The Bengal School and Cultural Nationalism Notes in English Class 12 Fine Art Chapter-6 Book-1

Company Painting

Before the British came, Indian art was mainly used for religious and cultural purposes, like temple statues, miniature manuscript paintings, and village wall decorations. In the 18th century, British officers in India became interested in local people, customs, nature, and places. They hired Indian artists to paint these scenes for both record-keeping and art. Many artists came from royal courts like Murshidabad, Lucknow, and Delhi. To suit British tastes, they changed their style and focused more on realistic details, like in European art. This mix of Indian and European styles became known as the Company School of Painting, which became popular in both India and Britain.

Raja Ravi Varma

With the arrival of photography in mid-19th century India, the popularity of the Company School declined as cameras offered better documentation. Meanwhile, British art schools promoted the academic style of oil painting using European techniques to show Indian themes. The best example of this was Raja Ravi Varma, a self-taught artist from Kerala, who painted scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata in a realistic European style. His artworks became widely popular and were printed as oleographs and calendars. However, by the late 19th century, during the rise of nationalism, this Western style was criticized for being too foreign. In response, the Bengal School of Art emerged in the early 20th century, promoting Indian-style painting.

The Bengal School

The term ‘Bengal School of Art’ is not fully accurate because, although it started in Bengal, it later spread across India. This art movement began in Calcutta during British rule and was closely linked to the nationalist (Swadeshi) movement. It was led by Abanindranath Tagore, who was supported by E. B. Havell, the British principal of Calcutta School of Art. Both believed that Indian art should reflect Indian culture, not Western styles taught in colonial art schools. They took inspiration from traditional Indian art like Mughal and Pahari miniatures, not the Company School or European-style paintings.

Abanindranath Tagore and E. B. Havell

The year 1896 was a turning point in Indian visual arts when E. B. Havell and Abanindranath Tagore began efforts to Indianise art education at the Government Art School, Calcutta (now in Kolkata). While other art schools in Bombay, Lahore, and Madras focused mainly on crafts, the Calcutta school emphasized fine arts. Havell and Abanindranath introduced Indian art techniques and themes into the curriculum. Abanindranath’s painting Journey’s End reflects Mughal and Pahari miniature influences and his vision of an Indian painting style. He also founded the journal Indian Society of Oriental Art to promote India’s artistic heritage and Swadeshi ideals. This laid the foundation for the Bengal School of Art, inspiring artists like Kshitindranath Majumdar and M. R. Chughtai, and shaping modern Indian painting.

Shantiniketan — Early modernism

Kala Bhavana and Nandalal Bose

Nandalal Bose, a prominent student of Abanindranath Tagore, was invited by Rabindranath Tagore to lead the painting department at Kala Bhavana, Shantiniketan. Kala Bhavana, a part of Visva-Bharati University, holds the distinction of being India’s first national art school, dedicated to nurturing Indian artistic traditions with a modern vision.

Creating an Indian Style of Art

Nandalal Bose focused on the folk art and local traditions of Bengal, drawing inspiration from village life and indigenous styles. He illustrated Bengali primers using woodcut techniques, making learning visually engaging. He strongly believed that art should serve an educational purpose and be accessible to the common people, bridging the gap between tradition and modernity.

Haripura Posters (1937)

Nandalal Bose was commissioned by Mahatma Gandhi to create artworks for the 1938 Congress Session at Haripura. He painted scenes of rural people engaged in everyday tasks—like a musician playing the drum, a farmer tilling the land, and a woman churning milk. These works were done in a simple, colourful, and sketch-like style, reflecting Gandhi’s vision of a self-reliant rural India and promoting the idea of inclusive, grassroots nationalism.

Legacy of Kala Bhavana

Kala Bhavana at Shantiniketan became a major center for nationalist art education under Nandalal Bose’s leadership. It trained a generation of artists who carried Indian-style art traditions across the country. One notable example is K. Venkatappa, who played a key role in promoting Indian art in South India, blending classical themes with regional styles.

Jamini Roy: A Unique Modern Indian Artist

Nandalal Bose was initially trained in the British colonial art style but later rejected it in favour of indigenous forms. He adopted the folk painting style of Bengali villages, focusing on themes like women, children, and rural life. His art was flat, colourful, and easily reproducible, designed to be accessible and meaningful to the common people.

