CAPF AC 2022 Q51: Art & Culture – Painting & Visual Arts
- (a) Bharatmata by Abanindranath Tagore
- (b) Arjuna and Subhadra by Raja Ravi Varma
- (c) Sita in Captivity in Lanka by Abanindranath Tagore
- (d) Sati by Nandalal Bose
Answer: (a) Bharatmata by Abanindranath Tagore
Explanation
Bharat Mata by Abanindranath Tagore
How to think: the painting comes from the Swadeshi movement in Bengal.
Abanindranath Tagore painted it in 1905.
Sister Nivedita admired it greatly and wanted it carried from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Painter | Abanindranath Tagore, founder of the Bengal School |
| Year | 1905 |
| Figure | A woman in saffron, like an ascetic, with four arms |
| She holds | A book, sheaves of paddy, white cloth and a rosary: learning, food, clothing and spiritual strength |
| Style | Wash technique, away from Western oil realism |
The other names: Raja Ravi Varma painted in oils in the European style, which the Bengal School rejected.
Nandalal Bose was Abanindranath's pupil.
Answer: (a) Bharatmata by Abanindranath Tagore.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) CORRECT. Sister Nivedita praised Bharat Mata by Abanindranath Tagore in these words.
- (b) Incorrect. Raja Ravi Varma's oil paintings were criticised by the Bengal School circle.
- (c) Incorrect. This was not the painting Sister Nivedita singled out.
- (d) Incorrect. Sati by Nandalal Bose came later and was not the work so described.
Key point
Abanindranath Tagore: Bharat Mata (1905), founder of the Bengal School and the Indian Society of Oriental Art. Supporters: E. B. Havell, Sister Nivedita, Ananda Coomaraswamy. Pupil: Nandalal Bose, who illustrated the Constitution.
Remember
Bharat Mata, 1905: Abanindranath Tagore.
Common mistakes
- Crediting Raja Ravi Varma, the most famous painter of the period.
- Mixing up Abanindranath with Rabindranath or Gaganendranath Tagore.
- Forgetting that the painting belongs to the Swadeshi years of 1905.
Exam tip
Educated guess: Sister Nivedita was close to the Swadeshi nationalists. A painting of the motherland by the leader of the Bengal School is exactly what she would call the first masterpiece of Indian art.
Sources
- NCERT Class X History — India and the Contemporary World II, Chapter 2: Nationalism in India (the sense of collective belonging)
- NCERT Class XII Fine Arts — An Introduction to Indian Art Part II (The Bengal School and Cultural Nationalism)