PAINTER OF NEO BENGAL SCHOOL ASIT KUMAR...

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South -Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (SAJMS) ISSN:2349-7858:SJIF:2.246:Volume 4 Issue 5

PAINTER OF NEO BENGAL SCHOOL ASIT KUMAR HALDER(1890-1964):A

BRIEF STUDY

Sutithi Banerjee Chowdhury1

ABSTRACT

Asit Haldar is best known for his mythological subject matter depicted in art and

literature in a narrative style with lyrical fluidity, beauty and grace. He was involved in

projects at Ajanta caves, Bagh and Jogimara caves for copying ancient artworks,

whereby he discovered his own vocation and flair. He subsequently developed a

new technique of lacquering paint on wood known as lacit. The art movement

of Abanindranath Tagore succeeded to a great extent because of the assistance

rendered by Asit Kumar Haldar, Nandalal Bose and SurendraNath Ganguli. Between

the years 1909 and 1921 he made copies of the famous frescoes at Ajanta, Bagh

and Jogimara caves, retaining his own style unaffected. Aspects of Rajput and

Pahari miniature paintings find a way into Haldar's work. The emphasis on detail and

precision in technique and the prominence of mythological, historical and literary

themes in art can all be found in Haldar's work. However, it was not a blind imitation

of the old but an innovation of a uniquely nouveau style amalgamating the old with

something new.

Haldar worked with equal ease in oil, tempera, watercolors and a special technique

that he developed called 'lacsit'-lacquered painting on wood.

"You are not merely a painter but also a poet. Thus your brush pours on both the

'rasas' and when the poet desires a painting he has to foil back on you".

Rabindranath Tagore

1 University of Calcutta,Dept of Museology (2014-2016)


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Art in life is like salt in cooking. A pinch of salt can bring taste or may spoil the taste

of food. The same is equally true about the role played by an artist. In the early years

of the 20th century there was a renewed upsurge of nationalist fervor. In the arts this

resulted in the search and revitalization of Indian cultural history and spirituality,

albeit one that was expressed not through the pictorial vocabulary of the foreign

rulers but by reviving indigenous techniques and material.

This emerged as an influential art movement and a style of Indian painting that

originated in Bengal, primarily Kolkata and Shantiniketan, and flourished throughout

India during the British Raj in the early 20th century. Also known as 'Indian style of

painting' in its early days, it was associated with Indian nationalism (swadeshi).

The artist who creates it and his patron who arranges its materialization have one

thing in common. Their active involvement ends soon after the art work is finished.

The importance of connoisseurs or rasika in Indian terms starts from that point.

Asit Haldar is best known for his mythological subject matter depicted in art and

literature in a narrative style with lyrical fluidity, beauty and grace. He was involved in

projects at Ajanta caves, Bagh and Jogimara caves for copying ancient artworks,

whereby he discovered his own vocation and flair. He subsequently developed a

new technique of lacquering paint on wood known as lacit.

A pillar figure of the Bengal School and Shantiniketan, Asit Kumar Haldar had ties to

the Tagore family. He was born in Jorasanko and had familial ties to Rabindranath

Tagore, who was his grandmother's brother. Haldar was instrumental in establishing

the Kala Bhawan (Art's faculty) at Shantiniketan, where he served as the Principal

from 1911-23, promoting various cultural activities with Rabindranath Tagore.

Many of his works are symbolical and lyrical in nature, due to which he often

illustrated Rabindranath Tagore's literary works and conversely, Tagore's works

often took inspiration from Haldar's work.

"It is freedom when your spirit conjures up a vision from the inert, to illuminate its

every line with the flame of your devotion. You have the magic of life's touch in your

eyes and your dream has come out in a creation in which are made one, my form


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and your delight," said the Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore of the late Asit

Kumar Haldar's sculptures.

INTRODUCTION OF MORDERN INDIAN PAINTING

Around the mid 18th century, with the disintegration of Mughal Empire, mughal and

Rajput styles were on the wane. Painters who had enjoyed court patronage

scattered around the country. Tanjore, Lucknow, Patna, Murshidabad, Nepal and the

Punjab Hills became their main area of patronage.

At that time a few European painters, such as J. Zoffany, Tilly Kettle, T. Daniell, W.

