. He also wrote stories for children in the monthly “Mouchak” under the pseudonym Jagannath Pandit. The interested can read his amazing stories in “Jagannather Kheyal Khata” [Pub. M.C. Sarkar- a rare but still available collection]. He also translated Rahul Sankrityan’s “Nisiddha Deshe Soa Batsar” [“Twenty-five Years in the forbidden Country”]. He traveled to Iraq and Parasya with Tagore.

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