Page 10 - N S Bendre - Selected Works 1935 - 1991
P. 10

combined role of artist and journalist   as a major rising star in the modern Indian art
               with the tourism department of        world, and he gained admiration from respected
               Kashmir and, by the time he was back   critics for his sensitive interplay of light, colour,
               in Bombay, he had already received the   and form.
               appointment letter.                        During the 1940s, Bendre’s popularity
                    For the next three years, the    flourished due to his undeniably fresh and
               ethereal landscapes of Kashmir became   experimentalist approach. In fact, 1943 was an
               Bendre’s constant companion and       important year for the artist as he exhibited his
               muse.  The stunning vistas provided   works in his first solo exhibition in Bombay.
               him the perfect backdrop for honing   Renowned art critic Karl Khandavala inaugurated
               his skill of rapid sketching, as he sought   the show and praised Bendre for his versatility.
               to capture the ever-shifting moods of   The exhibition was also met with acclaim from
               the valley. He also refined his use of   other critics and patrons.  The Times of India
               gouache and experimented with tinted   newspaper lauded him as one of the leading
               paper to accentuate the atmospheric   contemporary artists of his era, recognising his
               tone of the region. The extraordinary   unique ability to weave traditional themes with
               beauty of Kashmir left a profound effect   modern aesthetics.
               on Bendre and the artistic sensibilities
               that he had acquired there continued to
               inform him throughout his career.     The Artist Seeker
                    In the early 1940s, Bendre       This was also a phase when Bendre’s role as
               relocated to Madras for a brief period   a  mentor  began  to  take  shape.  Teaching art
               and ventured into art direction for a   classes at his Dadar home, he nurtured several
               film company. During this stay, he met   young talents, including S B Palsikar, who later
               fellow artist Mona, whom he would     became the Dean of the Sir J J School of Art.
               marry. Before returning to Bombay,    His connection with artists from the younger
               he painted several works capturing the   generation also flourished. One such bond was
               natural splendour of South India with   with M F Husain. It was Bendre who, after
               its tranquil coconut groves, bustling   recognising Husain’s talent during an earlier
               fishing boats, idyllic shorelines and the   meeting, convinced his father to let him pursue                                                                                                                       The artist
               rich culture of the communities.      formal training. This gesture marked the                                                                                                                                coach: Bendre
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             with a group of
                    In 1941, the coveted Gold Medal   beginning of a lifelong friendship with Husain.                                                                                                                        students during
               from  the  Bombay  Art  Society  for  his   The year 1945 was yet another important                                                                                                                         an open-air study
               watercolour work secured his position   year. The Bombay Art Society conferred on                                                                                                                          session, circa 1960



       8                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       9
   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15