Bengal School and Cultural Nationalism Test - 1

The correct answer is Nandalal Bose.

Key Points

• Painting 'Shiv and Sati':
  • Shiv and Sati is a beautiful painting by Nandalal Bose.
  • It is a mythological event of Lord Shiva and his wife Sati (Parvati and their love for each other can be felt through this painting.
  • This painting gives a dramatic effect by the use of tones and shades of various colours like yellow, red, and violet.
  • In the picture Lord shiva and Sati have been depicted prominently in a sad mood. Shiva sits and looks at Sati helplessly and stretches both arms to support the body of Sati who is lying on his left knee.
  • An aura of light yellow colour had been shown behind Shiva’s head.

Additional Information

•  Nandalal Bose (1882-1966):
  • He was the disciple of Abanindranath Tagore.
  • His paintings mainly revolve around Indian history and Hindu mythology.
  • The poster of the famous Haripura Congress of 1938 was drawn by him.
  • He illustrated the Constitution of India by applying gold leaf and stone color.

The correct answer is Jamini Roy

Key Points

•  Painting 'Mother and Child':
  • Santhal ‘Mother and Child’ is one of the most famous paintings of the Indian Modernist Jamini Roy.
  • The painting depicts a child in the protective embrace of its mother. The bond between the mother and child is considered to be the strongest and most precious.
  • The painter used bold, sweeping brushstrokes and restricted their palette to seven vibrant earthy colors-Red, Yellow Ochre, cadmium green, vermillion, grey, blue and white. 

• Painting- Mother and Child by Jamini Roy

Additional Information

•  Jamini Roy(1887-1972):
  • He was one of the revivalists of the Bengal School of Art.
  • He was one of the most famous pupils of Rabindranath Tagore.
  • His paintings mainly focus on India’s folklore and rural ethos which can reach out to a wide range of the public.
  • He adopted the Kalighat style of painting which has unique features like big eyes, round faces, curved bodies, and vibrant colours
  • He was honoured with the prestigious Padma Bhusan in 1954.
  • Some of his notable works include Bride and two companies, Jesus Christ, Maa Durga with Little Ganesha, Black Horse, etc.
  • Roy's rejection of the then-modern style of painting and his interest in the realm of Bengali folk paintings marked a new beginning in the history of modern art.

The correct answer is Ramgopal Vijayvargiya.

Key Points

• Painting Meghdoot:
  • The painting is inspired by Poet Kalidasa’s famous play ‘Meghdootam’.
  • The pain is depicted with the pain of love in separation which is very clearly visible on the face of the Yaksha, the male character. the male figure is shown sitting on the rocks, with the clouds around in a very emotional mood. He is shown with tears in his eyes as longs for his beloved. He is writing his feelings on the rock with his right hand and holding a white flower very delicately. The background is also well composed with a dark blue sky and flying birds.
  • The features like half-closed eyes,  thin-shaped arms, and long tapering figures are painted which is commonly seen in the Bengal School of painting.
  • The medium used for this painting is watercolour.

Additional Information

• Ramgopal Vijayvargiya:
  • ​​He was an Indian painter born in Rajasthan.
  • Of his passion for painting, he joined the Maharaja School of Arts and Crafts where he was under the tutelage of famous Bengal Revivalist Shailendranath De. Later he went to Calcutta where he further absorbed the influence of the Bengal School of Arts.
  • Many of his works are inspired by poets and writers such as Kalidasa and Omar Khayyam.
  • He became the principal of Rajasthan School of Arts from 1945-1966
  • His notable works include- Gypsies, Meghdoot, Three Ladies, etc.

The correct answer is Gaganendranath Tagore.

Key Points

•  City in the Night:
  • It is painted by Gaganendranath Tagore.
  • It is a watercolour painting.
  • In this painting, he visualized the city of Dwarka which is Lord Krishna's legendary abode or Swarnapuri( Golden City) through multiple viewpoints, multi-faceted shapes, and jagged edges of cubism. He painted an interplay of diamond-shaped planes and prismatic colours resulting in fragmented luminosity to render the mountain ranges of the city. The painting is illuminated by artificial lights which is a feature of stage theatre.

