After the Partition of Bengal in 1905, Ananda Coomaraswamy joined hands with the Japanese nationalist Kakuzo Okakura, who was visiting Rabindranath Tagore in Calcutta. Who was Ananda Coomaraswamy?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → An important art historian
Option (1) A Bengali intellectual — Incorrect. This describes Benoy Sarkar, who sided with the anglicists in his article ‘The Futurism of Young Asia’.
Option (2) An important art historian — Correct. Coomaraswamy was an important art historian who wrote about Swadeshi in art.
Option (3) A poet and philosopher — Incorrect. This describes Rabindranath Tagore, who invited Nandalal Bose to head painting at Kala Bhavana.
Option (4) A student of Abanindranath Tagore — Incorrect. This describes Nandalal Bose, who headed the painting department at Kala Bhavana.
NCERT (2026-27): “Pan-Asianism and Modernism …But following the Partition of Bengal in 1905, the Swadeshi movement was at its peak and it reflected in ideas about art. Ananda Coomaraswamy, an important art historian, wrote about Swadeshi in art and joined hands with a Japanese nationalist, Kakuzo Okakura, who was visiting Rabindranath Tagore in Calcutta. He came to India with his ideas about pan-Asianism, by which he wanted to unite India with other eastern nations and fight against western imperialism.” |