The Bengal School of Art emerged after the 1857 mutiny, reviving Indian art traditions through influential artists like Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose. This movement, supported by figures such as E.B. Havell and Rabindranath Tagore, combined traditional motifs with techniques like Japanese wash and Indian tempera, focusing on themes of religion, nature, and history. Notable works included portrayals of Indian culture with an emphasis on soft colors and a mystical sense of space, laying the foundation for modern Indian art.

1. Bengal School
Srikanta Goswami

2. origin
After 1857 mutiny Indian
art stood still
Art survived in the
smaller feudal states by
the end of the century
British ruler establshed
art schools in Bombay,
Madras, Calcutta They successfully
persuade that there is
no culture in India
Few very talented artists emerged by
this time like Raja Ravi Verma,
Abanindranath Tagore,
Gaganendranath Tagore,
Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal
Bose, Jamini Roy
They revived the Indian art
tradition and started art
movement
They were supported by E. B.
Havell then principal of Govt.
art school Calcutta
Encouragement and patronage by
Rabindranath, Dr. A.K.
Coomaraswamy, Gaganendranath,
Sister Nivedita
“Society of oriental
art” in 1907
Nandalal , Asit Haldar,
Samarendranath Gupta
study Ajanta and Bagh
Cave painting
Huge acclaimation in
European Journals
New
renaissance in
Indian art
Birth of Bengal
School
Spread in Delhi, punjab,
Gujrat, lucknow, Jaipur,
Hyderabad from Bengal
Arists were influenced
from the art of Ajanta,
Bagh, miniature
No clay modeling
were encouraged
Bengal school laid
the foundation of
Modern Indian art

3. Features of
Bengal school
First art movement
of the country
Show confidence in
traditional values and rich
heritage of India
Japanese “wash” water
colour technique
Indian tempera
technique
Wash became the hall
mark of Bengal School
Painting topics:
Religion, social events,
Historical events,
Birds and animals,
landscape
Colours are soft with-out
Shadow
Conventional
perspective
Mystic sense of
space and
atmosphere
Diluting impact of
colour
Linear delicacy
Rhythm and
grace of Ajanta
painting

4. Abanindranath
Tagore
Born in 1871in
Jorasanko
Rabindranath and
Gaganendraneth were
contemporaries and
were from same
family
First major artistic
figure of Modern
India
Evolve national style based on
Indian Traditional painting and
an alternative to western art
Creator of
Bengal School
of art
Learned art from two
teachers
1. Gilardi of Italy
2. Palmer from
England
E.B. Havell then
principal of Govt.
Art Collage offered
him the post of
Vise-principal in
the collage
Under him he studied
Mughal and Rajput
miniature
He evolve a new
technique by fusing
Indian Tempera and
Japanese wash
technique
Famous paintings:
Journey’s end,
Seath of Shahjahan,
Ganesh Janani,
Bharat Mata, Arabian
Night series and so
Father of Modern
Indian Painting

5. JOURNEY’S END
ABANINDRANATH TAGORE
WATER COLOUR WASH AND TEMPERA ON PAPER
First publishe in
Bengali Magazine
“Prabasi”
Half open eye of
the beast
Fusion of japanese wash and
indian tempera technique
Back ground done in
wash
Depiction of animal
and fore ground in
tempera
Red, brown and
yellow wash in the
back-grond gives the
impression of sunset
Tint of blue where
the animal is about
to collapse
Massive load on the
camels back show the
greed d of the master
Thin stream of
blood oozing from
the mouth
The load is still intact and the
animal gives a last try to stand,
Depicting the loyalty towards
the master
Head is slightly
raised
Back legs upright
Front leg bent
from the knees
Realistic depiction of the
animal
Slight usage of
light and shadow
The time sunset
symbolize the life
end of the animalBlank mid and back-ground
Entire event
happening in the
fore groundInfluence of
Miniature can be
seen

6. Nandalal Bose
Second major artist of
Bengal School
Learnt painting directly
from Abanindranath
Tagore in Govt art
collage
After collage he join
bengal school
Close contact with Dr. A.K
Coomaraswamy, Sister
Nivedita, Rabindranath Tagore
increses his intellectual horizon
He illustrates the
literary works of
Rabindranath Esp the
books of alphabets
Copy of Ajanta and Bagh
paintings bring change
and maturity in his style
He joined Kala
Bhavana in 1920 as
principal
Some of his best work
includes Shiva drinking
poison, parthasarathi,
sati, return of Buddha,
ardhanariswar, dandi
march
He remain nationalist to
the core through out his
life
Retired from kala
bhavan by 1951
His students include
Ramkinkar Baij,
Benode Behari
Mukherjee
He received Doctorate from
BHU,
D.Lit from CU,
Deshikottam from Visva Bharati,
Padma Vibhusan from Govt of
India

