Page 27 - N S Bendre - Selected Works 1935 - 1991

The artist icon:
K K Hebber’s portrait of
Bendre, a 1960 oil on
canvas (21.5 x 16.5 in),
presents the artist
as a cherished
subject

gathering fruit in a similar figurative rich in emotions and beauty. The landscape
style. Executed with a brilliant works of this period are also exceptional. They
treatment of light and colour, the acknowledge his years of expertise in capturing
work showcases Bendre’s successful natural vistas in extraordinary hues and the use of
assimilation of varied elements to pointillist technique effectively renders texture to
simplify his figures and surroundings tree trunks, foliage in fields, leaves on trees, and
down to their essential forms. Except even the ruggedness of the earth. A beautiful 1975
for the finely-woven basket at their work showcases a charming Kashmiri landscape,
feet, the work offers no details or possibly drawn from Bendre’s recollections of
outlines. Instead, he relies on his springtime in the valley.
skilful handling of light and shadow In the 1980s, Bendre’s exploration of
along with the use of pastel tones to Kutch and Kerala emerged as prominent
render the background in a somewhat themes. In Kutch, he made several studies of
blurred and Impressionistic feel. women and his depictions of cows, people, and
In a 1974 work, Bendre captures desert vistas showcased the essence of India’s
the enduring beauty of maternal love countryside and the communities inhibiting
with the utmost simplicity of form and them. On the other hand, in Kerala, the tropical
refined stylisation. The mother sits richness of flora, fauna, palm trees and expansive
gracefully looking at the child with beaches became his muse. In addition, he
an affectionate gaze, while the child’s kept pushing his own boundaries in terms of
endearing gesture reflects the gentle application of technique.
sensitivity of the composition. The soft Bendre’s vast oeuvre has continued to
pale yellows and blues with delicately transcend the boundaries of changing times
blended tones and the abstraction of and generations. Even as he charted his path
the background accentuate the focus with a constant cycle of learning and unlearning
on the figures, and evoke a sense of to evolve his style, what never wavered was his
calmness for the nurturing scene. commitment to bringing the essence of Indian
The theme of mother and child was life in all forms on his canvas. His legacy is not
a very dear subject for Bendre, and just a chronicle of personal artistic success but
he created many masterful canvases lives on as a treasure in the history of modern
showcasing this eternal bond. Indian art. The master artist continued to paint
While his works from the 1970s until his passing in 1992.
are less stylised than those from his
earlier period, they are, nonetheless, ~ Anandita Bhardwaj

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