National Gallery of Modern Art-Parikraman

Nandalal Bose

A Sketch from Album No. 45 8150 Nandalal Bose Pencil on postcard

Nandalal preferred drawing from life, often sketching outdoors with the subject being life, nature studies, landscapes, figure drawings, animals. Often the sketches were small in scale although invigorating with the rich detailing of the artist's observations, experiences and sojourns to various places. The sketch here illustrates the facade of an edifice- a blacksmith's shop or his workshop, probably built of logs of wood. The sketch also has drawings of human forms, particularly of a study of a face at the top left corner of the paper. The artist also labels the sketches as blacksmith and blacksmith's shop through his inscriptions in Bengali, providing a reference for their description. Art historian R. Siva Kumar in the book, 'Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose' has elucidated the works of Nandalal as follows - "Nandalal's drawing take through different landscapes and introduce us to life in different cultures- not cosmetically, but intimately. Done on small cards, these drawings are a visual record of the artist's sensory experiences, and they capture the varying moods and gestures with remarkable ease and economy."