Binode Behari Mukherjee (1904-1980) was educated in Vishbharati University, Santiniketan. He also underwent his training as an artist in Santiniketan's Kala Bhavan. Thereafter he taught at the same institution for many years (1925-1949), before moving on to other assignments elsewhere in India. He returned to Kala Bhavan as a professor of art theory.
He worked on different media: tempera, watercolor, oil, wood cut, paper collage, pastel and others. And, nevertheless, all his work invariably contained the expression of a unified personality. Benode Behari coule make whole picture with a few deft strokes, added by the urbanity of his mind. Looking at his works on barbers, curio dealers, fishmongers, mat-sellers etc., one can find that the painter was noticing little things around him with a loving, kindly eye. He was also capable of composing fine murals, with large landscapes. While certain of his fine oils, like those of the sun flower, as the tempera series on the Santhals wore a charming colorful apparel, his very many sketches are even finer without the flattery of color. Benode Behari's rendering of the Birbhum landscape and the areas around Santiniketan were of emotional value to the dwellers and visitors of the famous university. He sought inspiration in his work from different traditions particularly from the methods of Chinese and Japanese art. His charming studies of Indian plant life demonstrated his native gift of giving convincing interpretation of forms of nature.

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Courtesy : Article by Keshav Malik

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