Daniell and others came to settle in India. These were the artists who introduced a

romanticized Indian landscape through the medium of Indian oil painting. With the

introduction of this academic idiom the art of anonymous Indian Company Painters

evolved, uniquely merging Eastern and Western themes and techniques. In 1854,

the first Industrial Art Society was set up in Calcutta by Rajendralal Mitra, Justice

Pratt, Jatindra Mohan Tagore and others. By 1864, this was converted into the

Calcutta Government College of Art. Soon to follow were the Bombay Government

Art College and the Madras Government College of Arts & Crafts. The fine art

education catered to the European tastes, in terms of themes, and mediums,

perspective, chiaroscuro, portraiture, landscape and still life to name a few. This

academic perspective was not the manner with which the Indian vision had been

fashioned. The influences of the British art school, inspired many talented artists of

that time. Among them Raja Ravi Varma was the first Indian to master the technique

of oil painting. He was one of the first Indians, to be followed by the likes of Hansaji

Raghunath, Pestonjee Bomanji, M.V. Dhurandhar, and later, M.F. Pithwala, A.X.

Trinidade, Hemendranath Mazumdar, Atul Bose and others to master the oil on

canvas technique.

The Bengal School

As reaction to this, some sensitive artist observed and theorized that the revival and

extension of the Indian traditional techniques of making painting can change the

picture of Indian art. At this point, E.B. Havell, with Abanindranath Tagore and others


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created a movement to revive the neglected Indian cultural heritage. In 1896, E.B.

Havell was appointed the Principal of the Calcutta Government School of Art.

Meanwhile he had developed deep likings into Indian Lore and culture. E.B. Havell

was a strong defender of Indian art. “The Orientalist defence and rediscovery of

Indain „finearts‟ particularly Havell‟s campaign and writings, proved vital for

nationalist pride.”1Havell called the Abnindranath to join the school as a vice

principal in 1898. “Under the guidance of Havell, Abnindranath studied the mugal

and rajput school of painting which brought a remarkable change in his style and

technique. He came to realize that Indian art could never attain great heights by

merely adopting European styles.”2 Abanindranath Tagore was the first significant

artist of Modern Indian Art. He was a major exponent of indigenous values in Indian

art. “He founded the movement called Bengal school of art, which led to the

development of Indian 83 painting in the Modern period.” “The origin of the Bengal

art is interwoven with the origin of Indian nationalism. To the extent it can be

discharged as a rebellion in the essence against the Western Art.” “Abnindranath‟s

stylistic experiments had set the stereotype of „Indian-style‟ painting; simultaneously,

in the language of art criticism, the artistic value he highlighted set out the main

criteria of evaluation. The expressiveness of the mood 84 intensive aura of a painting

become the hallmark of its „Indian-ness‟. As Coomaraswamy said “In the

excitements of the battle to rejuvenate Indian art, Abnindrnath„s main focus,

however, was not on „folk‟ but on the „classical‟ canons of the Indian art.”5

The Bengal School tried to merge individual artistic differences by creating images in

Abanindranth‟s artistic lineage though Nandalal and Venkatapa were notable

exceptions with their use of flat colors defined by strong outlines. In Asit Haldar,

Samarendra Gupta and K. Mazumdar, the melancholy and pathos of orientalism was

most pronounced.

ASIT KUMAR HALDER

Halder is an eminent artist born in Calcutta. He was blessed by his father and

grandfather and got admitted in the Government School of Art, Calcutta in 1904 at

the age of 14. As a sculptor Haldar received his education from two famous artists of

Bengal, Jadu Pal and Bakkeswar Pal of Krishnanagar in 1905 and later received

training from Leonard Jennings.


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Asit Kumar Haldar was instrumental in helping Rabindranath Tagore in establishing

Kala Bhavan (Arts Building) in Santiniketan. He was the principal of Kala Bhavan

between the 1911 and 1923 and helped Tagore in promoting cultural activities. He

introduced ritualistic ALPANA designs as a decorative device in social and ceremonial

occasions at Santiniketan. During this period he disseminated his own ideas about

art and inspired several students like Mukul Chnadra Dey, Ramendra Nath

Chakravarti, Direndra Krishna Dev Barman, Binod Bihari Mukherjee and others.

