Untitled (Darjeeling Market)

Abanindranath Tagore, a pioneering twentieth-century Indian artist and an active proponent of revivalist art, was the founder of what came to be known as the Bengal School. Trained in the European realist style, his practice evolved to assimilate Ajanta frescos, Kalighat pats, Mughal, Japanese and Persian elements. The exploration of mood was a central theme in Abanindranath Tagore’s practice and the beauty of nature dominates several of his landscapes, becoming a pre-eminent subject in these paintings. Some of his works, such as this overview of the town of Darjeeling, were like travelogues in which the artist recorded his observations from a distance. A low-key presence of humans can be glimpsed through small houses, allowing the painter to remain detached from human activity while being conscious of the picturesque quality of his surroundings.