National Gallery of Modern Art-Parikraman

Nandalal Bose

A Sketch from Album No. 63 8655 Nandalal Bose Watercolour on postcard

Nandalal Bose mastered the Sino- Japanese techniques of painting being first influenced by Okakura Kakuzo and the train of Japanese artists who visited India after him especially Arai Kampo. The blurring of the linear outlines of the figures and the harmonious dilution of the colours were techniques Nandalal acquired from the arts of the Far East. The technique of modulating the ink tones from darker through lighter to obtain a variety of shades from near white, through grey tones to blacks was mastered and implemented in several of his works. Nandalal makes use of this style- several modulating tones and varied brush strokes for the execution of this monochromatic landscape depicting the elongated palm trees against the bushy hill. Nandalal Bose in his article, 'The Discipline of Art', has written- "The great globe, the forms in and outside the mind, the Prana, life in which all this universe of motion moves and from which also it proceeds I try to see the Rhythm of life in every form common and uncommon. In other words, previously I sought for divinity only in the image of the gods and goddesses, now I try to find it in 'sky, water and mountains'."