GURUDEV RABINDRANATH TAGORE, THE ARTIST

                                                                          

                                                                

                                                      ( Untitled abstraction by Gurudev)

                                                                            

  

                                                                                

                                                  ( Residence of Gurudev at Shantiniketan )

                                           
RABINDRANATH TAGORE, THE ARTIST

I have always been fascinated by the multidimensional personality of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. This fascination took me to the National Gallery of Modern Art (New Delhi) in January 2020 followed by a visit to Paris in 2023.

                                                

                                                                          ( Avtar Mota in Paris )

                                                                 ( Outside the Louvre )                  

                                                              ( Inside Pompidou Centre)

                                                        ( On the top of Pompidou Centre )

                                                    ( Avtar Mota outside Pompidou Centre )

                                                 ( Avtar Mota inside the Louvre Museum )           

                                                    ( Avtar Mota at  Bastille Square, Paris )

                                                 ( Avtar Mota outside the Pantheon, Paris)

                                                             ( At Cafe  De Flore, Paris)

     ( Avtar Mota at the Tomb of Jean-Paul Sartre )

Gurudev was a towering figure of the 20th-century world literature. He is known for introducing the short story genre to Bengali literature; moving Indian poetry towards Modernism, and founding the Vishwa Bharati University. He composed the national anthem of India as well as Bangladesh apart from contributing to the national anthem of Sri Lanka. Gurudev was a leading playwright of his era. In addition to his work in poetry, short stories and drama, Tagore also wrote a total of eight novels and four novellas in his lifetime. His best-known novels include Chokher Bali, Noukadubi, Gora, Chaturanga, Ghare Baire, Shesher Kobita, Jogajog and Char Odhyay. Several of these novels and novellas have been adapted as films, most prominently Chokher Bali and Ghare Baire. Apart from being a prolific writer, he was also an influential artist and a musician (Rabindra Sangeet ). His Gitanjali won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 making him the first Asian Nobel Laureate.

                                         

 INTEREST IN ART FROM CHILDHOOD

Gurudev Tagore’s early life was spent in an atmosphere of religion and arts, primarily literature, music and painting. From his childhood, he was attracted towards the sketches drawn by his elder brother Jyotirindranath Tagore. As such, he never had any formal art training. In a way, this lack of training opened new horizons as far as the use of line and colours are concerned. Tagore’s art as it developed from initial doodles on manuscripts into colour paintings. Though Tagore did not paint in his early life, the urges were manifest in the doodles in his manuscripts. By a certain stage, the manuscripts were full of doodles, and the poet entered into a painting phase. His paintings were initially not taken seriously. However, his inclusion in several exhibitions in Europe in 1930 marked the public acceptance and appreciation of his art, which also gave Tagore confidence.

 Towards the end of his career, Tagore aged 67, striving to create a universally accessible art, took up painting more consistently. Around 1928, the artist made thousands of sketches and drawings using brush, pencil and pen. The artist developed a style characterised by simple bold forms and a rhythmic quality. The subjects depicted often involved animals, figures and statuesque women. Over 1500 of them are conserved in Viswa-Bharati, Shantiniketan. Many are held by the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. Some are held in museums in Europe and the US. Tagore was a proficient painter who used his brush to convey his emotions and thoughts in vibrant and imaginative ways. Although he didn’t consider himself a professional artist, Tagore’s innate talent allowed him to express himself fluently through the medium of visual art, just as he did through his words.

