Rabin Mondal
Encyclopedia
Rabindra Nath Mondal, better known as Rabin Mondal, was born in 1929, in Kolkata
.
Rabin Mondal is an Indian artist who was a founding member of the Calcutta Painters. He lived and worked in relative obscurity until retrospective exhibitions of his work in Kolkata
, New Delhi
and Bombay brought him to India’s national attention in 2005.
Like many Indian artists of his generation, Rabin was deeply affected by the Bengal Famine
of 1943, the struggle for India’s independence, and the subsequent partition of his native Bengal
.
of the University of Calcutta
.
In 1964 Rabin and what is now known as the “Group of Eight”, (which consisted of Nikhil Biswas, Prokash Karmakar, Bijan Chowdhury, Gopal Sanyal, Bimal Banerjee, Mahim Rudra, Gunbritt Svensson and Mondal himself) formed the Calcutta Painters. This lively group of artists worked to promote modernist art not only in Calcutta, but throughout India, becoming nationally known in the process.
Mondal worked out of his Howrah studio, churning out a series of “kings” and “queens” painted with oil on canvas. These are perhaps Mondal’s best known works, depicting tragic looking figures, seemingly suffering from paranoia and fear, yet ironically termed kings and queens. Some of the highlights of this series were the works Man Acting as King, King Being Appeased, King Making Confession, and King and his Assassin. Mondal also produced a series of “deities”, which sometimes seem to merge thematically with his “queens”. The artist’s deities are generally depicted with radiating crowns, whereas his kings and queens are not. Other favorite subjects of the artist were the brothel and the harem, which he depicted in canvases such as Event in Red Light Area and Orgy.
Though some of Mondal’s best canvases have an obvious cubist
influence, stylistically his work has been predominantly expressionist
, a reaction to the tormented humanity that surrounded him in Calcutta, and the tragic events of his formative years.
Rabin Mondal’s work can be found in the collections of The National Gallery of Modern Art
, New Delhi, Osians Art Archive, Mumbai, The Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, and the Jane and Kito de Boer Collection, Dubai.
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
.
Rabin Mondal is an Indian artist who was a founding member of the Calcutta Painters. He lived and worked in relative obscurity until retrospective exhibitions of his work in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
and Bombay brought him to India’s national attention in 2005.
Early life & His Family History
Mondal was born in Howrah, an overcrowded urban extension of Calcutta. His family had prospered in business in the late 19th century. His family's first person's name Raja Haridas Mondal, ruler of an area near the Himalayas's Mountains(1500A.D), and second person's name RajendraNarayan Mondal who's history started in 1792 to 1860, who is Dewan of NarayanGanj, Bengal; now in Bangladesh. Dewan's had three sons, their name ware Gopimohan Mondal, Rajnarayan Mondal & Aghore Chandra Mondal. Dewan's second wife's son was Rajnarayan. Dewan's elder son Gopimohan lived in Narayanganj,Bengal; Rajnarayan in Khanakull-Krishnanagar, Hoogly; and Aghorchandra in Howrah-Jaipur, Hoogly now in Howrah. In elder time Howrah in Hoogly District. Rajendra's wife name BhubanMohini, she lived before marriage in Beniyatola in North Calcutta. Rajendranarayan got "Raja" title; He knew Bengali, Urdu, Hebrew, and some Englsh language. The narrow lane on which rests Rabin’s paternal home was named after his grandfather Fakirdas Mondal. But the pressures of an extended Bengali household forced the young Rabin to live with not only his brothers and sisters, but also his aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles, and also his cousins. Though the Mondal family had a highly educated and upper middle-class background, Howrah was known for its overcrowded slums and impoverished migrant workers who toiled in various grimy industries. It was an environment that caused the young Rabin to take note of the realities of life and its struggles.Like many Indian artists of his generation, Rabin was deeply affected by the Bengal Famine
Bengal famine
There have been a number of significant famines in the history of Bengal including:*Bengal famine of 1770*Bengal famine of 1943*Bangladesh famine of 1974*Bengal Famine , a movie by Bimal Roy...
of 1943, the struggle for India’s independence, and the subsequent partition of his native Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
.
Education and career
Rabin Mondal graduated in Commerce from Calcutta University in 1952. His first formal education in art was at the Indian College of Art and Draughtsmanship, Calcutta. He continued his artistic studies at the Asutosh Museum of Indian ArtAsutosh Museum of Indian Art
Asutosh Museum of Indian Art is an art museum located in the main campus of University of Calcutta on College Street, Kolkata , India. Established in 1937, it is the first public museum in any University in India...
of the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
.
In 1964 Rabin and what is now known as the “Group of Eight”, (which consisted of Nikhil Biswas, Prokash Karmakar, Bijan Chowdhury, Gopal Sanyal, Bimal Banerjee, Mahim Rudra, Gunbritt Svensson and Mondal himself) formed the Calcutta Painters. This lively group of artists worked to promote modernist art not only in Calcutta, but throughout India, becoming nationally known in the process.
Mondal worked out of his Howrah studio, churning out a series of “kings” and “queens” painted with oil on canvas. These are perhaps Mondal’s best known works, depicting tragic looking figures, seemingly suffering from paranoia and fear, yet ironically termed kings and queens. Some of the highlights of this series were the works Man Acting as King, King Being Appeased, King Making Confession, and King and his Assassin. Mondal also produced a series of “deities”, which sometimes seem to merge thematically with his “queens”. The artist’s deities are generally depicted with radiating crowns, whereas his kings and queens are not. Other favorite subjects of the artist were the brothel and the harem, which he depicted in canvases such as Event in Red Light Area and Orgy.
Though some of Mondal’s best canvases have an obvious cubist
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
influence, stylistically his work has been predominantly expressionist
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
, a reaction to the tormented humanity that surrounded him in Calcutta, and the tragic events of his formative years.
Rabin Mondal’s work can be found in the collections of The National Gallery of Modern Art
National Gallery of Modern Art
The National Gallery of Modern Art is the leading Indian art gallery. The main museum at New Delhi was established on March 29, 1954 by the Government of India, with subsequent branches at Mumbai and Bangalore...
, New Delhi, Osians Art Archive, Mumbai, The Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, and the Jane and Kito de Boer Collection, Dubai.