Bagyi Aung Soe, “Dr Nandalal Bose”, in From Tradition to Modernity, Yangon: Khin May Si Sapay, 1978, 95-116.1
95 In the middle of the 19th century, Indian society and intellectual outlook were immensely influenced by the West. It had a great impact on our knowledge of art. The life of artists was undergoing gradual but significant changes. Meanwhile, they were experiencing a period of artistic reformation led by E.B. Havell and Abanindranath. An artist who skillfully created a large body of meaningful and outstanding works during that time was Nandalal Bose. It is true that an important phase of Indian art ended with his death on 16th April 1966. 96 Nandalal Bose was born in a small village called Kharagpur in Munger, Bihar state on 3rd December, 1882. His father, Purnachandra Bose was a forest officer in Darbhanga. His mother, Kshetramonidevi was keen on making crafts, sewing and knitting. But Nandalal lost his mother when he was eight. He was interested in mud sculptors and potters. He passed his days studying pot-making and colour-blending from a country potter. He went to school in Kharagpur in Munger. In 1903, he passed the entrance exam in Kusuram [?] Bose School in Kolkata and attended at a central basic educational school. But the guardians found him showing little interest in basic education and planned for him to attend medical college. Again, Nandalal showed little interest there and they thus sent him to study commerce at President College. At last, they had to accept that he had no interest in such education at all. 97 What he always wanted to be was an artist. He had a passion for nothing other than the life of an artist. One day, he went to a government art school with the help of one of his acquaintances. Harvell was the principal and Abanindranath Tagore was the assistant principal there. He talked to Abanindranath about his hobby. He showed him his pictures of Madonna by Raphael. Abanindranath was greatly pleased with his works and pictures of Greek sculptures. Then Nandalal was granted permission to attend that school in August
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This translation only conveys the gist of the article, not all the nuances. Given that Aung Soe could not have been in Śāntiniketan in 1947, as claimed on the second last page, the article in Burmese was at least in parts translated from an unidentified source; it was not an entirely original article by Aung Soe.
Bagyi Aung Soe, “Dr Nandalal Bose”, in From Tradition to Modernity, Yangon: Khin May Si Sapay, 1978, 95-116.
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1905. After attending classes on “Decorative Art” [English] by Atwari Farasat [?], he went to Abanindranath’s classes. When he was studying there, the scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose and Sister Nivedita came to visit the school. Sister Nivedita liked his works much and invited him at once to visit their house in his free time. As Sister Nivedita washed, he created the illustration titled Indan Myths of Hindors and Buddhists [English; sic]. 98 Before he completed his course, Abanindranath ceased contact with the art school. In 1977 [sic; 1907], he set up the Indian Society of Oriental Art in Kolkata. At that time, Nandalal received to 500 rupies as reward for his painting, Shiva Shanti. With what he earned, he wandered to the south of India as an art traveller. He spent considerable time studying the country’s art by staying with folk artists and could thus draw well like them. After his studies, he went to his teacher Abanindranath. His teacher fondly asked for Ruruda Kishsinar to be given to him. In 1910, Lady Herringham came to India to copy the wall paintings in Ajanta. As urged by Sister Nivedita, Nandalal and Abanindranath’s three other close students, Asit Kumar Haldar, Venkatappa and Samarendranath Gupta, helped with Lady Herringham’s work. Well-known artists from the United Kingdom were also together with them in Lady Herringham’s group. 99 The chance to touch the classical works of India at Ajanta led to new perspectives and developments. Their subsequent works reflect its major influence too. Soon, he studied about mural paintings at Bose Institute in Kolkata. Those paintings were basically excerpts from the Mahabharata. In 1913, Abanindranath encouraged him to work as an art instructor at Vistara [?] in Jorasanko (Tagore). He later made friends with Japanese artists there. Among them, Okakura, Kintaro Kasahara [?] and Kanpo Arai were those he respected the most. In 1917, he explored Puri and Konark and more places famous for art with Kanpo Arai. Abanindranath was the one who told Nandalal to come to Kala Bhavana in Śāntiniketan. It became a place where many famous artists went to and exchanged ideas, since 19th September, 1919. 100 Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement in 1921 also moved this famous artist. From then on, Nandalal was the most active supporter of Gandhi’s Khadi and Charkha. During the protest, he was preoccupied both physically and mentally. In 1921, the Gwalior authorities asked him to assist with the wall paintings at Bagh and Ram Ghat. Those in Bagh had almost
Bagyi Aung Soe, “Dr Nandalal Bose”, in From Tradition to Modernity, Yangon: Khin May Si Sapay, 1978, 95-116.
