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Tagore: Pioneer of subcontinental painting

Pristine paintings with poetic overtures

FAYZA HAQ
Talking about how he believed that in Rabindranath Tagore was the beginning of modern art in the subcontinent, Rafiqun Nabi said, "Tagore didn't go into painting suddenly. He belonged to a zamindar family where the members were very sensitive to music, drama, writing and many other aspects of global culture. Tagore had a drawing and painting instructor as a child. As he grew up and wrote his manuscripts, if there was any mistake, he tended to scratch it and draw many images from flora and fauna in the pen and pencil doodling that ensued."
Nabi continued to say, "You must comprehend that Tagore, after winning the Nobel Prize, was exposed to a vast array of avant-garde paintings and sculpture of Paris and London which included the work of Modigliani, Picasso, Braque, Henry Moore etc. Just as his music ushered in influences from the West along with pristine elements of the East, so Tagore built up the world of modern Subcontinental art, being influenced not only by the European fine arts scenario but also the impact of contemporary Japanese paintings. "One will note," Nabi said, "that his paintings which began in his middle ages, tended to be simple and subtle." The lines, he said, were influenced by the French Cubists. The colours which ranged from yellow-ochre to burnt-umber, cobalt blues, jet black, soft grays and egret white were muted hues -- as perhaps his vision was geared to that choice of range of colours. Nabi pointed out that the monochromes, ranging from subtle blues, browns and the simple touch of more vibrant colours were there because that was Tagore's vision and particular choice.
As regards his subjects and themes, Nabi said that they were taken from life around him and focused on anything and every thing that was relevant to his world of poignancy cum pure joy. "His work was pristine and marvelous without doubt. Whatever he touched, be it writing or music or painting, the undercurrent of lyricism was always there. There was, moreover, harmony in the drama that one could feel, projected in his manifold works."
Muniruzzaman, asked to dwell on the occurrence of female forms in Tagore's paintings, said, "It is true that he brought in many women's figures in his compositions. Women have always inspired artists." He added, "However, Tagore painted from his imagination and included still life, and other forms as they appeared in the focus of his perennially young mind and imagination."
"In his early life and in Shantiniketan," said Zahiruddin, " Nature formed an integral part of existence for Tagore. Life at that time, for the wellto-do genius, was not as confined and claustrophobic as Kolkata or Dhaka is for us today. He found inspiration in the leaves, barks, blossom, grass, and chirping birds around him."
Touching on the incisive strokes of his paintings, Ahmed Nazir put in, " By just the tiny stroke of his brush, he brought in malaise, ennui, or buoyancy in his subjects. Merely studying the state of eye pupils makes us aware of the disposition of the subjects of his paintings."
In the one hour tete-a-tete with Rafiqun Nabi , Muniruzzaman, Zahiruddin and Ahmed Nazir made one aware of many facets of Tagore's career as a giant among painters in his days . Even today, viewed only as a painter, Tagore remains nonpareil.