Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)

Gifted by the artist to Mr. Anil Kumar Chanda and Mrs. Ranee Chanda

Thence by descent

One unframed and unmounted drawing on paper. There is a minor crease at the lower right corner. Slight abrasions to the surface throughout.
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Tagore's self-portraits first appeared in 1932. The artist's approach to the depiction of himself is discussed by Ratan Parimoo, who identifies a number of drawings based on well-known photographs of Tagore. The current lot relates closely to a self-portrait Tagore produced in 1936. (R. Parimoo, Art of Three Tagores, From Revival to Modernity, Kumar Gallery, New Delhi, 2011, p. 485). Parimoo raises the question as to whether Tagore was 'fascinated by his own face as an interesting model or is he obsessed with his own self?' (ibid, p. 487) He concludes that the self-portraits represent his own Jibandebata, his creative self. "If among the innumerable objects in this world there be a few that come under the full illumination of our soul and thus assume reality for us, they constantly cry to our creative mind for a permanent representation. They belong to the same domain as the desire of ours which represents the longing for the permanence of our own self." (Rabindranath Tagore, The Religion of an Artist, 1933). Tagore's self-portraits 'have a prophet-like serenity as well as an inner anguish.' (R. Parimoo, Art of Three Tagores, From Revival to Modernity, Kumar Gallery, New Delhi, 2011,  p.488) Not too many of his self-portraits exist, making these works very rare and special.

Anil Kumar Chanda and Ranee Chanda were both close associates of Rabindranath Tagore and lifelong adherents of his philosophy. Anil Kumar Chanda (1903-1976) first met Tagore whilst in London studying at the London School of Economics.  At Tagore’s request Chanda returned to India in 1930 to become his personal secretary as well as Professor at the Poet’s pioneering Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan. He later became Principal at Visva-Bharati University, a unique cultural institution renowned for its all encompassing world view and a back to nature approach. It was whilst at Santiniketan that Anil Kumar Chanda met his future wife Ranee Dey, (1913-1997). Tagore in a rare gesture officiated their wedding and the Chandas lived in a house within Tagore’s residential complex at Santiniketan.

Ranee Dey came from an eminent family of artists and was trained in the Bengal School style under the guidance of Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose.  Rabindranath Tagore brought Ranee Chanda, her sister, brothers and widowed mother to Santiniketan from Bangladesh after hearing of their father's demise. Tagore took the family into his care and it was through his guidance that Ranee Chanda and her siblings received their education and training in art and literature. Whilst at Santiniketan, she drew several portraits and sketches of Tagore and his family. Ranee Chanda went on to become the first woman artist to hold a solo exhibition in India and was an acclaimed writer in Bengali, winning the Rabindra Puraskar, the top literary honour in Bengali. Her writings chronicled her early days in Santiniketan, Tagore's reminiscences to her and Abanindranath Tagore's recollections. During the latter part of Rabindranath Tagore’s life, she accompanied the Poet to Calcutta, recording in a moving book his last days and the outpouring of grief following his death.

In the early 1950s,  Anil Kumar Chanda left Santiniketan for Delhi at the behest of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.  He joined Nehru’s cabinet where he held several portfolios, including foreign affairs.  In 1974 when he retired, he chose to return to Santiniketan spurning an offer to become Ambassador in London. Anil Kumar Chanda was actively involved in the affairs of the University at Santiniketan up until his death in 1976.  Ranee Chanda lived a more reclusive life spent entirely in Santiniketan, a place that was dearest to her heart.

This important group of paintings comes from a collection that represents the Chanda family’s lifelong dedication to Rabindranath Tagore and his teachings at Santiniketan. All the paintings in the collection were gifted to Anil Kumar Chanda, Ranee Chanda and their son Abhijit Chanda by Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose, as well as a number of works by visiting artists from China, Japan and Indonesia. The paintings within the collection often included dedicatory inscriptions that indicated the recipient and the occasion on which they were bequeathed.