 GURUDEV’S LINKS WITH EUROPEAN ARTISTS

During my visit to Paris in May 2023, more specifically to some art museums including the Louvre and the Pompidou Centre, I came to know that Gurudev was a great lover of French culture, art and language. He had many friends in France who were leading artists, writers and musicians. About his first Impressions of Paris, Gurudev has written this:- 

“We reached Paris in the morning. What a dazzling city! Looking at the overwhelming bevvy of skyscrapers, one would think that there were no poor people in Paris. We went to a hotel, and the arrangements were so lavish that it felt almost embarrassing and uneasy—just as one feels in oversized clothes. We were left dumbfounded by the abundance of its memorials, fountains, gardens, palaces, stone-paved streets, vehicles, horses, and teeming people. Overall, all that I recall is that we saw an infinite number of beautiful artwork in the Art Gallery, an equally infinite number of sculptures and statues at the Sculpture Gallery, and so on.”…. (  source …Memoirs and letters of Tagore in Translation )

 His famous world appearance as a painter in France in the year 1930 was a great event in the world of European art.. He had also carried more than 300 paintings and sketches with him which were seen by many art critics and literary friends of Gurudev in France. Many newspapers including Le Monde wrote about his presence in France apart from articles about his creative work. Some art critics who saw his paintings advised him to hold an exhibition in Paris. Accordingly, Gurudev held his first public and international exhibition of his paintings in Paris in May 1930, at the Gallerie Pigalle.  More than 100 of his paintings were shown in Paris, and at least half of them at the National Gallery of Art in Berlin before the exhibition proceeded to London. He also held exhibitions was in different countries in Europe in the same year. During his trips, Tagore would accept the invitation of banker and patron of the arts Albert Kahn, who had set up La Maison Autour du Monde. Tagore spent most of his time at Kahn’s place near Paris. I also learnt that Gurudev was in touch with Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland since 1926. They exchanged correspondence wherein Tagore had long discussions on his art with Romain Rolland. Tagore had discussions about art with another Nobel Laureate, French poet Saint-John Perse   Returning to India, Gurudev held his exhibition only in 1931. I was told that Gurudev knew French and translated four poems of the French romantic poet, Victor Hugo into Bengali. Andrée Karpeles, a painter, also spent a lot of time in Shantiniketan.

 After the conclusion of the Paris exhibition, exhibitions were held in England, Denmark, Sweden, Rome, Germany and Russia in Europe. Later exhibitions were also held in the USA and Canada. The exhibition of paintings drew an unprecedented overwhelming admiration in Germany. It was shown in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart and other places in Germany. The then-German President and ministers and also Albert Einstein, the great scientist, attended Tagore’s exhibition.

 Tagore visited Germany thrice - in 1921, 1926 and 1930. He had gifted many paintings to some museums in Germany which were destroyed by the Nazis. Tagore’s paintings and sketches fascinated young German students to mass hysteria. Among them, a student of the Art Academy of Munich Oswald Malura, at the age of 20, received a Mond travel scholarship from the academy to study Indian art and philosophy. Malura stayed in India for three years (1929-1932) and visited Bombay, Agra, Delhi, Kashmir, Benaras, Himalayas, Shantiniketan and Calcutta and he met Annie Besant, Mahatma Gandhi and poet Tagore. In the 1930s, the US and  Europe had not yet warmed up to Modern Art. When Tagore was shown in Germany people compared his work to surrealists and expressionists.

 OPENING OF KALA BHAWAN

In protest against the ghastly massacre of hundreds of innocent Indians at the ‘Jallianwallah Bagh’ by General Dyer, Sir Rabindranath Tagore returned his title to the British and quietly opened the art wing of his university called ‘Kala Bhavan’. Opened in 1919, it was designed as a Centre of Nationalist Art as opposed to the colonial tastes that defined art in India. It was modelled after the Gurukul or Tapovan system of learning. He had invited like-minded painters like Nandalal Bose to run Kala Bhavan with a free hand thereby encouraging the evolution of an original vision, reflecting the intuition and expression of the students. This institute which gave shape to the culture-specific modernism initiated by Rabindranath Tagore and carried forward by the commitment and wisdom of Nandalal Bose, Benodebehari Mukhopadhyay, Ramkinkar Baij and their contemporaries, has richly contributed in giving a valid direction to individual art activity in contemporary social space.