7. TILLER OF THE SOIL
NANDALAL BOSE
WATER COLOUR AND TEMPERA ON HANDMADE PAPER
One of the painting of 85
poster series
Or Haripura poster
The subject included hunter,
warrior, wrestlers, mother and
child, carpenter, smith and so
In this painting
farmer tilling soil
with a pair of oxen
The farmer have plough in
one hand and a stick on
the other hand
The oxen are
healthy and
magnificent
Raised hooves
depict motion
The farmer is
wearing short dhoti
Turban on head
Upper body
part bare
Oxen are decorated
with ornaments and
colourful piece of cloth
Yoke is
prominent
Background light
golden yellow
Highlighted and
bordered on the top
by dark grey
The artist use bold white patch for
the oxen and cloth and turban of
the farmer for a natural touch
Bold and rhythmic free
outline in black
Brown colour used for the
body of farmer and polugh

8. Kshitindranath
Majumdar
Early student of
Abanindranath Tagore
Distinguished artist of
Bengal school
His paintings mainly derives
from literary, religious and
narrative tradition
Radha Krishna and
Chaitanya is one of
the major theme of
his painting
Born in rural Bengal,
Nimta Village,
Murshidabad
No formal education
Art creativity developed
from rural Yatras, Kirtan,
indigenous religious
performance
1921 appointed as the
principal of Indian
Society of Oriental art
1942 – 64 head of Arts Dept. in
Allahabad university

9. RASA-LILA
KSHITINDRANATH MAJUMDAR
WATER COLOUR WASH AND TEMPERA ON HAND-MADE
PAPER
Gopi’s are swaying In
ecstatic dance
Krishna in the center
Graceful movement of
body and hand
The gopis are sporting
rhythmic steps, delicate
smile, wisp of hair
covering fore head
The figures are
cladded in contrasting
colours
Krishna’s
complexion is dark
blue and he is in
pitambar
The back ground
is dark and
cloudy
Tree trunks are
juxtaposing
Leaves are painted in
dark bluish-green
colour
‘bhava’ feelings
suffused with
spirituality
Strong appeal and
lyricism
The lines are delicate,
supple and sinuous

10. Ramgopal
Vijaywargiya
Born in Rajasthan
From early age keen
interest on art
Early age drew
Human figures and
rural landscape
Took admission iin
Maharaja School of
art and craft Jaipur
In final year he finished
the year course in eight
month
School days draw the
painting of Megh-Doot
By 1925 his early
illustrations were influenced
by the paintings of
Abanindranath tagore

11. MEGHDOOT
RAMGOPAL VIJAYWARGIYA
WATER COLOUR WASH AND TEMPERA ON HAND MADE PAPER
Yaksha and Yakshini are flying
on the shredded cottony
clouds
Dark blue sky
Yakshini embracing
Yaksha
Her hand on his chest
Yakshini dressed in pink in
the upper body part
Lower body
golden lion cloth
Excellent
depiction in the
Drapery
Yaksha wearing olive
green colour dhoti
His upper body part
bare
He is holding a pink
lotus in his right and
Both are wearing
armlet, earrings,
wristlets, necklace
of pearl
White flower in
Yakshini’s hair
Both of their faces
reflects romance and
sensuality
Four white birds
flying in the right
lower corner
Half closed doe
like eye
Soft smiling
face
Tapering elongated
fingures
Thin sinuous
arms

12. Md. Abdul Rehman
Chughtai
Born in 1897 in the
Cgughtai Family of
Lahore
His ancestors were chief
architect of Shahjahan
who designed Tajmahal,
Red fort, Jama Mashjid
He went to Europe
for learning art
He came back India
and join Bengal
School under
Abanindranath
Later he left Bengal school
and developed his own
method
Decorative style
His method based on
calligraphic lines of
Mughal Miniature and
old persian painting
Topics:
Hindu mythology, poetic works
of Mirza Galib, Iqbal and omar
Khayyam
Exhibitions in London,
Paris, Berlin &
Philadelphia
Left India after
partition, lived
permanently in
Lahore and died in
1975
Some of his famous
paintings are
“the lamp & the moon”,
Princess of Sahara”,
Prince Salim”,
“hermit”,
“Rose and wine”,
“poet tulsidas”

13. RADHIKA
M.A.R. CHUGHTAI
WASH AND TEMPERA ON HAND MADE PAPER
Drawn in profileRadhika is delicate
and lovelorn
Delicately holding
two lotuses in two
hands
Violet Ghagra,
Red choli,
Yellow dupatta
In typical Indian style
Black Hair flowing
down her back
Down cast eye
added emotional
flavor
Exaggerated arch
like eyebrow
Pearl necklace,
pendant
Gold and glass
bangles and ring
Mughal manner lamp
with stand in the left
hand side of the
composition
Yellow and red
wick in the lamp
The light of the lamp
illuminates Radika and
also added divinity
Back-ground in black,
red and yellow colour in
tonal gradation
Each fold of the
drapery is created with
minute detail
Honeybee sitting in the
lotus of the left hand
symbolizes krishna

14. Thank You