Born in Bihar Nandalal Bose is acknowledged as the major painter of the Bengal School after Abanindranath Tagore. He had great respect for the Indian tradition not only in the art but also in life, and so he treated mythological themes more realistically. His constant reference to reality gives added vigour to his paintings. In 1910 he visited Ajanta and Bagh caves. His best work is undoubtedly rooted in Indian art in spite of his many eclectic paintings. At first he adopted the wash – technique of Abanindranath – for example in Shiva drinking poison Parthasarathi and Return of the Buddha – but a new reality breathes in these paintings if we compare them with those of his manner.

He adopted a second style, based on linear expression and reinterpretation of traditional forms, as for instanceNandlal Bose in the Veena Player .
In Ardhnariswar, strong clear lines enclose and idealised figure against a background of simple shape, and filled in with colourful decorative patterns. His murals for Kala Bhavan and the panels for the Haripura Congress belong to another category. Here the subject – matter was genre, depicting the life of the people. These paintings, such as mother and child exhibit boldness, vigour and strong decorative qualities.

Another method of his emphasised brush work – fisherman at Gopalpur shows a close link with far – eastern technique – the brush strokes are visible, bare paper appears between the strokes and no details distract from the main theme.

His subject matter was either noble or rustic – the former suggesting the majesty of Gods and the latter the tranquillity of an ideal; unblemished country life. In his vision of nature he perceived something hardy and dependable which comes through in his art. In addition to the impact of his articulate creativity on the art of India for all time to come, Nandalal Bose's impression on his students was immense and through them it suffused all over the country.

Nandlal Bose One of the most interesting group of paintings to come out of the Bengal school is Nandalal Bose’s Haripura posters. The series depicting the rural folk and their activities was made for a Indian National Congress session in 1938. The posters derived their style from the Kalighat pat paintings in whose technique Nandalal Bose had some practice. For the artist, the Haripura posters were a playful extension of that folk style. In art historical terms it also signalled a move towards acknowledging the folk art idiom as having relevance for contemporary times.

The idea of using the powers of art for an explicitly political purpose was from Gandhi himself. He had met Nandalal Bose in Shantiniketan and was sufficiently impressed by his commitment to art and felt that his style reflected the spirit of the rural people. The posters were made for the purpose of decorating the whole conference area. Its aim was to attract the rural folk who passed by.Nandlal Bose. He died on April, the 16th 1966, in Calcutta.

Famous Painting of Nandalal Bose : Gandhari with a Maid, Gandhari in Balcony, Draupadi's Wedding, Woman Commits Sati, Buddha, Yashodhara, and Rahul, etc.

Paintings Style of Nandalal Bose : The style of Nandlal's paintings reflects the historic artistic tradition as well as the contemporary practices of Indian art form.

Recognition of Nandalal Bose : His paintings were exhibited for the first time in the year 1911. Since then, the works of Nandlal Bose have been displayed at several national as well as international exhibitions. Some of them include those at Crystal Palace of England, Societe des Peintres Orientalistes Francais at Grand Palais in Paris, The Netherlands & Imperial Institute of England, Indian School of Oriental Art, American Federation of Art, Athenee Gallery of Geneva, Centenary Retrospective Exhibition, National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, etc. Even the Lucknow and Haripura Session of the Indian National Congress exhibited the works of Nand Lal Bose.