Subsequently, in 1924, he served as the principal of the Maharaja's School of Art

and Crafts in Jaipur.

The art movement of Abanindranath Tagore succeeded to a great extent because of

the assistance rendered by Asit Kumar Haldar, Nandalal Bose and SurendraNath

Ganguli. Haldar, however, distinguished himself from the rest, in his styles and

themes, which was indeed unique in comparison to his other colleagues. Between

the years 1909 and 1921 he made copies of the famous frescoes at Ajanta, Bagh

and Jogimara caves, retaining his own style unaffected.

During his tour abroad in 1923 Haldar realized that the European method of

rendering objects realistically suffered from considerable limitation. In his paintings

the physical attributes of his objects were treated in accordance to the subject

matter. Haldar's Yashoda and Krisna was not merely a religious painting. It is a

representation of the infinity as represented by Krsna and its interaction with the

finite world as represented by Yashoda. Haldar also made thirty-two paintings on the

Buddha's life and thirty paintings on episodes from Indian history, conveying values

and ideas and not mere events. Among Haldar's masterpieces mention may be

made of Krisna and Yashoda, Awakening of Mother India, Rai-Raja, Lotus, Vina,

Kunala and Ashoka, Dan-Lila, Raslila, The Flame of Music, Pronam, The Precious

Gift, The Captive Prince, The Caress, The Negro Princess, etc.

As a tribute to his extraordinary artistic abilities the British government appointed

Haldar the principal of the Government School of Art and Crafts at Lucknow, the first

Indian to be appointed as the principal of a Government Art School. He was also the

first Indian to be elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Art, London (1934). A 'Haldar

Hall' containing a large collection of his paintings was opened at the Allahabad

Museum in 1938. Asit Kumar Haldar died in 1964.

http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Alpana


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TECHNIQUE AND STYLE OF HIS PAINTING

Asit Kumar Haldar`s creative imagery is ceaseless. Aspects of Rajput and Pahari

miniature paintings find a way into Haldar's work. The emphasis on detail and

precision in technique and the prominence of mythological, historical and literary

themes in art can all be found in Haldar's work. However, it was not a blind imitation

of the old but an innovation of a uniquely nouveau style amalgamating the old with

something new.

Haldar worked with equal ease in oil, tempera, watercolors and a special technique

that he developed called 'lacit'-lacquered painting on wood.

The use of mythological and literary styles in art gave his works an unprecedented

grace and beauty. He studied European Realism on his visit to Europe in 1923 and

sculpture from Leonard Jennings. He realized that European Realism has several

limitations and sought to balance the spiritual attributes of the subject in proportion to

the physical appearance.

His art is not an abstruse expression pattern; it is value-laden narrative, speaking out

at once its inner meaning to the observer. His art is singularly free of the tendencies

which mark the pseudo-modern contemporary art of India. Haldar`s art edifies the

oriental ideology that lays down the establishment of empathy between the artist and

his beholder and the resultant self-identification of the behold with the work of art.

Though largely drawing from the Indian mythology and ethos, he was responsive to

the happenings with the modern `isms` also. He raised illustrative art in India to level

that had never been achieved before for its languid beauty and strangeness of

conception.

Asit Kumar Halder, the renowned artist was the pioneer of the Renaissance school

of Indian painting. His style of painting dealt with the important episodes in India's

long History of several millenniums from the dawn of civilization in the Indus valley.


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Besides, being a poet artist he was also an art critic of high order. He has so many

specialties as he was a philosopher also. His genius stood out even in the company

of such outstanding artists as Nandalal Bose, Surendranath Ganguly and

Kshitindaranath Majumdar and his talent flowed forth without any limitations. The

vast range of his oeuvres reveals a mind that was keenly aware of both the oriental

and occidental concepts of art. He was a sculptor and a craft-man of consummate

skill as the sculpture Haldar received his education from two famous artists of

Bengal, Jadu Pal and Bakes war pal of Krishna Nagar in 1905 and Later received

training from Leonwd Jennings. The Indian society in London sponsored a visited to

