Santhals under Shimul Tree

Mukherjee was among the first batch of students to be trained under Nandalal Bose at Kala Bhavan in Santiniketan. Consequently, Mukherjee's oeuvre merges the tradition of the Bengal School and the Santiniketan ethos, with a thirst for cultivating a distinct style. His boyhood days in rural Bengal and the local Santhals, depicted in this painting, remain a favorite subject. The use of watercolors is reminiscent of the delicate wash technique of Abanindranath and Gaganendranath Tagore.