Shri. Nandalal Bose was born on 3rd December 1882 in Kharagpur, in a middle-class Bengali family. He spent his early life in the Kharagpur and Darbhanga area and there he learned to love nature. He would spend hours admiring the local artisans making clay toys and he would give it a try. After many unsuccessful attempts in academic studies, he left for Calcutta, at the age of sixteen and decided to study fine arts at a Government College of Arts and Crafts under the mentorship of Shri Abanindranath Tagore for five years from 1905-10. Nandalal Bose’s startup into painting was closely associated with the Tagore family which awakened his idealism toward classical and folk art, along with its fundamental spirituality and symbolism.
In 1909, Nandalal accompanied Lady Herringham to the Ajanta Caves to duplicate the mural paintings there. In 1915, the Victoria Club was started at Jorasanko, and Nandalal joined as an art teacher there. He often visited the Brahmacaryasrama at Santiniketan during that period and his first visit which was in 1914, was a spiritual experience and left an enduring effect on his personality and career as an artist. In 1923, with permission from his guru, Nandalal settled in Santiniketan by taking the charge of Kala Bhavana as the faculty of Fine Arts.
He also accompanied Shri Rabindranath Tagore on his visit to various places like China, Japan, and Burma. In 1934, he traveled to Ceylon with Shri Rabindranath Tagore which enable him to get familiarized with the arts and crafts of the Island. Bose was known for his excellence in “Indian style” painting. On Gandhi Ji’s invitation, he led the Art exhibitions and decorations at the yearly sessions of the Indian National Congress.
Shri. Nandalal Bose came up with a series of brilliant artworks marked by the impact of post-impressionist and expressionist furnishings and was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1954, his works were proclaimed as a National Art Treasure under the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act 1972. The work of illustrating the constitution of India was given to him. Nandalal took his last breath in Calcutta on 16 April 1966.
On his death anniversary, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University and Nandlal Bose College of Fine Arts & Fashion Design remember one of the premier modern Indian artists who not only inspired generations to come but was the key figure of Contextual Modernism for Indian art.