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disappeared. Nandalal, Asit Haldar and Surendranath Kar made great effort in copying them. Because of them, we can still see clearly the ancient heritage of Bagh. In 1924, Nandalal was with Rabindranath Tagore on his visit to China, Japan and other countries in Southeast Asia. The journey to countries rich in ancient cultural heritage allowed him to know … 101 … their cultures and societies in depth. In accordance with Gandhi’s advice, Nandalal and his art students in Jalavihar held an exhibition at the Indian National Congress in 1935 in Lakanaung [?]. Again in 1936 and 1937, he decorated the Faizpur Congress and the Haripura Congress respectively with bamboos and canes from countryside. He accurately and systematically built them in the Indian folk style. Thus, he was asked to illustrate the country’s basic bill presented to a legislature, which was to be enacted as a law after independence. 102 As he matured, the public honoured him from time to time for his contributions to Indian art. He received an honorary doctor of literature from Banaras Hindu University in 1950. In 1951, he retired from Jalavihar, and Visva Bharati University made him an honorary professor. He was again awarded in 1952 by the same university as the Deshikottama. In 1955, the Indian government gave him the title of “Padma Vikhushan” [English; sic: “Padma Vibhushan”]. Lalit Kala Akademi also made him a Fellow. 103 In 1957, the Kolkata University conferred an honorary “D. Litt” on him with a ceremony at Śāntiniketan. In 1958, he was awarded the Dadabinaogogi [?] for his skill in art. His love for the country made him fulfill his responsibilities as a good citizen throughout his life. Since his student life at President College, he had been close to [..] who became Shri Ramakrishna and was well-known as Swami Pranavananda. Debabrata, Navithita [?], Rabindranath, Okakura and Gandhi had a great impression in his life. 104 The Japanese artist and psychologist Okakura persistently believed that the art of a country must convey the soul of that country. He himself tried to express the reality of his country, Japan, by means of Japanese art. He thought that if Indian “Aesthetic Sensibility” [English] is weak, Indian social life will be affected. The actions of Nandalal Bose who witnessed the trials and tribulations of Indian art were also guided by the same convictions as those of Okakura. He sought the soul of India on his art trips from village to village.
Bagyi Aung Soe, “Dr Nandalal Bose”, in From Tradition to Modernity, Yangon: Khin May Si Sapay, 1978, 95-116.
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105 In his creations, India was always vibrant and brimming with the truth of life. It was not only due to the subject matter’s internal truth, but also his right effort. There are three stages to being an artist. First is “Assimilation” [English]. At this stage, the artist continually explores and assimilates the styles and customs of different countries. 106 At the second stage, he tries to present his own style through what he has learned. Whatever he has kept in his heart in the first stage emerges as remarkable creations of art. At the last and third stage, the virtuous soul arises from the subjective mind. The creation is not just about the creator but pertains to a wider scope in general. It is at this stage that the artist’s good will and sensations might intensify and result in exceptionality. However, most artists do not go beyond the second stage. This is because they either indulge in the intense concentration of their mind on art, or hesitate to create new works. Nandalal’s aptitude for creation was always fresh and different. 107 There was no way back. He used to tell his students, “In painting or any other kind of art, uncertainty in the creation of one’s own style in response to changes is very often the sign of an artist’s end. There will not be precision in his art. The works of a powerful artist must assimilate the new. He must not retreat to acquire more skills or to correct the original style. The quality of a real artist is being alert and sharp in creating something new. He does not need to refer to others’ style or works. Copying others’ works means collating remnants of them.” Nandalal always encouraged his students to take on crafts such as clay sculpture, woodcut, lino and illustration with poetic lines. He believed that the practice of crafts fuelled the force of painting. 108 The key to his paintings is his skilful art of “drawing” [English]. His fine and strong lines are like the ancient Aihole [?] or Ellora “Low relief sculptural” [English] works. They also remind us of the lines by Botticelli. Nandalal had immense affection for, as well as faith and belief in, life and the Indian tradition. He exhorted his students, from time to time, to adopt that attitude. As the artist who played the role of the leader, … 109
Bagyi Aung Soe, “Dr Nandalal Bose”, in From Tradition to Modernity, Yangon: Khin May Si Sapay, 1978, 95-116.
