Gaganendranath Tagore

Gaganendranath Tagore was a prominent member of the illustrious Tagore family of Bengal, which produced many eminent personalities in the fields of literature, art, music, and social reform. He was the eldest son of Gunendranath Tagore, grandson of Girindranath Tagore and a great-grandson of Prince Dwarkanath Tagore. His brother Abanindranath was a pioneer and leading exponent of the Bengal School of Art. He was also a nephew of the poet Rabindranath Tagore and the paternal great-grandfather of actress Sharmila Tagore. Gaganendranath received no formal education but trained under the watercolourist Harinarayan Bandopadhyay. In 1907, along with his brother Abanindranath, he founded the Indian Society of Oriental Art which later published the influential journal Rupam. Between 1906 and 1910, he studied and assimilated Japanese brush techniques and the influence of Far Eastern art into his own work, as demonstrated by his illustrations for Rabindranath Tagore's autobiography Jeevansmriti (1912). He went on to develop his own approach in his Chaitanya and Pilgrim series. Gaganendranath eventually abandoned the revivalism of the Bengal School and took up caricature. The Modern Review published many of his cartoons in 1917. From 1917 onwards, his satirical lithographs appeared in a series of books, including Play of Opposites, Realm of the Absurd and Reform Screams. He used humour and irony to critique the social and political issues of his time, such as colonialism, nationalism, corruption, hypocrisy, and superstition. Between 1920 and 1925, Gaganendranath pioneered experiments in modernist painting. Partha Mitter describes him as "the only Indian painter before the 1940s who made use of the language and syntax of Cubism in his painting". From 1925 onwards, the artist developed a complex post-cubist style. He used geometric forms, distorted perspectives, and contrasting colours to create dynamic compositions that expressed his inner vision. Gaganendranath also took a keen interest in theatre, and wrote a children's book in the manner of Lewis Carroll, Bhodor Bahadur ('Otter the Great'). He was also an avid photographer and experimented with light and shadow effects. He died in 1938 at his ancestral home in Jorasanko after a prolonged illness. Gaganendranath Tagore is widely regarded as one of the earliest modern artists in India. His works are displayed in various museums and galleries across India and abroad. He is also remembered for his contribution to the cultural renaissance of Bengal and India.