Great painters and artists have always been adored, admired and widely respected in India. Even in the hoary antiquity, the royal courts of Emperor Akbar and Emperor Jahangir were studded with quintessential painters like Vasaban, Gobardhan, Mansoor, Monohar etc. In recent past, we have had another versatile artist in Bengal, who was essentially Bengali in spirit but his paintings crossed the limits of time and space. He was Nandalal Basu. Like the glorious artists of the golden Mughal era, Nandalal was conscious, highly skilled, and meticulous about details and artistic finesse.
Nandalal Basu was born on 3rd December, 1882 in Kharagpur. This Kharagpur was not a part of West Bengal. But it was a small town in East Bihar. This place had an ethereal scenic beauty and resembled the beautiful Lake Districts in England which had inspired William Wordsworth to compose those timeless nature poems.
Nandalal’s mother, Kshetramani was a pious and generous lady who was adept in all household works. She had a keen artistic sense which showed in all works, however trivial or insignificant along with a strong touch of individuality. It is the creative instinct that impelled her to make dolls and other play things for son Nandalal who was a small child them. It was in fact in his early childhood that Nandalal was bitter by the creative bug. In his locality, there lived many sculptors and clay artists who used to make images of deities, animals and human beings. Nandalal got tremendous inspiration from those local artists who, in spite of being very talented, never got due recognition or worth in the big world outside.
In his young days, Nandalal’s academic life was not regulated or well organized. As is the custom of the gifted artists, he never liked to follow any fixed principles or conventions and had a bohemian nature. He felt much at home in the bosom of nature drawing nourishment of soul from the sky, water, earth etc. and felt the tangible, vibrant beauty of nature obsessively. He was fascinated by the sights and sounds of nature, its inherent mysteries and the multitude of colours which accompany the different seasons round the year.
For quite some time, Nandalal was a student in the Vernacular Middle School at Kharagpur. The medium of study was Hindi. He was taught Bengali by his home-tutor. In 1897, he came to Calcutta and got admitted in Central Collegiate School. Nandalal passed the Entrance Examination in 1902 with a mediocre performance and got admitted in the senior section of the same school. However, he flunked in the 1st year examination and failed to secure promotion.
In June, 1903, Nandalal married Sudhira Devi. She was a paragon of beauty and had an august personality. After marriage, Nandalal wanted to pursue his incomplete studies once more. With this noble desire, he got admitted in the Metropolitan College.
After a short stint in this College, he realized that there was not much chance for him. But he was an intrepid optimist and a relentless fighter. In 1905, he tried to make a fresh start and got admitted in the commerce stream of the Presidency College. But this venture also proved short-lived. Next, he took admission in the Government Art College, Calcutta. In those days, the Art College in Calcutta was different from those in Bombay and Madras and was a proud possession of the city. Havel had introduced the department of Indian Art in the college. There were also separate departments for teaching occidental art and sculpture.
After getting admission in the Art College, Nandalal devoted himself wholeheartedly to the cause of painting. Abanindranath Tagore had an exclusive studio of his own inside the college. Nandalal and Surendranath Gangopaddhay were favourite students and disciples of Abanindranath. The latter used to take utmost care of them and guide them methodically and meticulously. After getting promoted to the second year, Nandalal started getting a stipend from the college as a promising student with tremendous potential. He was also exempted from paying the monthly tuition fees of the college.
After he had mastered the subtle techniques of paintings Nandalal started to travel all over India and study the paintings available in different parts of the country to enrich his experience and imagination. His companion in these extensive trips was Priyanath Singha, an all artist, who happened to be a friend and contemporary of Swami Vivekananda. He visited almost all the places which have artistic value. Then he came back to Calcutta via Kharagpur. His next trip was to South India. In 1908, he returned to Calcutta and got associated with the Art College. This time, he got totally obsessed with painting and drawing. The tones of experience which he had gathered from the extensive trips had boosted up his confidence and the rich heritage of traditional Indian art had broadened his power of visualization and creative thinking which are very essential attributes of an artist.
His gifted talent as an artist started to manifest from this stage. His paintings displayed in various exhibitions started to win him accolades and the leading newspapers and magazines started to eulogize him and recognize his immense potential. ‘Kokka,’ a much acclaimed magazine in Japan known for its refined taste and outlook, published “Sati” - a unique specimen of Nandalal’s painting. Puranchand Nahar, the king of Burdwan was his ardent admirer and a connoisseur of art. He had a rich collection of Nandalal’s paintings. During this period, when Nandalal was shining brightly in the firmament of art and paintings, he got the offer from none other than Rabindranath Tagore to make illustration for ‘Chayanika,’ the quintessential book of poems written by the great poet. Chayanika contained seven outstanding specimens of Nandalal’s art. After this, Rabindranath went to Shantiniketan. Nandalal followed him. He was accompanied by some of his friends. He was given a warm reception by Rabindranath in Shantiniketan. A small but suave cultural programme was held to mark the occasion. Rabindranath composed an exclusive poem in his honour and recited it himself. Nandalal never forgot his warm reception. Much later, he recalled that the entire programme was so exclusive and endearing that he was overwhelmed and virtually spellbound. He reminisced that the blessings of Rabindranath the poet-saint bolstered his spirits and he felt elated. Nandalal identified himself with the soul and essence of Shantiniketan. As a student in the Art College, Nandalal had received umpteen prizes and accolades. He even got a scholarship from the institution. After graduating from the institution, this outstanding artist was offered the post of professor in the Art College which he refused humbly. Inspired by the ideals of his legendary teacher Abanindranath, he sincerely believed that the essence of real art was in its freedom. He was of the firm conviction that art flourishes the most when it is subject to ample experiments and tests.