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… he very often visited Nalanda and Rajgir with students. As many events in the Buddha’s life took place there, he valued and had much respect for these sites. On a night in Rajgir, he was with Rabindranath Chakraborty, one of his students. Children were playing on the village road. An old man was reading the Ramayana in front of his house. A group of women were on their way back from the well, carrying a pot of water each. Nandalal told his student, “Imagine, the Buddha was once here on the same road. He rested there at the front and gave sermon to three different generations.” He taught his students to sense and to study their surrounding environment with great care. He advised on things in our surroundings that we could paint, what we should pay attention to, and how to understand and love them. If one wants to understand a tree, he needs to study it day and night. Concerning the Indian style of painting, he said, “We see things… 110 “… with our mind again and again. When we have an attachment to a thing we see, we succeed in seeing it. This is our Indian way of seeing things, unlike the West. They sit in front of the object and copy what they see before them. That is their way of seeing.” 111 Concerning Western contemporary art, he said “Their art should be “Universal” [English], but I would like to say that it is led by “Intellectual” [English] people. In other words, their art is not for the heart but the brain. Without centring the heart, art cannot move it. If art is not meant for the heart or does not come from the heart, it cannot be universal.” On modern art, he gave a long answer to the artist, Baran Niyogi [?]. He furthered, “It is like fashion these days. Most artists in India copy modern art from the West. They… 112 … do not seem to know well why they are doing what they are doing. If asked, they say it is because they like it. I don’t think it is a good answer. My opinion is that there should be a connection with the public. If not, how are people to understand their art? But now, they cannot create what others understand, so they lie to themselves and make awkward and deformed pictures. They are like those on the road, each on their own journey and strangers to each other. But if your face shows a warm expression and you shower care on others, you will get their attention in return. It is the same in art. What’s happening now is that they are just doing stunts for money.” To the question of whether he liked Picasso or not, he answered,
Bagyi Aung Soe, “Dr Nandalal Bose”, in From Tradition to Modernity, Yangon: Khin May Si Sapay, 1978, 95-116.
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“I would to say that I like him. He does not have much content to express, but there are “Form” [English], and “Idea” [English] and “Rasa” [English] in his forms. His paintings can be understood intellectually, not in terms of content.” 113 Rabindranath Chakraborty, a close student of Nandalal was practising oil paintings in Europe. He was worried that his teacher might not like it. But Nandalal told him, “I control no one. It is fine if the painting has suitable colours and clear lines and is neat. Whatever the paint medium, water or oil. It can also be in a certain style, Chinese, Indian or Western. The most important thing is that it must be artistic. Subject matter and media are of no matter; it can be a picture of the Buddha or Christ or an insect, and it can be on palm leaf or toddy palm leaf.” 114 Working under him, I came to see and know Acharya Nandalal. His honesty, straightforwardness and affableness made everyone like him. He spoke his mind frankly and bravely. Once we had a quarrel. I went to him to talk about printing some paintings by Abanindranath in “March of India” [English]. He strongly denied giving permission for any paintings from the collection of Kala Bhavana. Although I gave him my word and made promises, he still said no. He finally stopped our conversation calmly by saying, “It is not your concern to praise this art. it is better that you work to achieve it for yourself.” In the evening on the same day, we met again at Śāntiniketan on my way back with Ahmadi [?], an artist and a friend of mine. With wide strides, he walked up to us and said excitedly, “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for a long time.” 115 I said, “I was with my teacher Shari Mutudi [?].” What he next said surprised me, “Well, let’s go to Kala Bhavana. I’ve already talked about it to Peshumay [?].” I still had my doubts and thought that he was trying to comfort me. Then he took me there and showed me a roll of paper when we got there. “Come on, have a look,” he said. In 1947, when I was back in Śāntiniketan to collect paintings for an Asian art exhibition, I asked him for a Chinese painting of river in a distinct view. “Alright, you will get it the next time you are here. Give me some time,” he replied. Here I have to admit that I was apprehensive about asking for the painting because of the last time I asked for Abanindranath’s pictures. But with the help of Shari Aranacha Pagumal [?], a teacher at Kala Bhavana and one of his close students, I received the Chinese painting. Nandalal had a number of outstanding students. However, I saw none who fully assimilated his skills and concepts.
Bagyi Aung Soe, “Dr Nandalal Bose”, in From Tradition to Modernity, Yangon: Khin May Si Sapay, 1978, 95-116.
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116 He was a big bright star on the path of Indian art. But there has been no group, school or centre in his honour.
Translated by Pann Hmone Wai
Bagyi Aung Soe, “Dr Nandalal Bose”, in From Tradition to Modernity, Yangon: Khin May Si Sapay, 1978, 95-116.
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