National Gallery of Modern Art-Parikraman

Nandalal Bose

A Sketch from Album No. 84 9153 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 is well reflected in the multiple postcards in the collection of the museum which portray his visual experiences of mostly nature and rural life and also of his inner urge to constantly innovate. In this pen and ink drawing an old woman is depicted sitting in front of her thatched hut and making fire with utensils and earthen pots lying close to her. A small canoe can also be seen inside the hut. Nandalal has in his individualistic style emphasized on the line drawings with their solidity of structure. The calligraphic line drawing brings out the rhythm and coherence in the form of his subjects rather than imitation in formal resemblance. A. Ramachandran in the book, 'Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose' writes, "He made quick graphic impressions, often simplifying them to just few lines as he sought to understand the inherent structure of what he was seeing. At times he recorded objects in a more analytical way, while at others he transformed them into visual codes of pattern."