• Painting-City in the Nights by Gaganendranath Tagore.

Additional Information

•  Gaganendranath Tagore:

  • ​He was a Bengali painter and cartoonist who was closely associated with his brother Abanindranath Tagore in the creation of the Revivalist School of Bengal.

  • His style of painting can be categorized as a cubist form of painting because of the division of the figures, ground into geometrical planes. He also followed the Japanese calligraphic style in some of his paintings.
  • His other notable work includes My Reminiscence, illustrations of Rabindranath Tagore's Jeevansmriti, some poems of Geetanjali, Kabuliwala, Chaitanya series, etc.

The correct answer is Raja Ravi Varma.

Key Points:

• Raja Ravi Varma (1884-1906) was born in Travancore,Kerala.
• His paintings mainly revolve around Indian mythology, Ramayana, and Mahabharata
• He was the first painter who started creating the human figures of gods and goddesses.
• His paintings of Saraswati and Lakshmi are found to date on the calendars of Indian households.
• He is known as the 'Father of modern Indian art'.
• The biopic made on his life is 'Rangrasiya'.

• Painting- Krishna as Envoy by Ravi  Raja Varma. 

The correct option is A-3,B-4,C-2,D-1

Key Point

• Radhika:
  • ​It is painted by A.R Chugtai.
  • In this painting a lady, portrayed as Radhika is shown in a remorse mood, walking away from light to a gloomy background. She is also holding a lotus in her hand.
  • The technique used in this painting is temper and wash using watercolour.

• Painting-Radhika
• Journey's End:
  • It is painted by Abanindranath Tagore.​
  • The theme of this painting depicts a tired and half-collapsed camel overloaded with goods on his back. There is a sense of suffering. His situation is conveying that he is doing the work out of his capacity. The picture evokes sympathy as it manifests the agony of an innocent animal exploited by his greedy master.
  • The wash technique using watercolour is used in this painting.

• Painting- Journey's End
• Hill Women (1935):
  • It is painted by Amrita Shergill.
  • The theme focuses on the lives of women living in the hills and their sufferings.
  • The characters as well as a little girl are shown who are covering their head with scarfs as a sign of patriarchal modesty. 

• Painting- Hill Women
• Parthasarathi:
  • It is painted by Nandalal Bose.
  • The theme of this painting is Sri Krishna as Parthasarathi which means the charioteer of Arjuna as described in Mahabharata.
  • He brought the artwork to life with watercolour on canvas. 

• Painting-Parthasarathi

The correct answer is Abdul Rehman Chugtai.

Key Points

•  The painting 'Radhika':
  • In this painting, a lady, portrayed as Radha is walking away from a lighted lamp to a gloomy background as if in a trance or remorse. Her face is profile, her head is down half-opened eyes are graceful, and her head is bent. Her hair spread up to the waist. She is holding a lotus and on that, a bee is showing the presence of Sri Krishna. The is wearing gold ornaments.
  • The technique used in this painting is the temper and wash technique using watercolour.

• Painting-Radhika by AR Chugtai.
• Abdul Rehman Chugtai (1899-1975):
  • He was a descendent of Ustad Ahmed who was the chief architect of Mughal emperor Shahjahan.
  • He was influenced by Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, and Nandalal Bose.
  • The wash technique with calligraphic lines infused by Mughal and Persian paintings were used by him.
  • The themes of his paintings revolved around legends, folklore, and the history of the Indo-Islamic, Rajput, and Mughal worlds.
  • Other notable works are Heer Ranjha, Nightingale, Hiraman Tota, Krishna and Radha, Nur Jahan, etc.

The correct answer is Kshitindranath Majumdar.

Key Points

• Rasa Lila:
  • ​It is a watercolour painting portraying the divine life of Sri Krishna.
  • In this painting, Krishna is dancing with Radha and sakhis, and the background of trees is a simple village atmosphere as illustrated in Bhagavata Purana and Gita Govinda.
  • Figures and their clothes are drawn with simple, flowing, and delicate lines. Krishna and Gopis are drawn with the same proportion. Thus humans and Gods are given the same status.

