Most people who know the painting “Bharat Mata” have never heard the painter’s full story. Abanindranath Tagore is usually mentioned only as the man who founded the Bengal School. He was also a Bengali children’s author, a university chancellor, and Rabindranath Tagore’s nephew.
Timeline
- 7 August 1871: Born in Jorasanko, Calcutta, into the Tagore family, as a nephew of Rabindranath Tagore.
- 1905: Joins the Government School of Art as Vice-Principal, at the invitation of British principal E.B. Havell. Paints “Bharat Mata” the same year.
- 1907: Helps found the Indian Society of Oriental Art, giving the Bengal School an institutional base.
- 1921: Becomes Bageshri Professor at the University of Calcutta.
- 1942: Becomes Acharya (chancellor) of Visva-Bharati, following Rabindranath Tagore’s death in 1941.
- 5 December 1951: Dies in Calcutta, aged 80.
Must Know
- Abanindranath Tagore (1871–1951) founded the Bengal School of Art. It broke from Western academic realism and drew instead on Mughal, Rajput, and East Asian art.
- He was a nephew of Rabindranath Tagore. His own elder brother, Gaganendranath Tagore, was also a noted artist.
- In 1905, he became Vice-Principal of the Government School of Art alongside its principal, E.B. Havell, and painted his most famous work, “Bharat Mata” (Mother India), that same year.
- He is widely called the “Father of Modern Indian Art” for the movement he founded and the students he trained. These included Nandalal Bose and Jamini Roy.
- Beyond painting, he was a celebrated Bengali writer for children, popularly known as “Aban Thakur.”
Good to Know
- His painting “Bharat Mata” shows a saffron-robed woman holding symbolic objects. It became one of the most iconic images of Indian nationalism.
- In 1907, he helped found the Indian Society of Oriental Art. It gave the Bengal School a proper base to exhibit work and train new artists.
- His well-known children’s books include Rajkahini, Buro Angla, Nalak, and Khirer Putul, landmark works in Bengali children’s literature.
- He received the British title CIE (Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire) and an honorary doctorate from the University of Calcutta.
- After Rabindranath Tagore’s death in 1941, Abanindranath became Acharya of Visva-Bharati the following year. It was a leadership role at the university his uncle had founded in Santiniketan.
Test Yourself
Great to Know
- For the Bengal School’s institutional history and its wider circle of founders, see ArtnCulture0038 — The Bengal School of Painting: Institutions Behind the Movement.
- Most accounts of Abanindranath Tagore stop at “founder of the Bengal School.” His own life ran much longer: a second career as a children’s author, a Calcutta University professorship, and a university chancellorship late in life.
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