Background
Haldar was born in Jorasanko in 1890. Both his grandfather Rakhaldas Haldar and his father Sukumar Haldar were accomplished in the art of painting.
painter assistant of Rabindranath Tagore
Haldar was born in Jorasanko in 1890. Both his grandfather Rakhaldas Haldar and his father Sukumar Haldar were accomplished in the art of painting.
University of Calcutta. Government College of Art & Craft.
He was one of the major artists of the Bengal renaissance. He began his studies at the age of 14. His education was undertaken at Government School of Art, Calcutta and began in 1904.
Haldar learned sculpting from two famous Bengali artists in 1905: Jadu Pal and Bakkeswar Pal, and he also learned from Leonard Jennings.
From 1909 to 1911 he was in the Ajanta documenting the paintings on the frescoes. He did this on an expedition with Lady Herringham, and in conjunction with two other Bengali painters, the object of which was to bring cave art to a wider Indian audience.
In 1921, he undertook another expedition, this time to the Bagh Caves and his reflections on the art there indicate quite a few surrealistic depictions
From 1911 to 1915 he was an art teacher at Shantiniketan. He was also the principal of the Kala Bhavan school from 1911 to 1923, assisting Tagore with cultural and artistic activities.
During this time, he introduced many different styles to art to the students, and revolutionized decorative and ceremonial displays there.
Out of respect to his aptitude for art, the British government appointed Haldar the principal of the Government School of Art & Crafts at Lucknow. Haldar became the first Indian to be appointed as the principal of a Government Art School. He was also the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London in 1934.