Kalipada Ghoshal

Kalipada Ghoshal was one of the proponents of Modern Indian Art. He was the last successor of Indian Society of Oriental Art and Bengal school of art. He was born in September 1906 in Howrah, West Bengal, India. He was the eldest son of his parents, Gyanodacharan and Bashantakumari. Since childhood, he was drawn towards art related subjects. From the age of 10, he lived with his maternal grandfather in the village of Gobindapur. He regularly visited clay model makers to learn about the art. He also assisted local mural artists by painting. His brush strokes made him a popular artist very soon in the village. It gave him opportunity to meet great artist Nandalal Bose, through one of the close relatives of Bose. Nandalal took him to the art teacher Abanindranath Tagore who was pleased with his art. But he suggested young Kalipada to complete his studies. But Ghoshal couldn’t concentrate on his studies and he returned back to Tagore’s residence. Abanindranath played a significant role in grooming the artistic talents of Ghoshal. He spent many years at the residence of Rabindranath Tagore, where he continued with his art studies. He also became the drawing teacher of the children of the Tagore family. He joined Indian Society of Oriental Art in 1922 where he got training from many noted artists. He continued with his paintings and Shakuntala (1922), Hara Parbati (1938) and Buddha (1972) are among his noted works. His painting named "Hara Parvati" received a Gold medal and certificate at the Art Exhibition held at Swadeshi Mela, Kolkata 1938. He was honored with Shah Garibullah Memorial Life Time Achievement Award in 1990. Apart from painting, he also had deep interest in music. He has also taken formal lessons in Hindustani music. He married Sarala Devi in 1930 and had two sons and two daughters. He died on 29 April 1995 at the age of 88 in Howrah, West Bengal, India. His paintings are displayed in various museums and galleries across India and abroad.¹²