Art Against Isolation: Tagore’s Vision of Universal Human Solidarity

This paper examines the interrelationship between art, alienation, and universal human solidarity in the works of Rabindranath Tagore. Writing during a period marked by colonial domination, rising nationalism, and the disruptive forces of industrial modernity, Tagore articulated a profound critique of isolation—whether political, spiritual, or psychological. Through close textual analysis of Gitanjali, Nationalism, and The Religion of Man, this study argues that Tagore envisioned art as an ethical and spiritual medium capable of restoring fractured human relationships. Drawing upon Marxist and existential conceptions of alienation alongside aesthetic theory, the paper demonstrates how Tagore transforms artistic creation into a counterforce to modern fragmentation. His poetic vision transcends territorial nationalism and mechanistic civilization, advocating instead a cosmopolitan humanism grounded in empathy, beauty, and spiritual unity. Far from being escapist mysticism, Tagore’s aesthetics constitute a radical critique of dehumanization and an affirmative project of global solidarity. In an era increasingly characterized by polarization and alienation, Tagore’s artistic philosophy remains profoundly relevant.