British Influence and Art Policy

During the British Raj, the colonial administration favoured European-style realism in art. Major mural projects in Lutyens’ Delhi were awarded to artists from the Bombay School, who were trained in realist techniques under Gladstone Solomon. Meanwhile, artists of the Bengal School were permitted to decorate India House in London, but their work was closely monitored and controlled under strict British supervision, limiting their creative freedom.

Pan-Asianism and Modernism

During British rule, Indian art was divided between those who liked European styles and those who supported Indian traditions. After the Partition of Bengal in 1905, the Swadeshi movement strongly influenced art. Art historian Ananda Coomaraswamy promoted Swadeshi art and worked with Japanese thinker Kakuzo Okakura, who wanted to unite Asian nations against Western rule through pan-Asianism. Two Japanese artists came to Shantiniketan to teach the wash painting technique as an alternative to Western oil painting. At the same time, modern European art also reached India. In 1922, an exhibition of Bauhaus artists like Paul Klee and Kandinsky was held in Calcutta, introducing Indians to abstract art. Artist Gaganendranath Tagore was influenced by this style and used Cubism to show building interiors with geometric shapes. He also drew caricatures mocking wealthy Bengalis who blindly copied Western lifestyles.

Different Concepts of Modernism: Western and Indian

The divide between anglicists and orientalists in Indian art was not based on race. For example, Benoy Sarkar, a Bengali intellectual, supported European modernism and criticized the Bengal School of Art as outdated. In contrast, E. B. Havell, a British man, supported a return to Indian art traditions and worked closely with Abanindranath Tagore to shape modern Indian art. This mix of views is best seen in the work of Amrita Sher-Gil, who used Western modernist styles, like those from the Bauhaus exhibition, to paint Indian subjects. Modern Indian art grew through this ongoing conflict between colonialism and nationalism. While colonialism brought new art schools, galleries, and journals, Indian artists tried to blend modern global styles with Indian traditions and even wider Asian influences. This legacy shaped Indian art, which continues to move between international ideas and local cultural roots.

Tiller of the Soil

This panel by Nandalal Bose, made for the 1938 Haripura Congress, shows a farmer ploughing his field—symbolizing the simple life of rural India. To capture this, Bose studied local villagers and used bold tempera brushwork inspired by folk art, especially the style of patuas (scroll painters). The arch in the background and strong design reflect his influence from Ajanta paintings. This folk style not only celebrated rural life but also echoed Gandhi’s vision of the village as the heart of India. Over 400 such posters were made at Kala Bhavana, placing common people at the centre of nation-building and highlighting Bose’s belief in using art to shape the moral spirit of the nation.

Rasa-Lila

This watercolour painting by Kshitindranath Majumdar (1891–1975) shows Krishna dancing with Radha and the sakhis, set in a simple village scene of trees. Majumdar, an early student of Abanindranath Tagore, used the wash technique with soft, flowing lines and delicate colours. His style includes thin, graceful figures, gentle gestures, and peaceful settings, often inspired by mythological and religious themes. A follower of Bhakti Marga, he expressed deep spiritual emotion in works like Man Bhanjan of Radha, Lakshmi, and Birth of Sri Chaitanya. In this painting, Krishna and the gopis are shown with equal proportions, symbolizing the unity of humans and the divine.

Radhika

This wash and tempera painting on paper by Abdul Rehman Chughtai (1899–1975) shows Radhika walking away from a lamp, set in a dark, emotional background. A descendant of Ustad Ahmed, the architect of the Taj Mahal and Red Fort, Chughtai was inspired by Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath, and Nandalal Bose. He blended the wash technique with elegant calligraphic lines, typical of Mughal and Persian art, giving his work a poetic and graceful feel. His subjects came from Hindu mythology, legends, and Indo-Islamic history. The painting’s soft light, shade, and flowing lines reflect a deep lyrical quality—like a visual poem. Some of his other poetic works include Gloomy Radhika, Lady under a Tree, and Lady Lighting a Lamp.

