“Journey’s End”
Today, we have a rich and colorful painting from Abanindranath Tagore.
“Journey’s End” is a tempera on paper painting from circa 1913 by the Indian artist, Abanindranath Tagore. In this painting, Tagore depicts a camel who has collapsed under the weight of his load. Saturated with color, and yet gentle in line and application, Tagore’s ease of emoting via his paintbrush is evident.
Tagore was the founder of the Bengal School of Art. This was a nationalistic art movement that helped pave the way to modern art in India. In this school, Indian artists were encouraged to portray themselves in their art as they saw themselves, as opposed to the western view of “Orientalism”. Some have interpreted this painting as being symbolic of India under British colonial rule. Strong, steadfast, yet crippled by their heavy burden.
Tagore was heavily inspired by the miniature paintings from the period of the Mughal Empire, between 1526 and 1707. He was also influenced by Japanese art, particularly the way the Japanese artists used paint and ink to create washes.
“Journey’s End” is currently on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in New Delhi, India.
For more on Abanindranath Tagore, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