the Ajanta caves for the purpose of copying the fresco so there; Asit Kumar and

copying a number of other students, under the guidance of Himgarian, went there

twice. For the period 1911 to 1915, he was an art teacher at the Santiniketan

vidyalqya. After spending a few years copying jogimara, and Bagh cave painting and

teaching at the Government Art College, he returned to Santiniketan. During his Stay

in Santiniketan he acted in most of the plays by Rabindranath there were stayed. He

designed sets and illustrated a limit edition of Gitanjali Asit Kumar Halder was

instrumental in helping Rabindranath Tagore in establishing Kala Bhavan in

Santiniketan. He was the principal of Kala Bhavan between the years 1911 and 1923

and helped Tagore in promoting cultural activities. He introduced ritualistic Alpana

designs as a decorative device in social and ceremonial occasions at Santiniketan.

During this period he disseminated his own ideas about art and inspired several

students like Mukul Chandra Day, Ramendra Nath Chakervarti, Direndra Krishna

Dev Barman, Vinod Bihari Mukheijee and others.''In 1923, he went on a study tour

through England, France and Germany. During his tour abroad in 1923 Haldar

realized that the European method of rendering objects realistically suffered from

considerable limitation.

On his return, he became the principal of the Maharaja's school of Arts and crafts.

Jaunpur, where he remanded for a year before moving to the Maharaja's School of

Arts and craft in Lucknow, which he built up along with Blreshwasen and later,

became its principal. Halder has applied his brush in almost intruder fields of artistic

creation, but his mastery of technique has enabled him to sub clue the intractable

material to his own artistic purpose. Rabindranath Tagaore has said of Halder in a

letter to him "you are not merelya painter but also a poet. Thus your brush pours on

both the 'rasas' and when the poet desires a painting he has to foil back on you". The


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talent of Asit Kumar Halder inclines towards the romantic, but his technical

competence in unequal to his sensibility. While his pictures are informed by a

rhythmical movement and subtlety of line, they are only limited as significant

architectural forms. His basic impulsion, the heritage of classical Indian painting,

induced an early stream of mythological and idyllic pieces, but their pictorial import

was only secondary to their emotional appeal. His early output was heavily accented

in the maimed of the Bengal school, with allegorical content: a picture of a forlorn

mendicant, in the darkening gloom of a setting sun, is labeled "His Heritage", while in

the "Old and the New" and in the "Cycle of spring", withered old and budding

childhood are contrasted with too obvious effects; a desolate mother ,condemned to

an inglorious life draws to her bosom a hapless infant in "Fallen on Evil Days" and a

sinuous woman, half- obscured by an enveloping cloud, personifies "Nature

Mysterious". These efforts at transparent or labored symbolism are of little

consequence aesthetically; as organization of significant forms they are jejune. Nor

are his mythological pieces inspired by exalted formal or emotive conceptions; his

"Hara Parvati" is a singularly drab performance, marred by in different drawing, and

his "Kacha and Devayani", provoking an immediate comparison with Abanindranath

Tagore's famous fresco on the same theme, is definitely the poorer picture. As an

example of his linear and schematic qualities, his early "Baul" in symptomatic of his

as imagination, this falls short of adequate pictorial expression. He was a fine writer

and. wrote excellent poetry a focally rare in a painter and which contributed greatly to

the richness and imagination of his pictorial representation of the "Rubbayat" of

Omar Khayyam. His great uncle, the poet Rabindranath was one of the first to

descend poetic genius of his nephew and complimented him again and again on the

beauty of his verses. In some of his earliest and best works mostly big pencils are

the collection of Mr. Debendranath Tagore of Calcutta. In early style of his career he

made so many copies of the paintings at Ajanta, Bagh and Jogimara using tempera

oil or water colours, which ever suited to the as his medium. In process he also

discovered a special technique lacquered painting on wood also known as lacsit.''

