River View

Gagandendranath Tagore, elder brother of artist Abanindranath Tagore, had exposure to art, literature, music, theatre, like all others in the Tagore household at Jorasanko in Kolkata. He painted for his own pleasure. Nevertheless, he succeeded in evolving his own visual language. Influenced by the Japanese artists, Taikan and Hishida, who visited Jorasanko in the early years of the 20th century, Gaganendranath learnt the wash technique from them and began to use it in his own style of expression, just as he did the calligraphic brushwork.

Prior to 1915, Gaganendranath did a number of landscapes of the then Bengal’s countryside. This misty scene depicting an open sky, flowing river water, mysterious wooded banks and boats moored in the foreground evoke a mood that beckons the viewer.