Kshitindranath Majumdar profile

artist works...

During the early part of the twentieth century artists were looking to move away from the British Academic system of art education and technique and to create an art that was more connected to the Indian art cultural heritage and tradition, an art more Indian in feeling. Abanindranath Tagore was instrumental in the creation of the Bengal School of artists. Rather than just depict mythological themes he wanted art to display the concept of 'bhava' feeling, where the mood and sensitivity of the work was paramount. Fusing the Rajput and Pahari miniature tradition, early Indian painting, the Ajanta cave mural style, and also incorporating the Japanese style of wash or watercolor painting on paper, he turned his back on the overt color drama of the oil painting style. The art was subtle and should convey the right mood that would take the viewer beyond the surface into 'bhava'. Kshitindranath Majumdar, along with Nandlal Bose, MRA Chugtai, Asit Kumar Haldar, and others were among his students
Kshitindranath Majumdar was born in rural Bengal and though he lived in the city he was always inspired by the rural Yatra (rural dramas) and Kirtan (devotional songs). He was an early student of Abanindranath, and his works were primarily concerned with the eternal themes of Radha Krishna and Sri Chaitanya. His exquisite sense of line and subdued coloring tried to evoke his own meditations on such subjects and were truly his own personal visions. They are suffused with a sense of the spiritual. Usually in small format they are an early 20th century link to the miniature tradition of the past. His works on the life of Sri Chaitanya are beautiful treasures of Indian modern art.
Majumdar was born in Nimtita, Murshidabad District, West Bengal

©Peter Louis 2005