Important Notice

Rabindranath Tagore's achievements go beyond his prolific contributions to art and literature, beyond what he is instantly associated with. The Nobel laureate was born in an affluent Bengali family in 1861 and developed an acute sensitivity towards the arts: music, poetry, literature, and dance. His journey as a painter only began in his sixties. Most artists remember Tagore today for his versatile genius and revolutionary style as an artist;... Rabindranath Tagore's achievements go beyond his prolific contributions to art and literature, beyond what he is instantly associated with. The Nobel laureate was born in an affluent Bengali family in 1861 and developed an acute sensitivity towards the arts: music, poetry, literature, and dance. His journey as a painter only began in his sixties. Most artists remember Tagore today for his versatile genius and revolutionary style as an artist; his ability to trace cultural trends internationally and, most notably, for founding Santiniketan. In 1901, Tagore founded Santiniketan as a reactionary school against the British colonial academic model in Bengal. Created principally as an intellectual retreat with an objective to connect India's literary and artistic aesthetics to the country's heritage and folk art, it was the first of its kind. A mentor, inspiration and role model for many artists the world-over, Tagore has been depicted by many acclaimed Indian artists, including M.F. Husain, Mukul Dey, Chittaprosad Bhattacharya, W. Rothenstein, Boris Georgiev, Ram Kinkar Baij. Here, Somnath Hore departs from his usual style to pay a tribute to the polymath.

As a predecessor of Chowdhury, most of Somnath Hore's works are a response to major historical crises and events of his lifetime, such as the 1940 Bengal famine, Tebhaga movement, and Vietnam war. "Emancipated bodies racked with hunger, pain, suffering and disease, their sunken eyes staring out in utter despondency, human suffering was etched into the mind and art of Somnath Hore." (Manifestations VI: 75 Artists, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2011, pg. 104).

Inventor of the 'pulp - print' method and a highly skilled self-taught print-maker, Hore spent the latter of his life at Santiniketan teaching at Kala Bhavan. It was only after 1974 that he began sculpting. Stylistically, his figuration depicts anguish. The lines are minimalistic and forceful, and with a few deft strokes, he manages to capture the essence of his subject. The same is true of his sculptural work. The present lot epitomises this style. It is a precursor to the Tagore bronze commissioned by the Nehru Centre in London to make this portrait, Hore made around four such sculptures as part of a series on Tagore, his mentor. Only five inches in height, Tagore's personality is captured in this piece, even as details are done away with. The artist made a limited number of sculptures in his lifetime, most of them politically charged. This underscores the significance and rarity of the present work.

While this lot capture's the essence of Tagore, Hore rarely made portraits. This work showcases his mastery over their disciplines and add immense value and dynamism to their oeuvre.

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