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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.
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.
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.
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 )
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.
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:-
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
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
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.
(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
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
