Untitled (Deer)

Acquaintances of Nandalal Bose were lucky as the Santiniketan-based master would carry ‘postcards’ on his person as he went about his daily life, recording its vignettes, which he would often post to friends and family, sometimes accompanied by handwritten notes. His works such as this watercolour were rendered in clean expressionistic style, in a major departure from his Bengal School training; the simple, clear lines became popular for reflecting the lived truth. Here, he catches a deer, ambling through the thick forests amidst which Santiniketan is located.