By:-Homi Chatterjee
(1935-2017)
Born in 1935, Sanat Chatterjee (Chattopadhyay) was an Indian painter of Bengal school, the last disciple of Asit Kumar Haldar. He was one of the major artists who forwarded the styling of the Bengal School of Art in the twentieth century. He made Himachal Pradesh his workplace in the early sixties at the age of 27 and dedicated his life and contributed immensely to promoting art in this region.
sculpture
Having an inclination towards performing arts, Sanat Chatterjee from early childhood, inspired by idol making tradition in India; started perfecting his skills in sculpturing, by making idols in clay, for many religious ceremonies.
With Asit Haldar
Around, In the year 1949, when Sanat was around fourteen years of age, In one of the puja pandal, after seeing his work, Asit Kumar Haldar took him as his student. He had been his student for around fifteen years.
Sanat Chatterjee forwarded the tradition of Bengal School from Asit Kumar Haldar. In the span of fourteen years (From 1949-1964) under the guidance of Asit Haldar, Sanat learned various techniques and styles which spanned from wash painting, Oil Tempra, Sculpture, Frescos, to Silk Painting.
With Asit Haldar
Sanat Chatterjee was associated with Asit Kumar Haldar for a long period from 1949 to 1964, till his demise. Sanat Chatterjee was one of the finest pupils of Asit Haldar, and he considered him one of his sons. Sanat Chatterjee came to Himachal Pradesh only on the perusal of Mr. Haldar.
Haldar happened to be a close friend of the then Lieutenant Governor of Himachal, Raja Bajrang Bahadur Singh Bhadri, also known as Raja Sahib Bhadri. Raja Sahib Bhadri , a connoisseur of art, opened the Government College of Arts College in Nahan (Himachal Pradesh) and requested Asit Haldar to pursue Sanat to join the Art College. Initially, Sanat refused, but when Asit Haldar insisted and equated the request as his Gurudaksina, Sanat agreed and joined the art college in Nahan. Following that, the health of Asit Haldar began to deteriorate and breathed his last on February 13, 1964.
Sanat Chatterjee at the age of 27 made Himachal Pradesh (At the foothills of the Himalayas) his workplace in the early sixties when he joined the College of Arts in Nahan as a lecturer. In this journey of art, he constantly improvised his style at various stages and developed new mediums to work on. After he shifted to Himachal Pradesh, his works were apparently influenced by Pahari painting and lately by Thangka painting.
He developed his own style of working with watercolor on silk, where he evolved a new technique of making scroll painting in watercolor on silk cloth along with creating a new solution to the transport of such artwork. His various scrolls in the later years took the making of frescos by Asit Haldar to the next level, which can better be described as the confluence of Bengal School with detailing and bold color combination of Tanka paintings. He made a few of the longest scrolls in the world.
Two different branches of Buddhist painting styles, one of Ajanta Caves and the other of Buddhist Thangkas, separated centuries ago, seem to make a whole circle and confluences in the works of Sanat Chatterjee.
