''Journey's End'' is a tempera on paper painting, painted by Indian artist

Abanindranath Tagore Abanindranath Tagore (Bengali language, Bengali: অবনীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 August 1871 – 5 December 1951) was an Indian painter who was the principal artist and creator of the Indian Society of Oriental Art in ...

(1871–1951) in 1913.

Background

Towards the close of the 19th century, Abanindranath Tagore, encouraged by

E.B. Havell Ernest Binfield Havell (16 September 1861 – 31 December 1934), who published under the name E.B. Havell, was an influential English arts administrator, art historian and author of numerous books about Indian art and architecture. He was a memb ...

, an English arts administrator, questioned the British academic system of art education. Dissatisfied with the physicality of the oil medium, he held the belief that Western art was "materialistic" in nature. Tagore, in the process, founded the Bengal School of Art, an art movement that originated primarily in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

and

Shantiniketan Shantiniketan (IPA: �antiniketɔn is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and ...

, but flourished throughout the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, eventually associating itself with

Indian nationalism Indian nationalism is an instance of civic nationalism. It is inclusive of all of the people of India, Composite nationalism (India), despite their Demographics of India, diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. Indian national ...

(

swadeshi The Swadeshi movement was a self-sufficiency movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and contributed to the development of Indian nationalism. Before the BML Government's decision for the partition of Bengal was made public in ...

). The Bengal School is widely considered to have helped pave the way for modern art in India. This way, Tagore led the Indian artistic renaissance. He believed in rejecting European art and returning to traditional Indian art by reviving India's identity in the arts scene. He also developed interest in Mughal miniature traditions and was greatly influenced by the Japanese wash technique.

The painting

The painting depicts a worn-out camel which has collapsed under the weight of its heavy load, presumably after a long and exhausting journey. The backdrop of the painting shows sunset in a hot desert, as is evident by the saturated use of red, orange, brown and yellow. The camel's eyes are half shut, and there is no sign of respite. The camel's forelegs are bent on its knees and its posterior legs stand upright; its head is pointing upwards, indicative of a desire to take another chance to get up. Tagore has used precise yet delicate and non-mechanical lines. The application of wash technique is visible. The colour palette used in the painting comprises few shades: red, orange, brown, yellow in the background, and a tint of blue. The overall appearance of the painting is calm and misty.

Interpretations

Apart from the general understanding of the painting, certain interpretations link it to the

Indian freedom movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic movement to ...

. Art critics have interpreted the painting as being representative of India under British colonial reign. The use of a camel as the subject has been appreciated, since a camel symbolises endurance, patience and adaptability. The painting appears to compare the camel's virtues to those of Indians, and its heavy burden to the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

's oppressive and exploitative rule.

References

{{Reflist Indian paintings 1913 paintings Camels in art