Untitled (Tree of Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya)

Artists

Description

The Buddha is believed to have achieved enlightenment while meditating beneath a tree at Bodh Gaya, now located in the state of Bihar, in eastern India. In this painting, the upward movement of the artist’s brushstrokes forms the trunk of a descendant of that tree, which serves as a focal point for the devotion and meditation of worshippers visiting the site.

Provenance

Nandalal Bose, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India, (-1966), by inheritance; to his son, Biswarup Bose, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India (1966-1969 to 1971), gift; to Supratik Bose, grandson of Nandalal Bose, Cambridge, MA, (between 1969 and 1971-2013), gift; to a private collector, Cambridge, MA (by 2005), gift; to the Harvard University Art Museums.