The correct option is Abanindranath Tagore.
Explanation
The Indian Society of Oriental Art was established in 1907 as a pivotal institution in the Swadeshi art movement. Its primary objective was to revive Indian artistic traditions, promote indigenous aesthetics, and counter the dominance of Western academic realism in Indian art education.
Detailed Analysis
- Abanindranath Tagore: He, along with his brother Gaganendranath Tagore, founded the Indian Society of Oriental Art in Calcutta. The society became the platform for the Bengal School of Art. It organized exhibitions and supported publications (such as the journal Rupam) to propagate the values of Indian art derived from Mughal miniatures, Ajanta murals, and other traditional sources. Abanindranath was the guiding spirit behind this institutional effort to establish a distinct Indian modernism.
- Nandalal Bose: He was one of the most celebrated students of Abanindranath Tagore and a major artist of the Bengal School, but the establishment of the Society and its foundational patronage is attributed to Abanindranath.
- Raja Ravi Varma: He is associated with the academic realism style, which combined Indian themes with European techniques. The Indian Society of Oriental Art was formed largely as a reaction against the style Ravi Varma popularized.
- Rabindranath Tagore: While he was a patron of the arts and later founded Kala Bhavana at Santiniketan, the specific initiative of the Indian Society of Oriental Art was led by his nephews, Abanindranath and Gaganendranath.
Key Takeaway: Abanindranath Tagore founded the Indian Society of Oriental Art (1907) to institutionalize the revival of traditional Indian art forms and promote the Bengal School style.