Maniklal Bannerjee

An eminent watercolourist, Maniklal Banerjee (1916-2002) is renowned for silk paintings. In fact, he is one of the first pioneers of experimenting with watercolour on silk in India. Banerjee depicted the folk culture of `Bengal through his works – birds, animals, boats on water bodies, local scenery, women and children going about their daily chores, fairs, festivities, etc. His paintings seem to resonate with a kind of lyricism. The depiction of everyday people, objects and scenes is very dreamlike and strongly rooted in an Indian aesthetic of art.

Born in Barisal, Bangladesh, Banerjee completed his art education at the Government Art School, Kolkata. He taught art at the Government College of Art and Crafts, Kolkata until his retirement. He was also a visiting Professor at the I.K.S. Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh, Madhya Pradesh.

Banerjee’s paintings were inspired by the philosophical and spiritual elements of Indian culture. Sublime in essence, the Tantric and Vedic themes were a part of his work. He was a master craftsman when it came to the use of colours and lines. The level of control he had was remarkable.

Banerjee’s artistic idiom had a considerable impact on the Bengal School artists. He applauded the Santiniketan tradition not just in his paintings but in his writing as well. He penned down a number of essays on art, which are compiled together in a book called Akar, Nirakar, Bikar (The Form, the Formlessness and the Transformation). Also, he had an opportunity to produce a documentary movie for Kolkata Doordarshan. Maniklal Banerjee had exhibited his works in more than 50 solo shows in both India and abroad.