Painting, Sakuntala watched by King Dashyanta, by Kshitendranath Majumdar, watercolour on paper, Kolkata, Neo-Bengal School, ca. 1910-1920

Painting, in watercolour on paper, Sakuntala is shown watering plants in the garden of her foster-father, the sage Kanva, while King Dushyanta watches from behind a tree.

Sakuntala is shown watering plants in the garden of her foster-father, the sage Kanva, while King Dushyanta watches from behind a tree.

RF: 64/3288. Given by Mrs Adeline Gourlay.

Kshitindranath Majumdar (1891-1975) was an influential figure of the Bengal School of Art. He was one of the early students of Abanindranath Tagore, the leading artist and exponent of the school.

During his childhood, Kshitindranath was raised in a rural environment and therefore received no formal education. Unlike most of his school colleagues, Kshitindranath did not reach out to the past or distant lands to increase his personal artistic repertoire but gained most of his knowledge from village plays known as Jatra and Kirtan, devotional hymns performed by indigenous religious communities. Adhering to Abanindranath's patriotic commitment, Kshitindranath retrieved themes from the Hindu epic past and reworked them in a highly romanticised style.

The artist's adoption of the wash technique was later superseded by his choice of tempera. His hazy and suggestive scenes therefore, gave way to clearly articulated spaces. In 1921, Kshitindranath was appointed Principal of the Indian Society of Oriental Art, Calcutta and from 1942-64 he became Principal of the Art Department at Allahabad University. The artist's work has been exhibited internationally.

Reproduced in Modern Review.

Neo-Bengal School

The artist has depicted a Hindu mythological scene told in the Mahabarata and dramatized by playwright Kalisada in 'The Recognition of Sakuntala.' The scene depicts Sakuntala, a nymph who grew up in the forest hermitage of her foster-father Kanva, watering plants in the garden while King Dushyanta watches from behind a tree.

Kshitindranath Majumdar (1891-1975) was an influential figure of the Bengal School of Art which flourished between 1905 and 1920. He restricted himself to Vaishnavite (referring to the Hindu god Vishnu) and literary themes, evolving a mannered style in which languid, elongated figures generally appear against simple backgrounds with trees and shrubs. In this scence influences from the paintings at Ajanta and Far Eastern techniques are evident.

IS.57-1965