Ajanta copied with the artist's own lyrical nature and romantic feeling. "The Flame of

Music" was one of his creative masterpieces. He has immortalized of the samples,

their folk dance and their simple beauty in his many several of "-Rasleela" and

Rairaja' which show the lyrical sweetness of his composition, Kirshna and his

compositions are seen her engaged in entertaining Radha who is seated on a


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Charpai, with a half glowing joy, attended by her maids. The dancing figure of

Krishna with his flute and his drum beating companions are drawn with power and

vitality, there is why then and movement in every one of their steps the alter

simplicity of this painting is compelling. Of equal merit and of the same techniques

and style are his other companion pictures "Krishnaleela", "The blind son of Asoka"

and "Rama Guha" both sub line in their simplicity of pictorial story telling. The

tragedy of the one is as much touching as the devotion of the other. His "Moon and

Lotus" is after the Japanese style, and in this kind of art he was quite at home. His

sensitive studies of Umar Khayyam in delicately tented colours drawing are as good

as those of Tagore's and certainly superior to most of the various one seen in

European art. Haldar also made thirty paintings on the Buddha's life and thirty

paintings on episodes from in his paintings the physical attribute of his objects were

treated in accordance to the subject matter. Haldar's Yashoda and Kirshna was not

merely a religious painting. It is a representation of the infinity as represented by

Krishna and its interaction with the finite World as represented by Yashoda. Indian

History conveying values and ideas and not mere events. His books on art,

translation of Sanskrit classes, his poems songs and essays bear evidence of his

versatility. He was the first Indian to be elected Fellow of the Royal Society of arts,

London. In his book Ravitirthhe has acknowledge his debt to Rabindranath Tagore

and Santiniketan in helping to establish him as an artist. During his stay in

Santiniketan he also acted in most of the plays by Rabindranath that were staged."

So his art is no an abstruse expression of inarticulate pattern, it is a value-laden

narrative; speaking its inner meaning to the observer.

Inspiration of Mythological Subject Matter

In 1909, Haldar along with Nandalal Bose was invited by Christina Her ringham, a

British expert on mural techniques, to copy the cave paintings at Ajanta. Apart from

the fluid and lyrical beauty of the subjects, the concept of depicting a narrative in art

had a massive impact on Haldar. Subsequently, he undertook similar expeditions at

the Buddhist caves of Bagh and Jogimara, copying frescoes while retaining his own

distinctive style. Drawing upon the rich cultural heritage of India, he painted 32

paintings based on Buddha, thirty canvases on episodes from Indian history,

illustrations of Omar Khayyam's verses as well as his deeply spiritual interpretations


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of Mahabharata. This diversified and unique understanding of Indian history and

mythology brought him to the attention of both critics and public.

In this respect Halder's art is like aster‟s or a poet's vision, which enriches the soul,

inspires the mind and ennobles the ignoble. Rabindranath Tagore often found

inspiration from the themes of Halder's sensitive brush drawings of lyrical scenes

from village life, while composing his immortal songs. Through the early part of his

career he was associated with the Indian Society of originate art the held his first

solo show then exhibited with them in other Indian cities and at the festival of empire

at the crystal place (1911), In Indian art.1914, the American Federation of Art. Asit

Kumar Halder died in Lucknow on 13 February 1964.His death brings to close a

glorious nostalgic chapter of empty of Indian art.


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CONCLUSION

The fact that the vast majority of those studying art in the 50s were at Western

countries contributed to the creation of this new climate. On their return to India after

completing their studies, these artists looked to the future with the almost sole intent

of harmonizing their artistic vocabularies with those prevailing on the international art

scene. They questioned the conventional, introduced new modes of116expression,

new techniques, and new materials .The new concepts which prevailed gave new

directions to art. Indian artists were influenced by doctrine and technique prevalent in

the western art. Changes in the economic environment and socio-political advance

event had its influence on the Indian artistic scene. Artist came to know that a

section of viewers and artists have been inspired by the display of colors in the place

of representational human figures. In this period no any artist practiced abstraction it

the full length and discourse. Some Indian artists stylized Indian tradition with the

norms of western modernism and many other significant artists turned towards the

early twentieth century developments in abstraction for their inspiration. The birth of

modern Indian art and the abstract forms could be attributed to several social and

environmental conditions that the country endured and which was well brought out

by many artists of this period.

Indian painting reached almost a dead end towards the close of the 19th century the

late Mughal and Pahari painting schools had both exhausted their validity .In short

arid lack of spirit and mare formalism pervaded Indian art at that time. In reaction

Indian creativity began to stair again in the late19thand early 20th century. It was not

yet the beginning of a new national art but at least an interpretation of Indian life and

vision through Indian eyes.


