At the time when the art of India was breaking free of the shackles of the sterile confines of the British controlled Company School, the multi-talented Tagore family was at the fountainhead of the emerging modern school, popularly known as the Neo-Bengal School. In this family of artists, was born on 18^th September, 1867, Gaganendranath Tagore, nephew of Rabindranath, at Jorasanko, at the Tagore Family Home. Gaganendranath is counted, along with his brother Abanindranath, as one of the earliest practitioners of modern art in India. Gaganendranath was inspired by the visiting Japanese artist Yokoyama Taikan and other Far Eastern styles, early in his artistic life.

He started painting rather late in his life, probably around 1905, when he was 38 years old. While in early years his painting activity is sporadic, the entire decade of 1920s is his most prolific and creative period. Yet it should be noted that he was active for nearly twenty-five years. Gaganendranath was one of the first modern painter of India. In 1867 he for the first time established the family theatre of the Tagore household called ‘Jorasanko Theatre’. In theatre, Gaganendranath was more involved in costume and set design as well as lighting. Gaganendranath was an impressive organizer of bringing together including the top most British colonial art minded administrators which made it possible to establish the Oriental Society of Indian Art in Kolkata, responsible for many historic art promotion activities between 1907 and 1930 attracting personalities like William Rothenstein (British artist), Pavalova (Russian dancer), Count Keyserling (philosopher), Golubew (Russian aristocrat and, art collector), Karpeles sisters (one of whom Andree was a French Painter), the great Japanese visionary, Kakuzo Okakura and the Governer of Bengal, Lord Carmichael.

With his proficiency in the European water-colour techniques he was probably the first artist to explore with French style of painting in India. He also came under the influence of experimentalist art prevalent in Europe at that time and was allured towards geometric compositions.

His imagination was fired by anything Indian or Oriental, probably more so, because of his assertive nationalism. He was, like the other Tagores, also versatile in his artistic interests, and involved himself in theatre, reading and photography. His interest in photography may have got him interested in the mysterious play of light and shade and patterns. This was the gist of Cubism, seeking to represent one’s experiences in terms of patterns which are often veiled by the visual appearance. He developed his own brand of Cubism, through his various inspirations but, what he is best known for is political cartoons and social satires on Westernised Bengalis.

Gaganendranath was one of the most famous Indian cartoonists of his time. ‘Birupa Bajra’ is the title of a portfolio of cartoons by Gaganendranath Tagore which are really a merciless satire, not altogether undeserved, on some of the modern tendencies of the artist’s countrymen. Gaganendranath Tagore has certainly broken new grounds in Indian pictorial Art by publishing these satirical sketches. He was a serious critic of the contemporary Bengalee society. He got interested in lithography with his brother Abanindranath Tagore.

Rabindranath Tagore, his uncle commented on his art, thus, in 1938: “What profoundly attracted me was the uniqueness of his creation, a lively curiosity in his constant experiments, and some mysterious depth in their imaginative value. Closely surrounded by the atmosphere of a new art movement… he sought out his own untrodden path of adventure, attempted marvellous experiments in colouring and made fantastic trials in the magic of light and shade”. Rabindranath Tagore used to describe Gaganendranath as an ideal of completeness in life. His artistic make-up was one wholesome entity, and whatever walk of life he tread, he gave it an artistic orientalisation, flavouring each of his artistic pursuits with daring originality of conception and execution of a bewildering variety of themes in different styles and techniques.

The largest number of paintings of Gaganendranath now forms part of Rabindra-Bharati Society’s collection at Jorasanko, Kolkata. In 1907, he founded the Indian Society of Oriental Art along with his brother Abanindranath Tagore.

Gaganendranath Tagore died in 14^th February, 1938.