At Artworld Sarala’s Art Centre, it feels like stepping back into the Bengal School of Art and its legacies, an early 20th-century movement that sought to forge a distinct Indian artistic identity by reviving indigenous traditions and moving away from Western academic realism. The movement was shaped by prominent artists such as Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose, while figures such as Gaganendranath Tagore pushed its visual language towards a new form of modernism. Techniques such as wash and tempera became famous, drawing inspiration from the Japanese watercolour methods and the ancient frescoes of the Ajanta Caves.
The same legacy can be seen in the works of artists such as Bimal Kundu and Pradip Maitra, both from Bengal, whose practices over the decades have remained rooted in this distinct visual language. Having been taught by some of the movement’s pioneers, their works carry not only their own artistic sensibilities but also a strong connection to the generations of artists who came before them.
Watercolour reveries
Watercolour painting titled She in the Costume by Pradip Maitra
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In Pradip Maitra’s watercolours, he is inspired by the Victorian era, some of which reflects in his paintings. The painting, She in the Costume, features a lady wearing a red gown with patterns and frills that is reminiscent of the time when Calcutta was the capital under British rule.
All of his watercolours are rendered in transparent colour layers, where diluted layers of colours are applied multiple times to create the translucent effect on paper. “For my watercolours I am inspired by artists like JMW Turner and Shymal Dutta Ray whose techniques I use in my paintings,” says Maitra.
Horoscope of Education by Pradip Maitra
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In some of Maitra’s watercolour paintings, locks become a recurrent theme, which the artist attributes to the COVID pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, where people were confined to their homes. . “It was the first time in my life that I saw the entire world locked out, and everything closed. I saw locks everywhere, from my door to my neighbour’s, local shops, and across society,” he says.
“I also felt that if the world was to end today, and something has to remain , it should be my art,” he adds.
On painting with watercolour, Maitra talks about how the medium felt more convenient as a college student, when financial constraints would go on to dictate the choices that artists made. “After my second year at Indian College of Arts, Calcutta, we had to move to oil painting on canvas, but my family could not afford canvases and other materials. I went to the principal and asked if I could continue making my compositions in watercolour instead. He permitted me, and that is how I continued my work,” says Maitra.
Even though he picked up oil painting along the way, watercolour is what he keeps returning to time and again: “a bowl of water, some pigments, a brush, and a white sheet of paper became my life.”
Sculpting stories
Scuplture titled, ‘head’ by Bimal Kundu
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If Pradip Maitra chose brush and paper, Bimal Kundu chose sculpting as his artistic language. His portraits are known for being peaceful, serene, and meditative , which he says is an inspiration from the Bengal School of Art and his growing up in North Calcutta.
His sculptures are also everyday observations; in one, a woman can be seen reclining, in an almost meditative state, a familiar sight in Bengali households on afternoons. “The sculpture captures a moment of leisure, when the women of the household, having finished their chores, would lie on the bed and let their hair loose, spreading it across the bed,” says Kundu.
Then there is a bull, which Kundu says was a common occurrence around his house growing up. Kundu describes his artistic journey as a homage to his time spent in Kumartuli, the artisan and potters’ quarter in North Kolkata, famous for crafting Durga idols. “I have spent almost 10 years with the idol makers; I have learned everything from them, from sourcing the clay to rolling it out. It only helped me later as an artist to master my own craft,” says Kundu.
Sculpture titled. ‘head’ by Bimal Kundu.
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Music also plays an important role in his life, which is reflected in the sculptures; some of them can be seen with the veena and the sitar. “My musician series sculptures are inspired by legendary classical musicians such as Amjad Ali Khan, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, and Vilayat Khan,” says Kundu. The sculptures, he says, are also inspired by artists like Jamini Roy’s paintings, which, when you look closer becomes apparent from the facial expressions.
Together, the works of Pradip Maitra and Bimal Kundu offer a glimpse into how the legacy of the Bengal School continues to evolve through different mediums and generations.
The exhibition of paintings and sculptures is on at Artworld – Sarala’s Art Centre, Ganeshpuram, Teynampet, Chennai, till September 10 (Monday to Friday, 11am to 7pm). Entry is open and free for all.
Published – August 28, 2026 05:18 pm IST
