Gaganendranath Tagore - Painter of Mysteries

Director: Debabrata Roy
Year: 1975

Nephew of Rabindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore was also a younger brother of the well known painter Abanindranath. He developed deep love for painting from very early age. Later he learnt the Japanese technique of light brushwork under Count Okakura. His landscapes, oil paintings on the life of Saint Chaitanya and even cartoons reflect a very personal style. After he saw Kandinsky's work in Calcutta in 1920, Gaganendranath turned to cubism, but he redeemed cubism from its geometric frigidity by turning it into an emotional adventure. This was followed by chiaroscuro, filled with mysterious suggestiveness. The artist who was struck down by paralysis, did a painting a few days before his death in 1938 at the age of 71. This painting is significantly called "The Death of an Artist".