The paintings of Rabindranath Tagore

Are there any poets out there who don't dabble in the visual arts on the side? First there was an exhibit of Sylvia Plath's pen-and-ink drawings, then a new book of Elizabeth Bishop's paintings of landscapes and interiors, and NOW a show at the Asia Society in New York featuring over 60 works by Rabindranath Tagore, whose art-making began as doodles on his poetry manuscripts:

He frequently used ink on paper to create raw, spontaneous-looking images with a modern feel. "Untitled (Man Riding Crocodile)," dated 1929-1930, fantastically depicts a man atop an oversized reptile scratched out in spiky strokes from a dark, inky background.

Zoomorphic forms are a recurring subject. In "Untitled (Striding Bird)" from 1928, the legs and beak of a stylized bird in black ink radiate across yellowed paper. Here, the strokes of Tagore's pen are more delicate, successfully expressing the fine marks of the bird's feathers and its single wide eye.

In fact, the rhythms and color of nature later figured prominently in Tagore's art in serene landscapes often devoid of people. "Untitled (Landscape With Yellow Sky Silhouetted By Trees)" from 1935-36 shows an intimate view between dark trees; an atmospheric sky is suffused with buttery light. Smudges of colored ink and poster color suggest trees and light with a dream-like quality.

The exhibit will be up through December. Read the full article or see some of Tagore's richly-hued images on the Asia Society's website.