Page 124 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

SCULPTURE 121

appeared on the scene and the situation changed promptly. It must be said that the
import of European civilization is not solely responsible for the individualism,
realism and materialism encountered in the artists of this country. It had found
expression through the ages in the terracotta art of Bengal's temple walls which is a
tradition much older than the colonial age. 47
A fact is that with the establishment of Muslim rule in Bengal sculpture all but lost
state patronization. The tradition of painting continued but the same did not happen in
the case of sculpture. Perhaps that is why the educated Bengali was even further
separated from sculpture. However folk sculpture, plaques on temple walls, icons etc
continued to be manufactured in rural Bengal.
When the British rulers began to import their sculptures, there was no secular or
generally accepted popular trend in Bengali sculpture which could compete with
them. The educated and cultured Bengali had no knowledge of what sculpture was.
The historical trends of the past were lost to memory because there was no real reason
to hold on to them in the present context. The national identity which is not under
threat easily accepts changes. Only when faced by identity crisis does it cling to its
existence and uniqueness.
The Neoclassical trend of British sculpture easily captivated the Bengalis and, for
that matter, the Indians. Their own lack of good taste and aesthetics pained the
Bengalis. They were prepared to correct this and welcomed the first art institution
founded in Kolkata.
The first art institute in Kolkata, that is, Bengal was called ‘School of Industrial Art’.
It was established in 1854. The name itself provides some clue as to the objective of
the institute founded by the enthusiasm of British rulers and some aristocratic
Bengalis. This institution was definitely not created to turn out artists. The sort of
artists that would emerge from this institution would be skilled in applied arts. It was
intended to teach useful and scientific art in the Victorian ideal and improve the taste
of the people of this country. What is particularly significant is the fact that from the
very beginning there were 11 Brahmin students among the total of 95 students. This
reflects the change of the Bengalis attitude towards art. Art began to be accepted
outside artisan families by the bhadralok (genteel) classes even before 1850.
However, a traditional clay artisan gained fame for his portraits long before modeling
began to be taught in educational institutions. Nabakumar Pal’s name was known
48
before 1850 and it is also known that there were other sculptors equally skilled in the
modeling process. There was a report published in Friends of India in 1845 after
49
Nabakumar received the ‘Isis’ award from the Society of Arts of London. It states that
he was a common artisan of clay figures. A doctor of the medical college, Professor
William Brook O’Shannaushey discovered Nabakumar as he was selling his artworks
at the market. It was with his support that Nabakumar modeled clay busts of many
Indians and Europeans. His clay bust of William Carey was sent to England to be
50
reproduced in stone. It was admired by connoisseurs and Society of Arts honored him