Bharat Mata (Abanindranath)
 | |
| Artist | Abanindranath Tagore |
|---|---|
| Year | 1905 |
| Type | Watercolor painting |
Bharat Mata is an epic painting by celebrated Indian painter, Abanindranath Tagore.
Bharat Mata, Abanindranath Tagore’s work dating back to 1905 depicts a saffron clad woman, dressed like a sadhvi, holding a book, sheaves of paddy, a piece of white cloth and a garland in her four hands. The painting is also considered significant because of its historical value and since it had helped in conceptualizing the idea of Bharat Mata (Mother India).
“The painting is an attempt of humanisation of ‘Bharat Mata’ where the mother is seeking liberation through her sons,” Historians say that Sister Nivedita, an admirer of the painting wanted to carry it from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to spread nationalist fervour among the people of the country
Nephew of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath is considered the foundational figure of the Bengal School of Art and is also hailed as the ‘father of modern Indian Art’.
Experts say that Abanindranath Tagore reinvented Rajput and Mughal miniature painting from the influence of western models of art.
This painting depicts Bharat Mata.
The Painting
Abanindranath Tagore painted Banga Mata/ Bharat Mata as Lakshmi, the Goddess of Plenty, clad in the apparel of a Vaishnava nun.
References
- ↑ "Patriotic fervour". The Hindu. 2003-08-17. Retrieved 2016-12-01.