Pranab Ranjan Ray's TRIBUTE TO TAGORE

Pranab Ranjan Ray's TRIBUTE TO TAGORE

Faizul Khan Tanim in conversation with the art critic about his recent talk on Tagore's art

Pranab Ranjan Ray is one of the most celebrated art critics of this sub-continent.

During a recent visit to Dhaka, he spoke about the significance of Rabindranath Tagore's paintings at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts on March 31, at an event held to celebrate the poet's 150th birth anniversary in May.

Educated at Shantiniketan, Kolkata University and with a degree from the Indian Statistical Institute, Ray does not have an academic background in the arts.

His fondness for the arts developed during his university days as he viewed exhibitions and through interactions with artists, which soon overtook his penchant for active politics as a member of the communist party and he started to write about art when he was studying for an M.A. He gained recognition as an art critic when he started to write for the Lalit Kala Academy's journal in 1960s.

Ray stated, “Tagore was a monarch of writing. The question is why did he start painting after the age of 70? Maybe he wanted to address certain subjects which needed a whole different media to express. And I believe he found the courage to draw by getting inspired from modern themes of European and Western artworks which he was observing for a long time and it is evident in his many writings. But he did not rush into painting immediately. His first important penning on arts, which was a letter to Abanindranath from Japan, was in 1916. That huge letter was later translated and published as a book, called Art and Freedom, by the Lalit Kala Academy after his death. So it was not only inspiration from foreign paintings but he had to develop deep divine guidance and he did not start drawing until almost a decade later in 1924.”

Continuing on this theme, he commented, “Tagore was sporting messages through his arts, just like his poetry and fiction and he tried to publish the thought that all human endeavours are governed by a sense of betterment. Tagore always portrayed through his novels and dramas that all evil doings never stand a chance against good. So, this power of the dark, evil and irrational forces was projected in his paintings.”

Ray visits Bangladesh once every two years to spend time with his friends here and loves the warmth of the people. He holds workshops and discussions whenever he is in town. He talks highly of the Bangladeshi artists, mentioning those he considers to the best in the field.

He thinks that artists such as Zainul Abedin and Qamrul Hassan deserve greater recognition as painters. He also speaks with admiration of Rashid Chowdhury, Rafiqun Nabi and Hashem Khan. Amongst the current names he mentions Shishir Bhattacharjee, Nisar Hossain, Munirul Islam who lives in Spain, Shahbuddin residing in France and Dhali Al Mamun for their great works of art.

He is equally complimentary about the women artists, “The female artists from this country are doing tremendous work as well and the large numbers surfacing from South Asia is brilliant. There are a few from Pakistan but sadly they do not reside in that country; rather, they reside in the UK, US or other places. It is very sad that if they were in their own countries, they could not have done the works they are doing right now. But this is not the case in Bangladesh and female artists here have great prospects.”