EDITOR’S NOTE
When we talk about the illustrious paintings of Rabindranath Tagore, we got to know the information that 1924 manuscript of “Purabi” contains Tagore’s first efforts of drawing. However, this can be contested chronologically. In the Foreword of the 1932 illustrated catalogue Shree Mukul Dey reports about a black leather-bound drawing book of Tagore, which he received from the poet, as a gift, in April 1909 at
Santiniketan. This drawing-book contained the earlier artistic efforts of Rabindranath Tagore. It is astonishing that at the age of sixty, Tagore took up drawing and painting. Successful exhibitions of his many works–which made a debut appearance in Paris upon encouragement by artists he met in the south of France. He painted in a style characterized by peculiarities in aesthetics and colouring schemes. From his letter to Shree Mukul Dey we get to know that he himself titled his paintings for the exhibition, and though he was anxious about the critics’ view, he was compelled to exhibit and sell those paintings to collect subscription for the development of Santiniketan.
From the vast range of his paintings we have chosen those collections which are though different in nature with aesthetically brilliant as well.
Satyam Roychowdhury