• NGMA India

    Nandalal Bose

    Architectural Design from Sketch Book No.6 10509 Nandalal Bose Natural pigment on paper

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Nandalal undertook extensive studies to comprehend the diversity in form, essence and treatment that was employed through the centuries by artisans in the Indian classical art, the folk arts and temple architecture. His rich insights of the native art practices allowed him to experiment and blend with ease and spontaneity the elements of each in an astonishingly free manner. This sketch is an apt example where the artist has made a visual record of a 'vyala', a mythical creature seen in many Hindu temples, often sculpted onto the richly carved pillars and brackets. A vyala is usually portrayed with a robust lower body of a cat-like animal but with either the head of an elephant, lion or tiger. The sketch was probably executed through his sojourns to the coastal state of Orissa known for its many historical temple sites.
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