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LIST OF MASTER PIECES OF ASIT HALDER

1. Woman and the tree, Kejriwal Collection, gouache on paper

2. Untitled (Krishna), 1940-49, gouache on paper

3. Swing and Song, gouache on paper

4. Black princess (study), oil on canvas

5. The Procession, pencil and watercolor

6. Mother, oil on board

7. Swing and Song (+mother; pair) ,oil on wood

8. Maiden in love, gouache on paper

9. Spirit of nature, tempera on board

10. Mother and child, watercolor

11. Daily bread, watercolor on board

12. Court scene- Huien Tsang talking to Emperor Harsh of Kanauj, watercolor

13. Dhruva published in Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists, 1914, watercolor on paper

14. Young Krishna being fed by Yashoda, water color

15. Untitled, watercolor on paper

16. Lady seated under tree, Watercolour on paper

17. Rhythm and light, Gouache on paper



20. Discord, oil on board

21. Untitled, oil on board

22. A Mystery, 1940, Watercolour on paper pasted


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Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, twelve illustrations by Asit Kumar Haldar, foreword by

E.B. Havell, Allahabad, Indian Press, 1930. Original cloth portfolio with tipped-in

plates on loose mounts as issued together with a sixteen page ribbon-bound booklet

of Khayyam‟s quatrains. There are twelve colour plates tipped-in on individual thick

cardboard sheets with tissue guards bearing the relevant quatrain in red.

"Haldar's art is like a seer's or a poet's vision, which enriches the soul, inspires the

mind and ennobles the ignoble..." reprinted from Mukti Mitra.

Halder made twelve paintings from Omar Khayyam. This series of four works

presented here fall under his illustrative style. Each work narrates part of a story, the

characters, architecture and landscape clearly set in Persia, with touches of colour

bringing depth to the simple compositions and fine contours of the stylized forms.


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70



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Krishna (untiteled)

The extra large haloes surrounding Radha and Krishna highlight this very tender and

romantic setting that could only be in paradise. Krishna plays the eternal love song

on his flute as Radha sits compassionately beside him, her gaze saying it all from

limitless adoration to unconditional worship. Asit Kumar Haldar captures the

tenderness of their relationship that is clearly palpable in the warmth of the colours.


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Maiden in Love

Gouache on paper


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THE PROCESSION

With Ajanta as artistic inspiration, Haldar created a series of narrative paintings on

the History of India and the Life of the Buddha. He also painted narrative scenes

from the Hindu epics, such as this painting which possibly depicts a scene from the

Hindu Epic the Ramayana.

The present work shows Bharata returning from the forest with his attendants,

carrying his brother's sandals on his head with utmost care and respect. For a

comparable work by the artist, titled Kunal and Asoka, dated to circa 1919.


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Swing and Song

Oil on board


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Mother

oil on board, signed in monogram and perhaps dated indistinctly lower left, inscribed

on the reverse T. G. Civil Lines, Lucknow in English, and in nagari script.


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Black Princes

Oil on canvas


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Asit Haldar, Young Krishna being fed by Yashoda, water colour


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References

1. Thakurta, Tapati Guha, The making of a new „Indian‟ art, Cambridge

UniversityPress, Britain, 1992, p.199

2. Mago, PranNath, Contemporary Indain Art – Perspective, National Booktrust, New

Delhi, p. 28

3. Onians, John, Bengal School - Atlas of World Art, Laurence King Publishing,

2004, p. 304.

4. Tagore, Sidharth, The Bengal School of Art: Revisited, Bengal and Beyond ExC.,

India Habitate Center, New Delhi, 2005, p. 2.

5. Ibid., p. 203

6. Halder, Kr, Asit, Shilpokatha: Patralekha, September, 2015.

7. Halder kumar Asit, Nanand Shampur Dr, Mukherjee Kumar Radha Dr: Culture at a

Glance Text and Thirty Illustration, Lucknow, 1996, p.l.

8. Lekha RM, All India Fine Arts and Craft Society, Raj Marg, Vol. xxiv,

1&2,28March, 1997,New Delhi, p.60.

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