He joined Abanindranath in his artistic pursuits. This was devoid of all fixed norms and conventions and its scope was unlimited as is the essence of true art. From 1911 to 1916, Nandalal worked under the aegis of Abanindranath. He had a precarious time from 1918 to 1921 when he had to face acute financial stringency. After this uncertain and anxious period, Nandalal joined as a teacher in the Kala Bhavan at Shantiniketan. He even played the pioneering role in founding a regular ‘arts’ section in Biswa Bharati. He was also pulling out of his financial stringency and beginning to see better days. As his tormented soul was slowly getting pacified, he got the divine blessings and guidance of Rabindranath Tagore as well as several other illustrious men.
Nandalal was a religious man and deeply inclined to spiritualism. It was a congenital virtue which he inherited from his forefathers. Besides the great artist was tremendously influenced by the religious doctrines of Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa. He used to visit Dakshineswar frequently. Here, he used to derive solace of mind. Passim, he had a sincere relationship with the Ramkrishna Mission.
Mahatma Gandhi had an immense influence on Nandalal. Gandhi was as simple and down-to-earth as a farmer, follower of truth like an enlightened saint, analytic and logical like an attorney and a firm believer in humanitarian principles. Nandalal was fascinated to see how a fragile and slender old man like Gandhiji was so steady and resolute in principles and determination. He met Gandhiji for the first time on the latter’s visit to Shantiniketan.
Gandhiji was very fond of Nandalal and adored him as an artist par excellence. Once, a session of the Congress was held in Puri. Some veteran, conservative leaders opposed this and said that the sculptures and the walls of the Puri temples were highly erotic as they represented nudity and showed sexuality in mankind with an embarrassing candour. Those puritanical leaders were of the opinion that such sculptures were sheerly prevented and against the elevated principles of pure art. So, they wanted to destroy these sculptures for the sake of purity and even convinced Gandhiji of this iconoclastic act. But Nandalal stepped forward at this crucial juncture and prevented them from doing so. He explained in an unprecedented way that sex should not be viewed from the narrow or limited perspective. It is not merely animal passion or all carnal. Rather, it is a stepping stone towards, ‘Moksha’ or liberation, the other two being spiritualism and wealth. He explained that the physical act between a man and a woman which produces a new soul on earth, is very much religious and devised by the Supreme Creator. The biological process preceding child birth takes place behind the curtain and is a covert affair. But in art, there is nothing hush-hush or secret and the essence of true art lies in its candidness. Even sexuality which is represented in art is not prevented or base. But it is something ethereal - a thing of beauty and a joy for ever. It is so pure and aesthetic that it can even be sculpted on the walls of the temples. The various forms of art are not only mysterious and ecstatic but also manifestations of the divine wish just like child birth. Hence, the sexuality in art sculpted on the walls of the temples was not erotic according to Nandalal. On the contrary, it was religious, scientific and an absolute ‘pure’ act. Gandhiji realized the gross blunder that the puritanical were about to commit. Nandalal was held in high esteem by Gandhiji and thus he saved the sculptures from getting destroyed.
In 1924, Nandalal accompanied Rabindranath in his extensive tours to far-off China and Japan. There, Nandalal got acquainted with their art and culture which enriched his storehouse of experience which is so essential for a creative artist. Nandalal was fascinated to see that the Japanese have a deep sense of reverence for their art and artists. He learnt a host of things and a new horizon was opened before him as he interacted with the Japanese artists and exchanged views.
Nandalal had an inmate proficiency about prints and designs and had an intensely subtle and refined taste which was exclusively his own. His dextrosity in this regard was reflected in some of his architectural designs. But he only sketched the designs of those buildings which were of interest to him.
The versatile creative zeal of Rabindranath which manifested itself through multiple outlets, was also transmitted in Nandalal. But it can not be denied that despite the tremendous influence of Rabindranath on him, Nandalal’s works sparkled gloriously with the stamp of the artist’s originality and ingenuity. Incidentally, it should be mentioned that Nandalal got huge appreciation for contriving the art-designs and costumes for Rabindranath’s famous dance drama ‘Tasher Desh.’ Rabindranath was highly pleased at his contribution to making ‘Sahajpath’ a success.
Nandalal Basu retired from service in 1951 when he was septuagenarian. At the fag end of his life, he suffered from a very fragile health and was on the verge of senility. He was also a victim of amnesia. This great artist breathed his last on 16th April, 1966.