Bazaar

This beautiful 20th Century water colour was painted by Gaganendranath Tagore, one of India's pioneer modernists. Painted on a postcard between 1920-1925, it depicts a bustling city bazaar scene. This piece demonstrates a clear change in style from realist art, and is one of the earliest examples of Indian artists using the European Cubist style. Tagore uses his own unique style of cubism, applying cubist styles such as its use of geometric shapes, to divide the scene into sections. The composition uses many layered geometric shapes, dramatic angles and triangular shapes to create the look of broken rooftops and canopies. The dark rooftops have been used to create strong lines that run along the bottom of the composition. Tagore has broken the tall cityscape into cubes, prisms and broken sections, creating the busy feel of a traditional market. Rectangles and vertical shapes have been layered with brightly coloured striped buildings to provide an energetic feeling of rhythm. The colours have been roughly painted to create a more blocky feel. The palette includes dark, heavy black and grey tones but has been contrasted with bright primary yellow, earthy vermillion and soft blues. This particular use of light and dark (chiaroscuro) creates a lively and mysterious evening vibe. By using the light as a structural part of the composition, Tagore has created a modern abstract cityscape that still manages to capture the busy feel of historical Indian bazaars.