Asit Kumar Haldar

Asit Kumar Haldar ( _bn. অসিত কুমার হালদার) (1890 - 1964) was an Indian painter and an assistant of Rabindranath Tagore at Shantiniketan. He was one of the major artists of the Bengal renaissance.

Early life

Haldar was born in Jorasanko in 1890. His maternal grandmother was the sister of Rabindranath Tagore, making him Tagore's grandnephew. [ Civarāman, Maitili.Fragments of a Life: A Family Archive. Zubaan, 2006. ISBN 8189013114] Both his grandfather Rakhaldas Haldar and his father Sukumar Haldar were accomplished in the art of painting. [http://www.sanat.in/artist/teacher.php Teacher of the Artist] - Sanat Art Gallery] He began his studies at the age of 14. His education was undertaken at Government School of Art, Calcutta and began in 1904. Haldar learned sculpting from two famous Bengali artists in 1905: Jadu Pal and Bakkeswar Pal, and he also learned from Leonard Jennings.

Career

From 1909 to 1911 he was in the Ajanta documenting the paintings on the frescoes. He did this on an expedition with Lady Herringham, and in conjunction with two other Bengali painters, the object of which was to bring cave art to a wider Indian audience. [ [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/08/04/stories/2002080400430200.htm Ajanta: An artist's perspective] The Hindu - August 4, 2002] In 1921, he undertook another expedition, this time to the Bagh Caves and his reflections on the art there indicate quite a few surrealistic depictions [ [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0951-0788%28192310%2943%3A247%3C159%3ATBCOB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-N The Buddhist Caves of Bagh] - "The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs", Vol. 43, No. 247. (Oct., 1923)]

From 1911 to 1915 he was an art teacher at Shantiniketan. [http://www.visva-bharati.ac.in/GreatMasters/Contents/Ashithalder.htm Asitkumar Haldar (1890-1964)] - Visva Bharati Institute] He was also the principal of the "Kala Bhavan" school from 1911 to 1923, assisting Tagore with cultural and artistic activities. During this time, he introduced many different styles to art to the students, and revolutionized decorative and ceremonial displays there [http://banglapedia.org/HT/H_0030.HTM Haldar, Asit Kumar] - Banglapedia] .

Work

Art

Haldar made a tour of Europe in 1923 and soon realized that Realism in European art had numerous limitations. He sought to balance physical attributes in proportion to the magnitude of the subject matter. Haldar's "Yashoda and Krsna" was not just a religious painting but an artistic juxtaposition of the infinite (represented by Krishna with the finite (represented by Yashoda). Haldar also made thirty two paintings on the Buddha's life and thirty paintings on Indian history, attempting to embrace idealism in his art. His media included: lacquer, tempera, oil, watercolors, and even ranged to some photographyChaitanya, Krishna. History of Indian Painting: The Modern Period. Abhinav Publications, 1994. ISBN 8170173108]

His masterpieces include:
*"Krsna and Yashoda"
*"Awakening of Mother India"
*"Rai-Raja Lotus"
*"Kunala and Ashoka"
*"Raslila"
*"The Flame of Music"
*"Pronam"

Poetry

Haldar was a budding poet throughout his life. He translated Kalidasa's "Meghadoota" ("Cloud messenger") and "Ritusamhara" (Cycle of the seasons) into Bengali from Sanskrit. He also illustrated numerous poems in visual art, including twelve from Omar Khayyam. His art on the Buddha and the History of India fell under this poetic umbrella.

Tributes

Out of respect to his aptitude for art, the British government appointed Haldar the principal of the Government School of Art & Crafts at Lucknow. Haldar became the first Indian to be appointed as the principal of a Government Art School. He was also the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London in 1934. The Allahabad museum opened a large "Haldar Hall" with many of his works in 1938.

References