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A POLISH ARTIST IN INDIA DURING
WWII: 2 BOOKS
STEFAN NORBLIN 1892-1952 - A MASTER OF MANY
ARTS / Artysta Wszechstronny
Text in English and Polish
A lovely catalogue published in Poland about the Polish
Art Deco artist with a good part of the book focusing
on his escape from Poland to Indiaand his stay of 5
years [1941-46] in Bombay, Jodhpur where he painted
frescoes and decorated the Umaid Bhawan Palace
[now a hotel] and designed its rooms and furniture,
Morvi where he did frescoes in the palace and designed
decorative glass panels,and a small state in Bihar.
pp. 164
There is a biographical essay, one essay on Norblin's
work in the field of advertising, graphics and posters
before coming to India; another on his involvement in
theatre before coming to India.
these are followed by 3 essays [21 pages ] on his Indian
connection. These are titled:
STEFAN NORBLIN'S PAINTING IN INDIA [which
had European interpretations of Hindu mythological
themes]. with 5 photos
STEFAN NORBLIN - DESIGNER OF ROYAL
RESIDENCES with 6 photos
RESTORATION OF WORKS OF STEFAN NORBLIN IN
UMAID BHAWAN PALACE with 6 photos
The essays are followed by the catalogue section which
is divided into 3 sections -
Poland - pp. 72-117
India - pp. 120 - 145 [with 26 full-page colour plates, 1 of
them doublefold]
USA [where he went in 1946 and committed suicide in
1952] - pp. 148 - 161 [which also has 6 images on Indian
themes]
Apart from this, the non-Indian sections too are
profusely illustrated with numerous colourimages and
sepia and b&w photographs
Large hardback / size 12.5 x 9 inches
STEFAN NORBLIN
Text in Polish only / half the book is on India
A lovely catalogue published in Poland about the Polish
Art Deco artist with a good part of the book focusing
on his escape from Poland to India and his stay of 5
years [1941-46] in Bombay, Jodhpur where he painted
frescoes and decorated the Umaid Bhawan Palace
[now a hotel] and designed its rooms and furniture,
Morvi where he did frescoes inthe palace and designed
decorative glass panels, and a small state in Bihar.
Everything Norblin painted in India signified European
interpretations of Hindu mythological themes.
pp. 104
There are 5 essays with half the book [3 chapters]
devoted to Norblin's work in India.
1 chapter on his interior designs for the Umaid Bhawan
palace with 24 paintings [all reproductions of Norblin's
watercolours of various interior designs] and photos
1 chapter on his frescoes in Indian palaces [Umaid
Bhawan and Morvi] with 32 paintings and photos
1 chapter on the restoration work carried out in Umaid
Bhawan on Norblin's frescoes with 19 photos
The non-Indian section of the book is also profusely
illustrated with 1 full-page painting of Morvi Maharaja,
3 sepia photos and 2 colour photos on India also
figuring there.
Large hardback / size 12 x 9.5 inches
Rs 40,000-Rs 50,000
$620-$770