Gaganendranath Tagore (1867-1938), a member of the prominent Tagore family of Jorasanko, Calcutta, was a self-taught artist who developed an innovative cubist technique by the time he reached his early sixties. He created a unique cubism that incorporated figures and architectural forms in his artwork from 1922-1925, according to the art historian Ratan Parimoo. "Magician," is an example of one of Tagore's cubist works. Although it has a loose relationship to cubism as it has manifested in Europe, the painting reveals Gaganendranath's many unique fascinations with photography, architecture, and theatre; and shows the strength of his vision as a multi-disciplinary artist. The woman figure at the centre of the painting appears to the viewer more like a photograph laid over the top of a 3D surface rather than a traditional cubist figure. Tagore's cubist paintings are semi-abstract in that the composition of the figures and the ground separate into geometrically interlocking planes of light and dark. The narrative of "Magician" revolves around a man with a beard dressed in a white robe who is observing his own work as the "magician," and is being portrayed as an illusion viewed through refracted panels of alternating white and black. Brightly illuminated, the multiple depth as reflected into the back of the painting carries a very soft, mysterious theatricality as shown by the silhouette of a woman who is visible at the back of the multiple depth of the painting.
The artwork, to me, represents a foreboding image. The sepia hues and the stark red carpet suggest a sea of blood, implying a tone of mystery and horror. The two distinct figures in the painting, wearing long robes and extravagant headgear, suggest a ritualistic setting. When viewed closely, two more figures are visible in the background, almost lurking in the dark like eerie shadows.
The three years from 1916 to 1919 were labeled as "Bichitra" meaning wonderful or unusual, evoking a sense of the sublime. During this period, Gaganendranath Tagore was involved in
theatrical designing and learned about ‘lighting’ and stage arrangements. This time must have contributed as inspiration for his painting “Magician” along with elements from the avant-garde art movement, Cubism, that he portrayed in a unique manner in the artwork.
