Magical Landscapes of Gaganendranath Tagore

Article written by Devaleena Joardar

Gaganendranath Tagore was born on 17 September, 1867 in the illustrious Tagore family, in Jorasanko, Kolkata. He was the nephew of Rabindranath Tagore and brother of Abanindranath Tagore.

Gaganendranath Tagore was a painter and a cartoonist and is one of the earliest modern artists in India. He did not have any formal training in art and is a self-taught artist. He is the pioneer of cubism in India. He is also known for his satirical works of art. He did not work towards developing any one style of art.

He began his journey of painting at the age of 38 at Shantiniketan. He learnt the Japanese brushwork technique from Japanese artists who visited Shantiniketan at that time. He initially did figurative sketches, scenes from Kolkata, landscapes of Puri, and illustrations for Rabindranath Tagore’s Jeevansmriti. His satirical work on contemporary Bengal society is praiseworthy.

He experimented with various styles during his lifetime—Chinese and Japanese techniques, Japanese wash technique, cubism, landscape on silk, and so on. Gaganendranath Tagore made a series of sketches and paintings on Himalayas between 1910 and 1921.

The paintings are remarkable as he rarely visited any place outside his home city, and had never travelled to the Himalayas. His creations emerged from the stories he heard from the people who had seen and travelled to the Himalayas, and rest from his imagination.

Mr Prabhas Kejariwal of Chitrakoot Art Gallery and Mr Ashatit Halder of Charulata are jointly organizing the Magical Landscapes of Ganganendranath Tagore at Chitrakoot Art Gallery from 8 December to 18 December, 2024 from 2 pm to 6 pm. 25–30 paintings will be on display.

All are encouraged to visit the exhibition and cherish the works of the legendary artist.