 Let us discuss some facets of Gurudev’s art especially his self-portraits, symbolisms, landscapes, style, use of colours etc.

  SELF PORTRAITS

                                      Some self-portraits by Gurudev                                         

                                                                                        

 

His self-portraits are spot-on exemplifications of his style. According to the scholars his self-portraits mirror a subterranean psychological need - that of a creative person always in search of self. Tagore uses intense colours to enchant his viewers with portraits that convey a sense of mystery. Many of his self-portraits done in pencil and crayon depict the full face of the bearded artist. The unworked background and the enhanced contour push the figure out from the ground. The flatness of the figure is enhanced by the lack of colour and the use of rough pencil lines. About his self-portraits, Dr Pranabranjan Ray writes this:-

 “The gaze of Rabindranath in his self-portrait, which Rabindranath the artist visualizes is aimed at satirizing obtuseness even though

he is portrayed as someone anxious, doubtful and wary. In other words, his self-portrait is the manifestation of his introspection. The formation of the eyes, nose and lips portrays the manifestation of his being. The opening and closing of the eyelids, the position of the pupils, the light reflecting on the pupils, the direction of the gaze, the depth of vision, the expansion and contraction of the nostrils and lips, the parting and the pressing of lips, the point of observation and the mental state affected thereby – all these symbolize a manifestation which brings to the observer Rabindranath’s the then mental condition which can be apprehended through the senses.

Rabindranath would hardly be considered a Modernist artist should the eyes, nose and the formation of the lips along with their proportions, positions and postures have been the source or manifestation of his art. The facial expressions may have been influenced to a great extent, by the classical dance forms of India. Unless we have a fair idea of the postural bearing present in the structure of the painting, we would not have been able to comprehend the representation of modernity in Rabindranath as a painter.”

SYMBOLISM IN GURUDEV’S ART

 Gurudev’s canvas seems to come alive with vivid hues, each stroke telling a story of its own. In his paintings, he touches on themes such as the interplay between humanity and nature, the profoundness of human emotions, and the transcendence of cultural boundaries. A look at his work makes one believe in Gurudev’s interest in colours, seasons, human emotions and mysticism. Silence is the foremost refrain in his paintings. His paintings had a strange surrealism and bizarre emotions. Tagore’s fascination with nature is conspicuously displayed in the painting. Plush landscapes, blossoming flowers, and serene rivers arouse a sense of harmony between man and the environment. This veneration for nature was a frequent theme in his creative work, emphasizing his belief in the interconnectedness of all living beings.

ELEMENTS OF SADNESS IN GURUDEV’S ART

                                                                              

Tagore’s art in general is saturated with sorrow. His mother passed away when he was a boy, and his life was marked by continued personal tragedy. He was plagued with grief after the suicide of his childhood playmate, sister-in-law and literary companion, Kadambari Devi, and the years between 1902 and 1907, saw the deaths of his wife, daughter and youngest son. All these happenings major played role in shaping the course, content and style of his creativity. Add to that he was disappointed at what was happening in his country under colonial rule.

HUMAN FORM, MASKS AND FACES

The human face is a visible constant in Tagore’s work. Gurudev’s fascination with the human body is also evident in his work. He painted it as variously postured: sitting, standing, squatting, walking, dancing, in groups and in solitude, and in multidimensional moods. In all his artistic oeuvre, be it faces, full figures or landscapes, he is aware of the importance of the rhythm lines, even fascinated by cross-hatchings, curves, circles, cones, the harshness of sharp corners, the smoothness of gentle turns and twists. Tagore’s fascination with the unusual, the odd and conventionally un-beautiful is expressed in his depiction of diverse masks and faces and portraits. Most of his early illustrations of the human face belong to the category of masks, and the later ones to what may be called portraits and characters. Through his travels, Tagore was exposed to other cultures, the theatre, masked dances and ritualistic performances of Japan, Indonesia, and Bali. Tagore’s interest in human beings, and variations of character traits, led to his fascinating range of faces in portrait-like sketches and paintings. Faces that smile, grimace, express sorrow, fear, anger. Faces that inhabit a fantasy world of humour, wit and dreams. There were also pencil sketches done as illustrations to the texts that show his command over anatomy and technique.

