Indian Bengali Art - Origin Of Modern Art

Bengal art could be considered as the origin of modern art in India. It has characteristics of modern or contemporary art, which gives freedom of creation and acceptance of new eclectic styles and patterns. It was a huge change for Indian art; new styles were very different from traditional patterns.

Criticism faced by Bengali Art

Many people criticized this new style and considered it as forbidding. Because of both historical and political reasons, this extension of Indian art started to decline. New Bengali artists like Raja Ravi Verma and Abanindranath Tagore started mixing western styles with traditional Indian style and immersed with a new different style which again gained a lot of popularity. The art style started spreading all over India.

With time new rising artists could not keep up with the standard of these paintings, which made is style unattractive afterwards. Bengali art played an important role introducing modern art in India. After this new foreign techniques like wash painting, oil painting, water colors, tempera, pastels etc. was started in India.

Features of Bengal Art

• Paintings had simple and clear content. It takes no time to understand them unlike traditional paintings.

• The painted figures are soft and graceful and had rhythm in designs.

• Attractive color schemes were used. Bright and loud colors have not been used anywhere.

• Wash technique is prominent and it gives harmony to the paintings.

• Impact of Mughal and Rajasthani paintings can also be seen.

• Light and shades have been delicately used which adds softness to the style

• No hardness has been noticed anywhere in the paintings.

Radhika- one of the most popular painting

Artist- M.A.R. Chaughtai

Medium- water color tempera

A young Indian girl wearing a beautiful yellow saari. She is holding lotus flowers in her hands in very graceful pose. Ornaments are drawn with decorative lines. The background is painted with yellow color that turns into orange gradually. Technique used in it is wah painting originated from Japan and China.

With the rule of many different Kings in the past, arts and handicrafts in West Bengal have gone through many changes giving an aesthetic diversity today in the forms of traditional handicrafts, painting, carving, dance, music etc. Patachitra painting is one of the true cultural heritage of West Bengal. The Patua Community of West Bengal is known for starting this culture. Bengali art is very different from other traditional art forms find in India.