INR
Artists Profile
B L Mukerji
Born in Benares in 1921, artist Biswanath Mukerji fled his home when he was 17 because his
parents did not approve of his artistic ambitions He arrived in Lucknow and started to study at
the Government School of Arts, Lucknow, under masters artists, including Lalit Mohan Sen,
Bireswar Sen, and Asit Kumar Haldar He completed his education there in 1945
Mukerji's artistic style was primarily categorised in the Neo-Bengal Art School due to his use of
the wash technique, which was introduced to India by two Japanese artists, Tarkan and
Shunso, in 1903 This technique was refined by Abanindranath Tagore and later passed on to
his student Asit Kumar Haldar, who trained Mukerji
Employing a large flat brush drenched in water, the artist blurred the surfaces of his canvases to
create a misty appearance To further dilute and expand the colours, he submerged the painting
in water, added another layer of colour, and repeated the process of alternating dips and colour
applications As a result, his paintings often exuded an otherworldly, subdued atmosphere with
gentle hues
Although he was best known for his landscape paintings, Mukerji rarely employed the use of
white to lighten them Instead, he allowed the paper's natural paleness to emanate light His
landscape paintings often possessed a three-dimensional depth, particularly in those featuring
dense foliage Mukerji also utilised a variety of blue shades, including ink blues, to impart a
melancholic air to his works Mukerji's miniature landscape paintings were remarkable for their
intricate details, as they appeared almost jewel-like in their luminosity and transparency despite
their small size
Mukerji remained devoted to the wash watercolour technique throughout his career and
experimented with different combinations of the technique for works in different themes that
ranged from images of the goddess Devi to expressionistic and starkly futuristic abstractions
Mukerji assumed the position of principal at the Government College of Art and Architecture in
Hyderabad in 1950 Later, he moved to New Delhi to become the head of the College of Art His
works were showcased in numerous national and international exhibitions, and he was tasked
with creating four mural designs for the Human Rights exhibition at UNESCO in Paris in
1949 In 1951, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London
An influential member of art organisations in cities such as Lucknow and Meerut, Mukerji
initiated the annual children's art exhibition in New Delhi and founded an international gallery of
children's art in a public garden in Hyderabad He was posthumously awarded the title of Kala
Ratna by the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society in New Delhi He passed away in New Delhi
in 1984
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