Page 12 - N S Bendre - Selected Works 1935 - 1991
P. 12

The artist thinker:
               A portrait of Bendre,
               attributed to
               artist Walter
               Langhammer

















                                                                                                                                                          him the Patel Trophy for his work. This period   Santiniketan was a hub of cultural
                                                                                                                                                          showcased  his  evolving  artistic  language  as   confluence where tradition coexisted
                                                                                                                                                          he embraced a simplified aesthetic while     with modernity and dialogues between
                                                                                                                                                          intensifying the interplay of sunlight in his   Indian  and global sensibilities were
                                                                                                                                                          works. Despite the recognition he had garnered,   freely fostered. The environment of
                                                                                                                                                          Bendre’s artistic growth was fuelled by a relentless   unrestrained intellectuality inspired
                                                                                                                                                          drive to continue exploring alternative modes   Bendre deeply and ushered in a phase
                                                                                                                                                          of art practice. This was also complemented   of his work often referred to as the
                                                                                                                                                          by his eagerness to experience India’s diverse   ‘Indian Interlude.’
                                                                                                                                                          natural and cultural panorama and express them    During and after his stay in
                                                                                                                                                          through his creations. So when an opportunity   Santiniketan, he produced a series
                                                                                                                                                          to stay in Santiniketan as a guest artist emerged,   of tempera paintings that showcased
                                                                                                                                                               Bendre was thrilled to accept it.       his  deft  mastery  over  line  and
                                                                                                                                                                         At  Santiniketan, he  met     draughtsmanship. This integration
                                                                                                                                                                        the towering figures of the    of line was a significant shift as
                                                                                                                                                          Bendre’s         Bengal School, including    this element had been previously
                                                                                                                                                          unique             Abanindranath  Tagore,    missing in his colour-dominant style.
                                                                                                                                                          perspective         Nandalal Bose, and       The experience led him to explore
                                                                                                                                                          as a master           Jamini Roy. Studying   stylisation  through  amalgamating
                                                                                                                                                          colourist came         the  murals   and     facets of  naturalism,  modernity, and
                                                                                                                                                          from an unbridled      paintings      of     traditional Indian aesthetics. The
                                                                                                                                                                                 Nandalal Bose and
                                                                                                                                                                                                       resulting works were testaments to his
                                                                                                                                                          exploration of          Benode    Behari     appetite  for  artistic evolution, much
                                                                                                                                                          hues. He also           Mukherjee, and the   before his bolder experiments with
                                                                                                                                                          formulated his         pulsating  energy     Cubism in the 1950s.
                                                                                                                                                          own distinct and       in the works of            In the 1940s, Bendre also
                                                                                                                                                          unprecedented         Ramkinkar Baij, led    embarked on a journey to the West.
                                                                                                                                                          style of             him to understand       He felt that before settling down as a
                                                                                                                                                          modulating          the  distinctiveness of   full-time artist, he needed to study
                                                                                                                                                          colours           two divergent schools of   more and wanted to present the case
                                                                                                                                                                         thought—the    sentimental    of contemporary art of India on a stage
                                                                                                                                                                      revivalism and the receptive     that had hitherto been more inclined to
                                                                                                                                                                  approach  of   the  avant-garde—     the appreciation of ancient Indian art.
                                                                                                                                                          prevalent in Calcutta (now Kolkata) at the time.   Departing from Bombay on a



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