Sudhir Khastgir

Sudhir Ranjan Khastgir
Khastgir at The Doon School, where he was the first art teacher when it opened in 1935.
Born(1907-09-24)24 September 1907
Chittagong, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died6 June 1974(1974-06-06) (aged 66)
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
NationalityIndian
Known forPainting
MovementBengal school of art, Modern Indian Art

Sudhir Ranjan Khastgir (24 September 1907 – 6 June 1974) was an Indian painter of Bengal school of art and an art educator.[1] A pupil of Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose, Sudhir was known for "Indian style" of painting. He graduated from Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan in 1929. He was influenced by the Tagore family and his classic works include paintings of scenes from Indian mythologies, women, and village life.[2] He was also the first Art teacher at The Doon School, Dehradun, when it opened in 1935. Today, the many statues and murals on display at Doon, and frescoes of dancers at the entrance of a local cinema hall, 'The Orient', are a product of his creation.[3][4]

Life and career

'Tagore' by Khastgir, depicting Rabindranath Tagore.

Sudhir was born in Chittagong, Bangladesh in 1907.[5] He soon moved to Kolkata, India for his schooling. After graduating from the Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan, he went to Academy of Fine Arts, Munich to study Fine Arts on a scholarship. After returning from Munich, he became the first Arts master at the newly opened The Doon School. He remained in Doon for the next 20 years.[6][7] During this period, he also directed some dance-dramas based on the works of Rabindranath Tagore.[5]

While at Doon, he achieved considerable national fame and was invited by the Uttar Pradesh Government to head Lucknow College of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow (University of Lucknow) in 1956.[8]

He was awarded the Padma Shri award by Government of India in 1957, for his significant contributions to Indian art.[9][10]

Family

His elder brother, Satish Ranjan Khastgir, was a noted physicist. His daughter Shyamoli Khastgir, an environmental activist, once married to architect, Lee Tan (son of Chinese scholar of Santiniketan Tan Yun-Shan) lives in Purba Palli, Shantiniketan.[5]

References

Notes
  1. ^ "Bengal artists at home in Chennai gallery". The Times of India. Times News Network. 20 March 2012. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Sudhir R. Khastgir". EPaintings. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  3. ^ "Bonfire Of Vanities | Vishvjit P. Singh". Outlook. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  4. ^ "The Hub". Tehelka. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Amit Chaudhuri. "Editorial: Secrets And Treasures". The Telegraph (Kolkata). Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Artist Gellary - SUDHIR KHASTGIR". Goaartgallery.com. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  7. ^ Srivastava, Sanjay (1998). Constructing Post-Colonial India: National Character and the Doon School - Sanjay Srivastava - Google Books. ISBN 9780415178563. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  8. ^ Fine art Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Lucknow University
  9. ^ "Faculty of Fine Arts". Lucknow University. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Padma Awards Directory (1954-2009)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2013.
Bibliography
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