Biswanath Mukerji

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"The wash watercolor technique, that I use, makes the subject blend gently with the background as boundaries melt away, creating an effect that is mysterious and alluring."

That`s the way Biswanath Mukherjee explained his fascination for a technique, of which he was perhaps the last exponent.

A recluse, Mukherjee, who lived in Delhi most of his life and was the Principal of the College of Arts there, hardly...
Read More "The wash watercolor technique, that I use, makes the subject blend gently with the background as boundaries melt away, creating an effect that is mysterious and alluring."

That`s the way Biswanath Mukherjee explained his fascination for a technique, of which he was perhaps the last exponent.

A recluse, Mukherjee, who lived in Delhi most of his life and was the Principal of the College of Arts there, hardly participated in held any exhibitions. The few that he did were mainly in Delhi itself, and in Lucknow, where he studied art.

Born in Varanasi, he fled home when he was just 17, because his parents did not approve of his ambition of being an artist. He landed in Lucknow and joined the School of Art, where he studied under Asit Kumar Haldar and Lalit Mohan Sen. He, in fact, learnt the wash watercolor technique, for which he was famous, from Haldar.

Mukherjee successfully integrated Western modernism with Eastern sublimity and mysteriousness, a style perfected by the Neo-Bengal School, to which he belonged. Though his style was very definitely Cubist, at least in his later works, with the help of the wash watercolor technique, he managed to imbue his canvases with a deep sense of relaxation.

His medium was watercolor and his works have been classified in the Neo-Bengal Art School on the basis of the wash technique (a technique that arrived in India with the visit of two Japanese artists, Tarkan and Shunso in 1903). It was perfected by artist Abaindranath Tagore, who passed it on to his student, Haldar.

So dedicated was Mukherjee to the wash watercolor technique, that he never deviated to other mediums like oil or graphics. He explored all possible combinations of the technique, applying it to themes ranging from `Devi` images to expressionistic and sternly futuristic abstractions.

With the help of a flat large brush, wet with water, Mukherjee blurred the painted surface, thus creating a misty appearance. After an application of color, he submerged the painting in water, causing the colors to dilute and spread further. He then applied another layer of color, resubmerged the painting and repeated with alternate dips and application of color, which caused the pigment to fuse and merge. Most of his paintings had an ethereal, haunting quality, with soft and subdued shades.

His most famous works have been landscapes; he hardly tempered them with the use of white, which is very common in landscape paintings. Mukherjee allowed the light to emerge from the paleness of the paper itself. In a lot of his paintings, especially in the ones that had a predominance of trees, there was a three dimensional depth. He also used many shades of blue - especially ink blues - which gave his canvas a melancholic look.

He created some stunning miniature landscapes that have a jewel like quality about them. Luminous and transparent, they stand out because of their intricate detailing over a very small area.

In 1950, Mukherjee was appointed the Principal of the Government College of Art and Architecture in Hyderabad; he later shifted to Delhi and headed the College of Arts till he retired. Some of his finest paintings can be found in the collections of the Indian princely states in North and South India.

Biswanath Mukherjee died in New Delhi in 1984.

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