 Additional Information

• Kshitindranath Majumdar:
  • He was a disciple of Abanindranath Tagore.
  • His painting style was rustic, with thin, slender figures, modest gestures, idyllic settings, and delicate watercolours.
  • The themes of his paintings are generally mythological and religious characters.
  • His notable work includes Man Bhanjan of Radha, Sakhi, and Radha, Lakshmi, Birth of Sri Chaitanya, etc.

The correct answer is Swadesi and Boycott Movement.

Key Points

• The Swadesi and Boycott Movement that started in 1905 was against the call for the partition of Bengal as instructed by Governor-General Lord Curzon.
• The emergence of the Bengal School of Art was a part and parcel of this movement which supported and encouraged the indigenous art and culture.
• Revival of indigenous art and rejection of western influence, art, and culture was the main objective of this School.
• Gandhi called the Art movement the "soul of self-rule".
• Abanindranath Tagore, E.V Havells, Nandalal Bose, and Jamini Roy are eminent personalities associated with the Bengal School of Art.

Additional Information

• Other than art other indigenous industries, textile mills, soaps, match factories, banks, schools, etc were also established.
• Some of the great indigenous establishments during the Swadesi Boycott Movement were:
  • Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy
  • Tata Iron and Steel Company by JRD Tata
  •  School at Santiniketan by Rabindranath Tagore
  • Swadesh Bandhab Samiti by Aswini Kumar Dutta
  • The National Council of Education was founded in1906 by Satish Chandra Mukherjee.
  • The National College and School of Bengal were established on 14th August 1906.
• The partition of Bengal was finally annulled on 16 October 1911.

The correct answer is Abanindranath Tagore.

Key Points

•  Bengal School of Art:
  • ​​​Rooted in the pride of nationalism, the Bengal School of Art aimed to revive the Swadesi values in Indian Paintings led by artists and reformers like Abanindranath Tagore and E.B Havell.
  • The Bengal School of Art originated in Calcutta and Santiniketan of Bengal but spread across the country as a voice against the western influence. 
• Abanindranath Tagore:
  • ​With this vision, Abanindranath Tagore established the Government College of Art and Craft on 16th August 1894 at Calcutta. The institution was later renamed as Government School of Art in 1951.
  • His idea of modernizing Mughal and Rajput paintings eventually gave rise to modern Indian paintings. He was also greatly influenced by Whistler's aestheticism.
  • He had also founded a journal called "Indian Society of Oriental Art" to inform the people that modern Indians could benefit from their rich past
  • He also started integrating Japanese and Chinese calligraphy into his style.
  • His notable works include Bharat Mata, Ganesh Janani, Journey's End, Victory of Buddha, Aurangzeb examining the head of Dara, Summer from Ritusanhar of Kalidasa, etc.

•  Abanindranath Tagore.

Additional Information

• Raja Ravi Varma:
  • Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter born in Kerala who is  known as the 'Father of Modern Indian Art'
  • He incorporated the European style of painting into modern Indian art. His subjects of paintings mainly reloved around Hindu mythologies, Ramayana and Mahabharata.
  • He was the first painter who started creating human figures of Hindu gods and goddesses. His paintings are still found in the calendars of Indian households.
• Nandalal Bose:
  • He was the disciple of Ababnindranath Tagore Tagore. He was invited to Shantiniketan by Rabindranath Tagore to head the painting department of Kala Bhavan, the school for modern art and painting.
  • His subjects comprise mainly Indian history and Hindu mythology.
  • He drew the poster of the famous Haripura Congress of 1938.
  • He illustrated the Constitution of India by applying gold leaf and stone colours.
  • Some of his notable work includes Annapurna, Saraswati, Sati, Dolan Champa, Parthasarathi, Radha's Varaha, etc.
• Jamini Roy:
  • He was a Bengali painter who brought simplicity to modern paintings so that they can reach the common public.
  • He adopted the Kalighat style of painting which has unique features like round faces, curved bodies, big elongated eyes, etc.
  • Some of his notable work includes Bride and two companies, Mother and the child, Jesus Christ, Durga Maa with little Ganesha, Black Horse, etc.