City in the Night

This 1922 watercolour painting by Gaganendranath Tagore (1869–1938) uses Cubism to express deep inner emotions through bold shapes and colours. Unlike the strict style of European Cubism, he added soft human forms and mysterious scenes. He imagined magical cities like Dwarka and Swarnapuri, painting them with zigzag shapes, diamond-like planes, and prismatic colours, creating glowing, dreamlike effects. The painting is lit like a theatre stage, showing his interest in Rabindranath Tagore’s plays. Elements like screens, staircases, doors, and corridors appear on the same flat plane, creating a magical, stage-like world full of mystery and imagination.

Rama Vanquishing the Pride of the Ocean

This painting by Raja Ravi Varma depicts a dramatic scene from the Valmiki Ramayana, where Rama, in anger, prepares to shoot a fiery arrow into the ocean when Varuna, the sea god, ignores his prayer to cross to Lanka. Just in time, Varuna appears and calms Rama. Varma, one of the first Indian artists to use oil paints and lithographic prints, painted grand mythological scenes filled with action and emotion. His works, like Release of Ahalya, Rama Breaking the Bow, and Sita in Ashoka Grove, visually narrate the entire epic journey of Rama and Sita, with each painting leading into the next like a story unfolding.

Woman with Child

Who Was Jamini Roy?

Nandalal Bose (1887–1972) is often referred to as the "Father of the Folk Renaissance in India." He sought to create a distinct modern Indian identity by drawing inspiration from traditional folk art, local crafts, and rural life. Through his work and teaching, he bridged the gap between classical Indian aesthetics and contemporary national consciousness.

Inspiration from Bengal’s Villages

In the 1920s, Nandalal Bose travelled through rural Bengal to study Pat paintings (traditional folk scrolls) and observe the techniques of local folk artisans. He was deeply inspired by the expressive power and simplicity of their lines, and aimed to incorporate this visual language into modern Indian art, making it more rooted, accessible, and emotionally resonant.

About the Painting (1940, Gouache on Paper)

Subject: Mother and Child

Artist: Jamini Roy

This artwork reflects a bold and distinctive style marked by simplified forms, thick black outlines, and sweeping brush strokes, with two-dimensional figures that reject Western realism. The use of dull yellow for the skin and a brick-red background draws inspiration from the terracotta reliefs of Bankura, Roy’s native region in Bengal. The painting captures a sense of raw, earthy energy and emotional depth that was previously unseen in Indian modern art, highlighting Jamini Roy’s role in redefining Indian aesthetics through folk traditions.

Style and Technique

Jamini Roy was deeply inspired by the features of pat paintings, especially their flatness, decorative clarity, and rhythmic, expressive forms. He began with monochrome brush drawings, exploring form through simplicity. Later, he limited his palette to just seven basic colours in tempera, including:

• Indian red

• Yellow ocher

• Cadmium green

• Vermilion

• Charcoal gray

• Cobalt blue

• White

This restrained use of colour and folk-inspired style helped Roy create a uniquely Indian modern art rooted in tradition.

Natural Materials Used

Jamini Roy used organic and natural materials to stay true to indigenous art traditions. His colours were derived from sources like rock dust, tamarind seed glue, mercury powder, alluvial mud, indigo, common chalk, and lamp black for bold outlines. These materials gave his artworks an earthy texture and authentic folk aesthetic, reinforcing his rejection of Western techniques in favour of Indian roots.

Canvas and Surface

He made his own canvas using home-spun fabric, unlike earlier folk artists who typically used paper, cloth, or baked paper as their painting surfaces.

Philosophy and Nationalism

He used art as a political statement, viewing the village community as a symbol of resistance to colonial rule. By adopting local themes and traditional styles, he aimed to represent and strengthen national identity.

Key Points to Remember

Jamini Roy broke away from colonial academic art and revived Indian folk traditions, creating a modern style that remained deeply rooted in Indian culture. His work was both artistic and political, aiming to redefine Indian identity through indigenous forms.

Journey’s End

This 1913 watercolour painting by Abanindranath Tagore shows a collapsed camel at dusk, symbolizing the end of a journey and the close of a day. Tagore, known as the father of modern Indian art, revived Indian and oriental art traditions using soft, hazy wash technique, which he invented. The painting’s misty effect creates a mood of stillness and reflection. He combined symbolism with literary themes to give deeper meaning to his art. The camel’s fine lines and gentle tones add emotional depth. Other notable works by him include The Forest, Coming of Night, and a series on The Arabian Nights.