Page 8 - N S Bendre - Selected Works 1935 - 1991

not generally used, as well as the omission of success was one of the first indications
unnecessary details to simplify the form. Bendre of Bendre’s emergence as a master
and the others did not confine themselves to the colourist in the history of Modern
rigid principles of academic realism and brought Indian Art. In December 1934, works
a new perspective to the art world in Bombay. by Bendre and his contemporaries
Their works expressed a strong inclination were showcased at Burlington
towards experimenting with the arranging of Galleries in London in an exhibition
forms and spatial dynamics with the medium of titled ‘Modern Art In Western India.’
watercolour in an opaque manner. Bendre’s growing reputation continued
In fact, before this, Indians had hitherto to flourish through the early decades
seen little to no Impressionist influence, which of the 1930s. The year 1935 recorded
combined the segmentation of colour with the another important achievement, when
effects of the atmosphere, especially sunlight. his work won the coveted Governor’s
But true to his nature, Bendre moved away Prize from the Bombay Art Society.
from this tradition by exaggerating his hues
and introducing black into his palette, a move
borrowed from the Expressionist tendencies The Artist Traveller
of the time. This evolution seems to have been It is well known that Bendre was
partially influenced by the styles of Central an avid traveller and his wanderlust
European émigrés in Bombay during the 1930s, across myriad regions of India became
including Walter Langhammer, who brought a source of inexhaustible inspiration
The artist a hint of vibrant Expressionism to the Indian for him throughout his career. The
master: Bendre artistic planes, and Oskar Kokoschka, whose paintings of the Kashmir Series done
at work on one
of his famed panoramic cityscapes inspired the application of in the year 1936 are some of the most
landscape canvases pure hues. Similarly, Bendre replaced the mellow admired works in his oeuvre.
tones prevalent in the Indore group style and Bendre’s trip to Kashmir with
switched to vivid colours. With this, he brought friend and fellow artist, V A Mali, was
a fresh breath to Indian landscape painting and originally intended to be an exercise in
also became a source of inspiration for the artists open-air painting. However, as legend
of the succeeding generation, especially S H Raza, goes, Mali happened to fall ill and
who adopted similar techniques in the 1940s. Bendre had to take care of his friend.
The year 1934 was an important year for But the journey culminated into an
Bendre. He won his earliest prize, the Silver important juncture in Bendre’s early
Medal from the Bombay Art Society. This career. While there, he applied for a

6 7