National Gallery of Modern Art-Parikraman

Nandalal Bose

A Sketch from Album No. 73 8900 Nandalal Bose Pen & Ink on postcard

Nandalal had firm belief that for the creation of art an intimate understanding of the nature and its ways is imperative. His exploration of the different ways of delineating a line allowed him to experiment in representation of lines in its varying forms adding rhythm, vigour and life to the form of the figures. The above pen and ink drawing shows a detailed study of a grey langur (a genus of a monkey) leisurely sitting. The artist has keenly noted the anatomy of the animal as also its behavioural patterns.The pencil drawing executed in the calligraphic style demonstrates Nandalal's keen observation of his natural surroundings. Nandalal as an artist evolved his visual language to bring out the the rhythm and coherence in his subjects rather than their imitation in formal resemblance. Nandalal Bose in his book, 'On Art' has written- "Nature is life itself and teeming always with infinite variety; it is in her that the artist always renews his experience and finds an unceasing flow of inspiration."