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Debashish Banerji, in his impressive new study..., presents Abanindranath neither as nationalist hero nor Orientalist comprador but rather a free agent engaged in varied cultural exchange... When he chose to make his illustrious forbear the subject of his book, he was able to infuse the aridities of postmodernism with the clarity and warmth of personal narrative... Steeped in the writings of Continental masters such as Bourdieu, Foucault and Heidegger, Banerji is no slouch when it comes to textual criticism, but he also has a keen artistic eye, and a certain laidbackness more characteristic of the 'Left Coast' (California) than the Left Bank of the Seine. When he brings the hybrid background to bear on Abanindranath's work, the results are often remarkable. In each of the five chapters that make up the body of his book, Banerji couples a particular group of paintings with a particular area of theoretical lore... Banerji's skill as an interpreter of Abanindranath's paintings is displayed best in Chapter 4, which deals with the painter as narrator... Banerji proves himself to be a talented storyteller himself -- something that those who have attended his public presentations already know... Banerji enlivens his account with oral history material provided by his mother... Sage India should be congratulated not just for publishing Banerji's book but also for enriching it with thirty-two pages of full-colour plates. These make it possible for readers to follow the author's innovative readings in all their intricate detail. -- ART India Banerji's book acquires a special importance because of his attempt to theorise the creative experiments of an artist exposed to a variety of influences in a colonial metropolis. The concept of 'alternate nation' that he builds around the corpus of Abanindranath's works, is a stimulating idea based on a provocative hypothesis... Banerji's erudite study is a fascinating narrative of how Abanindranath always defied the constrictions laid down by such theories, either by his admirers or detractors. -- Contributions to Indian Sociology It was comforting to read Debashis Banerji's 'The Alternate Nation of Abanindranath Tagore'. The book is a much needed addition to the existing body of literature on the artist and his words. It locates the figure of Ababnindranath in a post Enlightenment social complex, and goes on to discover his multi-layered engagement with the world around. What is even more important is that it does this without resorting to the mainstream framework of Cultural Nationalism on hand, and on the other to the existing communitarian critiques of the same. -- Art Etc

Debashish Banerji, in his impressive new study..., presents Abanindranath neither as nationalist hero nor Orientalist comprador but rather a free agent engaged in varied cultural exchange.... When he chose to make his illustrious forbear the subject of his book, he was able to infuse the aridities of postmodernism with the clarity and warmth of personal narrative.... Steeped in the writings of Continental masters such as Bourdieu, Foucault and Heidegger, Banerji is no slouch when it comes to textual criticism, but he also has a keen artistic eye, and a certain laidbackness more characteristic of the 'Left Coast' (California) than the Left Bank of the Seine. When he brings the hybrid background to bear on Abanindranath's work, the results are often remarkable. In each of the five chapters that make up the body of his book, Banerji couples a particular group of paintings with a particular area of theoretical lore.... Banerji's skill as an interpreter of Abanindranath's paintings is displayed best in Chapter 4, which deals with the painter as narrator.... Banerji proves himself to be a talented storyteller himself - something that those who have attended his public presentations already know.... Banerji enlivens his account with oral history material provided by his mother.... Sage India should be congratulated not just for publishing Banerji's book but also for enriching it with thirty-two pages of full-colour plates. These make it possible for readers to follow the author's innovative readings in all their intricate detail. -- ART India Banerji's book acquires a special importance because of his attempt to theorise the creative experiments of an artist exposed to a variety of influences in a colonial metropolis. The concept of 'alternate nation' that he builds around the corpus of Abanindranath's works, is a stimulating idea based on a provocative hypothesis... Banerji's erudite study is a fascinating narrative of how Abanindranath always defied the constrictions laid down by such theories, either by his admirers or detractors. -- Contributions to Indian Sociology It was comforting to read Debashis Banerji's 'The Alternate Nation of Abanindranath Tagore'. The book is a much needed addition to the existing body of literature on the artist and his words. It locates the figure of Ababnindranath in a post Enlightenment social complex, and goes on to discover his multi-layered engagement with the world around. What is even more important is that it does this without resorting to the mainstream framework of Cultural Nationalism on hand, and on the other to the existing communitarian critiques of the same. -- Art Etc

Author Information

Debashish Banerji is a great-grandson of Abanindranath Tagore and holds a Ph.D in Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the Haridas Chaudhuri Professor of Indian Philosophies and Cultures and the Doshi Professor of Asian Art at the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco. He has curated a number of exhibitions including, “Divine Carriers: Recent Art from India and Nepal,” at the Laband Art Gallery, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA (1998); “Contours of Modernity: Contemporary Art of India,” at the Founder’s Hall, SOKA University, California (2005); “Yamato-e: The Journey of Japanese Painting,” at the Kala Kendra, Auroville (2006) and “The World of Ajanta,” at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Art Gallery, Puducherry (2008).

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