In 1938, during the annual session the Indian National Congress at this little village, called Haripura in Gujarat, that Congress leader Mahatma Gandhi called upon artist Nandalal Bose to work on a special project. As part of decor for the conference, Mahatma commissioned Nandalal to create publicly accessible art that carried the essence of rural life and resonated with the idea of the nation that was then, a work in progress.
Nandalal had made it his life-long mission to make art that is non-elitist. He saw himself as an employee with a duty to produce art that nourished the culture – making it accessible to everyone, not just a select few. He believed that art was a fundamental principle that guided all for ms of creative effort and was linked to social needs. It was therefore not surprising when the artist stayed in Vitthal Nagar for several weeks, sketching and drawing people, eventually creating posters that represented a variety of professional, personal and domestic activities, such as bathing children, farming, pottering, playing musical instruments and woodworking.
Most of these artworks were made on handmade paper, using earth-hued pigments obtained from local stones and earth and they were then mounted on straw boards. These posters later came to be known as Haripura Panels and are believed to have become a turning point in the development of modern Indian art. Bengalurueans will be privy to this series of temperas, as the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is hosting the in-house curated exhibition Haripura Panel – Nandalal Bose. “Around 6,800 of Nandalal Bose’s sketches, paintings, graphic prints, drawings and sketches are included in our opulent collection,” begins curator Nazneen Banu, Director of NGMA. She further notes, “Haripura Panels is one of these pieces and a national treasure of the Government of India. There are 77 pieces of art on display at the show; all of them are from the NGMA collection.”
Some of the popular paintings from the series include Chariot with the National Flag, Cotton Spinning and Pounding of Rice, Nazneen tells us. Chariot with the National Flag had, as the legend goes, mesmerised Mahatma with its upfront, spontaneous and simplistic visual. Cotton Spinning, on the other hand, depicts a woman spinning cotton and is regarded as the embodiment of the Swadeshi creative movement in India, which was propelled by none other than Mahatma Gandhi. This movement also helped aesthetes and artists discover the majesty of Rajput and Mughal art, rejecting the academic tradition that extolled British creative styles.
Telling us about Pounding of Rice, Nazneen says, “In this panel, a lady pounding rice is seen, bringing to life a routine task performed usually by women in rural areas. The forms on the poster have been rendered in a callighraphic style with an earthy colour scheme and quick strokes.” However, apart from their historical significance, why are Haripura Panels so important? The NGMA director helps us understand, saying, “Haripura posters feature a vivid earth colour palette, bold, dynamic lines and a strikingly modernist graphic aspect, glorifying Indian rural life and culture. The majority of the images extracted from the real world were created from the quick sketches that the artist made while surveying the surrounding countryside and residents.” She also notes, “The consistent application of the point-cusped niche framing the main subject is another aspect of these works’ simplicity. Naturally, the strong, dynamic outlines of some figures cut over the frame, preventing the posters from becoming monotonous.”
However, one question that comes to mind is how might the paintings be accepted and appreciated by a young audience who have not been exposed to Nandalal Bose’s paintings before this, who are urban and used to consuming a different kind of composition. Nazneen answers, “Sahaj Path, which is a Bengali text in two editions written by Rabindranath Tagore, describes the basics of the Bengali language and literature – most Bengali youngsters start reading with it. These books were illustrated by Nandalal Bose. This brings up merely to highlight how, similar to his artwork reproduced on wall calendars, his artwork in these books (and on several book and magazine covers) has gotten so ingrained in our lives, that we have taken it for granted.” She sounds hopeful when she adds, “Between Haripura and Sahaj Path, Nandalal's moral compass did not change, even though he transitioned from books to public art. Despite their divergences in genre and style, they are united by the desire to convey the pulse and rhythm of life's emotions. Perhaps it was this curiosity, as much as the democracy of his vision, that would draw a new generation of art fans to the exhibition,” before concluding the conversation.
Entry free. Till April 28, 2024, 11 am onwards. At the National Gallery of Modern Art, Vasanth Nagar
Email: prattusa@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @MallikPrattusa