Nandalal BoseIndian, 1882–1966Painting
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Painting” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Nandalal Bose (1883-1966) was an influential figure of the Bengal School of Art. He was an immediate disciple of Abanindranath Tagore, the leading artist and exponent of the school, as well as the reformist art teacher Dr E. B. Havell. Adhering to his mentor's patriotic commitment, Nandalal retrieved themes from the Indian epic past or scenes from romantic tales and reworked them in a highly romanticised style.
Read on
The watercolour illustrates a man in a red robe seated on a low brick platform under trees, seen from the back. To his right we find a small seated black dog. The artist experimented in a variety of styles from robust figuration to a zen like abstraction that captured the essence of the subject. In this case, Bose created a clear composition and used simple broad brush strokes to capture the calmness of the scene. Hot reds and warm browns create a peaceful view across the surface of the painting. The pronounced Chinese idiom suggests a date in the late 1920s or 1930s, after Bose's visit to the Far East with Rabindranath Tagore in 1924.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- IS.77-1985
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
