Abanindranath Tagore () (7 August 1871 – 5 December 1951), was the principal artist of the
Bengal school and the first major exponent of
swadeshi values in Indian art., reprinted from "Abanindra Number,"
The Visva-Bharati Quarterly, May – Oct. 1942. He was also a noted writer, particularly for children. Popularly known as 'Aban Thakur', his books
Rajkahini, Budo Angla, Nalak, and
Ksheerer Putul are landmarks in Bangla children's literature.
Tagore sought to modernize
Moghul and
Rajput styles in order to counter the influence of
Western models of art, as taught in Art Schools under the
British Raj. Such was the success of Tagore's work that it was eventually accepted and promoted as a national Indian style within British art institutions.<!-- Deleted image removed: -->
Personal life and background
Abanindranath Tagore was born in
Jorasanko,
Calcutta,
British India to Gunendranath Tagore. His grandfather was Girindranath Tagore,the second son of "Prince' Dwarkanath Tagore. He is a member of the distinguished
Tagore family, and a nephew of the poet
Rabindranath Tagore. His grandfather and his elder brother
Gaganendranath Tagore were also artists.
Tagore learned art when studying at
Sanskrit College in the 1880s. In 1889 he married Suhasini Devi, daughter of Bhujagendra Bhusan Chatterjee, a descendant of
Prasanna Coomar Tagore. At this time he left the Sanskrit College after nine years of study and...
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