---
title: "Bengal School of Art: Origins & Artists | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Bengal School of Art revived indigenous Indian painting in the early 20th century, influencing UPSC candidates and promoting cultural nationalism."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/bengal-school-of-art"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Bengal School of Art was an early twentieth-century Indian painting movement that revived indigenous artistic traditions in opposition to academic Western realism.
- Who founded the Bengal School of Art and what was its core aim?
- How is the Bengal School distinguished from Raja Ravi Varma's painting?
- What role did Japanese artists play in the movement?
- Why did the Bengal School decline in influence?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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Abanindranath Tagore painted Bharat Mata in 1905, the year of the Bengal partition, depicting the nation as a saffron-robed ascetic woman that became an enduring icon of the Swadeshi movement.

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