HAVELL AND ABANINDRANATH THAKUR

In the year 1896, Earnest Benfield Havell came to Calcutta as the principal of the 'Government School of Art and Craft'. Before coming here, he worked as the principal in the 'Madras Government Art School'. Havell was the first artiste who recognised Indian Art - its true essence and fervour. He started to rejuvenate the perishing Indian art and paintings. He got Abanindranath Thakur, the young and promising artiste of the house of Thakurs in Jorasanko, as his reliable companion in this noble task.
The Thakurs of Jorasanko played an immense role in cultivating art and culture in Calcutta. Prince Dwarakanath Thakur embellished his garden resort the 'Belgachia Villa' with precious paintings and statuettes brought from Europe. He got some family portraits made by some renowned European painters. His eldest son Debendranath Thakur inherited all these traits while his second son Girindranath was himself a gifted artiste.
Jyotirindranath and Gunendranath had gone to an art school for some time to learn the art of painting. Abanindranath, the son of Gunendranath inferited all these qualities and started painting at an early age. He was encouraged by his family members. He was under the tutelage of notable artistes like Olento Gillardi and Charles Pamar. They taught him the art of painting with pastel, water colour etc. as well as making oil-paintings. Abanindranath was not quite happy with the way the Swadeshi Movement was being conducted in those days. He had learnt painting from the European School of Art. So he founded an original, indigenous art form on the advise of his uncle Rabindranath Tagore. Accordingly, he made paintings of 'Krishna Leela' (excerpts from the divine life of Lord Krishna) in miniatures in 1895, which were based on the Vaishnava Padavali. These paintings opened new avenues for the world of Indian paintings. Later, he got introduced to Havell and learnt the art of Moghul paintings from the latter. With an enriched knowledge, he now started to embellish his original art form. It was Havell who took the initiative and arranged the maiden painting exhibition of Abanindranath in the Art School in the year 1900. In 1902, Abanindranath won mass recognition and got firm footing as an artiste when his unique painting entitled 'Shah Jahan in death-bed', was exhibited in Delhi. It was an exquisite fusion of Moghul Art and his original creative genius. In 1905, Havell appointed Abanindranath as the vice-principal of the Government Art School. It is here that Abanindranath founded the neo-Indian school of painting which later became popular as the neo-Bengal mode of painting.