A Dialectic of Disinterested and Immersive Aesthetics: Santiniketan Art Education and Labour Translated

Art education can transform mundane tasks into meaningful experiences, even within the challenges posed by capitalism and industrialism. This study highlights the contrasting yet complementary approaches of Rabindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose, two influential 20th-century Indian artist educators at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan. While Tagore's relational aesthetics acknowledged the irredeemable nature of the mundane, Bose developed an immersive aesthetic rooted in Yogic and Far Eastern philosophies, envisioning the transformation of everyday labor through creative activity. The research explores how these dialectical perspectives on art education persist today, offering a framework for reimagining work and aesthetics in modern contexts.

Gall, D. A. (2015). A Dialectic of Disinterested and Immersive Aesthetics: Santiniketan Art Education and Labour Translated. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 34(1), 132–144. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.01769