“The Garland” is an intricate work of etching done by the esteemed artist Samarendranath Gupta. The work was done by etching on a wood block using ink. The work was likely done from any time between 1910-1930, the most active period for the esteemed artist. The work depicts a woman, draped in a saree, sitting beside a window. She is shown holding a garland in her hand, smiling as she holds the string between her fingertips. Foliage is shown from the window, seemingly a sort of creeper or vines climbing loosely along the window frame. A sense of coziness is present in the painting, giving one a sense of being close and personal, yet still detached from the woman as she is focused in her own world.
Born in 1887, Samarendranath Gupta grew to become an extremely important artist in the Indian Nationalist Artwork scene. He was among the first batch taken by Abanindranath Tagore, alongside Nandalal Bose, Surendranath Ganguly, Kshitindranath Mazumder, K. Venkattapa, Asit Kumar Haldar, Benod Bihari Mookherjee, and Mukul Dey. This became the Bengal School, formed in nationalistic fervour in order to formulate and assert an Indian identity and art, and revive traditional Indian styles of art. Samarendranath soon became the principal of the Mayo School of Art in Lahore, and was responsible for the ingress of the Bengal School of Art in Punjab, through both his principalship and also becoming a major proponent of the Punjab Fine Arts society. Samarendranath spread the Bengal school immensely in Punjab, tutoring important artists like A.R. Chugtai.
"The Garland" is a bold example of the traditional Bengal school of art. The minimal line work invokes a vague yet intimate feeling within the observer. The soft, winding foliage seen through the window offers tranquility and harmony and points at peace. The minimal props and objects in the background and the ample usage of negative space draws attention towards the subject. The quick and masterful brush strokes create a sense of slow movement in the painting. Samarendranath Gupta was part of the first group of artists taken in by Abanindranath Tagore. The Bengal school of art, of which Gupta was a part of, aimed to restore the fervour towards traditional Indian art owing to the increasing nationalistic feelings.
