Question

Who founded Bengal School of painting style?

• A. Rabindranath Tagore
• B. Raja Ravi Varma
• C. Mrinalini Mukherjee
• D. Abanindranath Tagore

Hint:

Be careful not to confuse Abanindranath Tagore, the painter and founder of the Bengal School, with his famous uncle, Rabindranath Tagore, the poet and Nobel laureate who also painted but in a very different, personal style later in his life.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Bengal School of Art was an influential art movement and style of Indian painting that originated in the early 20th century in Calcutta and Shantiniketan. It was a nationalist movement that reacted against the Western academic art styles promoted during the British Raj and sought to establish a distinct modern Indian identity in art.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Abanindranath Tagore (1871–1951) is credited as the principal artist and founder of the Bengal School. He, along with the support of the British arts administrator E. B. Havell, rejected Western realism and encouraged students to draw inspiration from indigenous Indian art forms like Mughal miniatures, Rajput paintings, and Ajanta frescoes. His vision was to create a new art style that was spiritually and culturally Indian. While his uncle, Rabindranath Tagore, was a great patron of the arts, it was Abanindranath who led the artistic movement.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The founder of the Bengal School of painting style was Abanindranath Tagore.