National Gallery of Modern Art-Parikraman

Nandalal Bose

A Sketch from Album No. 73 8891 Nandalal Bose Pen & Ink on postcard

Nandalal is known to have fervently sketched on postcard sized papers mostly using ink and brush, recording his surroundings. His small sketches vastly vary in detailing, some drawn quickly with just a few lines, others executed with more elaborate characteristics from an analytical perspective. His search for newer forms of expression and his inner urge to constantly innovate is well reflected in the multiple postcards in the collection of the museum which portray the artist's visual experiences of flora fauna, the people, their attires, life in rural villages, the landscapes, etc. In this ink drawing the strong and fluid handling of the line and their delineation in the calligraphic style has resulted in the realistic representation of a man spinning wool on a traditional drop spindle. Nandalal also manages to capture the peculiar stance of the craftsman in which he has to be seated for hours while working on the wool comb for weaving the cloth. Jaya Appaswamy in her article, 'Nandalal Bose- Master Draughtsman' writes- "The drawings on postcards have a spontaneity and brevity not seen in more formal works. They exist as evidence of the artist's unceasing desire to master visual data."