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"Poet's (Rabindranath Tagore) first flight from London to Paris"

Gaganendranath Tagore1921

Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata

Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata
Kolkata, India

One of the most humorous representations of Tagore, done in brush and ink by Gaganendranath Tagore, showing the poet in a contemplative mood while on a flight from London to Paris, with his books, glasses, and pen strewn around amidst the clouds.

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  • Title: "Poet's (Rabindranath Tagore) first flight from London to Paris"
  • Creator: Gaganendranath Tagore
  • Creator Lifespan: 1867-09-18/1938
  • Creator Nationality: Indian
  • Date Created: 1921
  • Location: Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata
  • Location Created: Jorasanko, Calcutta
  • Physical Dimensions: 10 x 12 3/8 inches
  • Provenance: Rabindra Bharati Society, Jorasankho
  • Type: Painting
  • Medium: Brush and Ink
  • Manufacturing Technique: Brush and ink with touches of blue and green
  • Gallery Name: N/A
  • Creator's Biography: Gaganendranath Tagore was an Indian painter and cartoonist of the Bengal school. Along with his brother Abanindranath Tagore, he was counted as one of the earliest Modern Artists in India. Gaganendranath Tagore was born at Jorasanko into a family whose creativity defined Bengal's cultural life. Gaganendranath 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 a nephew of the poet Rabindranath Tagore. Gaganendranath received no formal education but trained under the artist 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, the artist 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'. 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. Gaganendranath also took a keen interest in theatre, and wrote a children's book in the manner of Lewis Carroll, titled 'Bhodor Bahadur' ('Otter the Great').
Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata

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