                                                                                

 LANDSCAPES

                                                                                          

 Tagore’s landscapes are noted for their architectonic spatial solidity. They are marked by an almost geometrical flatness — a monotony that is sometimes broken by adventure into perspectival depth. Painted as they were with the simple media of coloured ink on paper, there was not much scope for experimenting with tonal modulation. But strangely enough, in some paintings, one can see attempts at mixing different hues. In most landscapes, nature exists in solitary grandeur, its primaeval infinity untampered by human mediation. But there are paintings in which it serves as a backdrop to humanity. Most of the landscapes he painted showed nature bathed in the evening light, skies and forms coagulating into ominous silhouettes. His landscapes invoke mystery and a sense of disquiet and silence.

 One finds that in the last phase of his life, Tagore, through the visual arts, was entering a new world of form, colour and line, discovering a new identity perhaps more universal in language than the literary realm of narrative and more specific cultural references.

 WOMEN IN TAGORE’S WORK

Tagore’s unconventional style and the free-thinking nature of his art are perhaps most marked in his paintings of women. The women of his canvas are of a wide variety: some pensive, some bold, some turn away from the world, some asexual, and others adore male company. They don’t represent youthfulness or beauty. Some look wrinkled and scorched.

                                                                      

Tagore’s women mark a U-turn from the theorized Mother India figure of India’s great nationalistic era; the concept of Bharat Mata or woman-as-nation, as visualized by Abanindranath. Tagore does not paint such Devis or goddesses. Nor does he paint apsaras or Nartakis. Tagore’s women are un-placed, un-mapped and of varied complexions. He moves them away from the pedestal of the mother goddess as he does not intend to treat women as something that has utility. He has his own concept about women that he brings to his art. They emerge as individuals demanding serious attention. Possibly they are gazers staring at the viewer. No more are these women objects of the male gaze. There is an undefined sorrow that peeps out in each painting depicting a woman. Never were these women painted to depict their helplessness. That is his quality, style and hallmark of his work.

.” Tagore was prolific in his paintings and sketches and produced over 2500 of these within a decade. It is evident that in his search for a newer form of expression in line and colour, he tried to express something different from what he did in his poetry and songs. Tagore’s legacy as a painter is often overshadowed by his more widely recognized accomplishments in literature and music. However, his artistry remains an essential part of his creative legacy. His art serves as a bridge between his diverse talents, showcasing his ability to convey his thoughts and emotions through various artistic mediums. Beyond the aesthetic appeal, his paintings hold immense cultural significance. Tagore’s role in India’s cultural and intellectual awakening during the late 19th and early 20th centuries remains unparalleled. As an artist, he was influential in challenging old-fashioned standards and nurturing a sense of pride in India’s heritage. His art played an unforgettable role in the new sense of nationalism, artistic renaissance, and a longing for self-expression.

 

( Avtar Mota )

 

 

Bibliographical Notes

 

(1) Rabindra Chitravali, Paintings by Rabindranath Tagore,  published by Paratikshan in association with Visva-Bharati & the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, 2011.

 (2 Rabindranath Tagore, ‘Woman’, Personality, Macmillan Pocket Edition, New Delhi, 1980, 174. 

(3) Dr Ratan Parimoo, The paintings of the three great Tagores: Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore and Rabindranath Tagore. Chronology and Comparative Studies, 1973

(4) Drawings and Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore: Centenary 1861-1961, New Delhi, Lalit Kala Akademi, 1961

(5) Rabindranath Tagore: His World of Art..by Supriya Roy and Sushobhan Adhikary

 

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