Bireswar Sen, born in 1897, Calcutta West Bengal is one of the most prominent landscape artists of Modern India. The artist was trained under the tutelage of Abanindranath Tagore in the Indian Society of Oriental Art and was greatly influenced by the techniques of Japanese art introduced by artists as Arai Kampo and Taikan. He was equally interested in English Literature hence took his formal education in the subject and taught in a college in Patna, Bihar.
Bireswar sen is eminently known for his miniature sized natural landscapes imbued with the tenets of his Bengal School training in thought and application. His love for nature dominated his paintings and was further heightened upon his meeting with the legendary artist Nicholas Roerich who had epitomised the beauty of Himalayas in his canvases. Bireswar Sen also took to portraying the incomparable splendour and beauty of the changing terrains and environs of the Mighty Himalayas, but in a small scale. His works were executed mostly on paper and were the size of a small card yet never appearing cluttered. They rather echoed similar sentiments and details as encapsulated by larger canvases. His learning and deep interest in literature added lyricism and poetry in his landscapes.
The colour schematisation contributes as the key component in harmonically suffusing the monumental scheme of the Himalayas in such compact space. The effortless application of colour and sweeping brush work adds to the glory and magnificence of nature. Sen's paintings arouse a sense of wonder: the 'adbhuta rasa' and leaves the viewer to marvel at nature's creation.
Country
India
Inscription
Signed 'B. Sen' in English along the lower margin of the painting.
Dimensions
9 X 6.5 cms
Brief Description
In the above painting, Bireswar Sen illustrates a desolate monument against an auburn sky delineated with dark colour brush strokes defining its contours and the wandering animals, invoking the state of neglect of the past.
M. S. Randhawa, in the book- 'The Himalayas' writes, "His microscopic shepherds, horsemen, village women, cattle, goats, and horses, painted against the background of grand and awe inspiring rocks and mountains, impress upon us the comparative insignificance of man against the wild forces of nature."
Detailed Description
Bireswar Sen's paintings are spiritual offerings to the grandeur of almighty nature. The collection of National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi has a number of miniature landscapes by Bireswar Sen, mostly executed in watercolour and tempera on a card size paper not exceeding two and a half by three and a half inches. Bireswar Sen started his artistic career as a figure painter, following the beliefs of Bengal school. Soon abandoning religious and mythological subjects, he indulged in seeking harmony among the forces of nature in his works.
As a result, the figures in his compositions also became smaller, making natural surroundings the focal points of the compositions.