Untitled

Gopal Ghose

Gopal Ghose (1913—1980) was one of the founding members of the Calcutta Group in 1943, the first such collective of Indian modern artists who professed an aesthetic agenda that sought to confront the problems of the modern world and move beyond the pale imitations of the Bengal School of painting and the academic naturalists of their day. He is best remembered for his expressionistic nature studies that he executed en plein air or from memory after cycling around the country to absorb these views. In his role as a teacher at Calcutta’s Government College of Art and Craft he would encourage students to leave the confines of their studios and meet the world outside. This image depicts an occasion when the world outside met him with almost unimaginable violence and bloodletting, forcing Ghose to respond emotionally to the scenes he saw around him.

Written By Ankan Kazi