8th Class Social Science Arts and Cultural Movements Notes - Changes in the Arts

 

Changes in the Arts

 

'When you look at a painting, what do you see?' asked the art teacher in the class. The students replied, 'the person or the object which is in the painting'. 'Then you missed the actual message, the teacher said. 'You should try to visualise the story behind the picture, or the message the picture is trying to convey.' Art in any form?sculpture, painting, photography and even architecture?is a reflection of an artist's mind. An artist from a developed country is likely to depict castles and flourishing fields while an artist from a war-torn nation might depict barren farms and burning towns in his/her work.

 

Colonial rule had its impact in every sphere of life in India. It influenced art, architecture and painting too. Later on, as the camera became popular, photography also underwent change. New styles, materials and techniques were introduced in all spheres of visual arts. Indian art forms underwent an amazing zevolution from 1870 onwards.

 

COLONIAL ART

 

People developed a taste for naturalism following the increased exposure to the European style of painting. The painters learnt to represent objects as they appeared, which led to realism. They created an illusion of depth by making distant objects smaller and also changed the shape of the object, giving a three- dimensional effect. They also began to use oil as a medium for painting.

 

Many British painters travelled to India. They made paintings of-monuments, landscapes, local flora and fauna, dancing girls in princely courts, costumes and different native occupations. The British painters did not always appreciate the beauty of the Indian countryside and the people. Almost always, the subjects of the painters had a hint of British superiority, praise of the colonial rule and admiration of its powers. All forms of paintings by the British artists showed India as a wild, unexplored and untouched land waiting to be discovered by the British.

 

History Reveals

Tilly Kettle arrived as the first British professional painter in India.

 

DEVELOPMENT OF IMPERIAL ART

 

Portrait Paintings

In the second half of the eighteenth century, many portrait painters moved to India. These painters looked for patronage among the European community in the major cities. To make a living, they painted portraits of East India Company officials. They moved to Indian courts to paint princes, their relatives and officials. Unlike the miniature paintings which were popular during the Mughal rule, these were more realistic and natural. They portrayed the power, status and wealth by the sheer size of the painting. These paintings were large in size. Many officials and officers sought to commemorate their period in India so they welcomed the artists. Others wished to give paintings as gifts to family or friends.

 

Activity

Look at both the portraits given below. The one on the left is of Nawab Muhammad Alt Khan of Arcot by Tilly Kettle in oil and on the right is the miniature portrait of Jahangir. Can you observe any difference in terms of style and technique between the two?

 

 

The British officials were sometimes painted with their Indian servants or with their wives and children. An example is the painting given below. Johann Zoffany was a famous painter who came on a 'commission1' to India. Indian servants served the British lord and his family. Indians are shown as inferior. The Indian women are sitting on the ground while the British woman stands confidently. In the picture given above/ notice the Indian girl servant.

 

The Indian princes were fascinated by the western art. They wanted to enhance their style and importance through grand images.  Their courts were lucrative sources of work for the painters. Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan of Arcot had a portrait made by Tilly Kettle. He was pensioned off by the East India Company, but even after losing his political authority, he wanted to be portrayed as a royal figure. Often, Governor-General and officials like; the British Resident, presented portraits of themselves and often received images of the Prince in return. From the 1840s, painted portraits began to be replaced by photographs. Paintings were now restricted to the most senior of the British rulers in India and their function was almost exclusively ceremonial and political one.

 

 

 

Q.        why did many paintings depict British subjects with their Indian servants?

 

Historical Paintings

 

 

The British painters made another type of paintings which highlighted the victory and glory of the British in India.  They painted the victories of the British in wars against Indian rulers. The 'defeat of Tipu Sultan; the 'Battle of Buxar' and the 'Treaty of Allahabad being signed' are examples of such historical paintings.

 

Picturesque Paintings

Many painters arrived with the intention of specialising in the field of picturesque or landscape paintings. Apart from scenery, they also painted Indian architecture, palaces, forts, temples, and village scenes. In such paintings human figures often become incidental. They wanted to capture the pictorial and the exotic aspect of India besides recording the variety in the Indian way of life.

 

History Reveals

Some of the earliest glimpses of the city of Calcutta are captured in Thomas Daniell's twelve coloured aquatints known as 'Views of Calcutta?.

 

Two famous painters, Thomas and William Daniell arrived in India to explore the exotic and picturesque country. The Victoria Memorial has the largest collection of the works of the two Daniells. However, most of the paintings portrayed ruins of buildings in India that where once grand, but later on declined. They also depicted the changes brought about in these colonies by the British. These paintings were displayed in Britain. So that people in Britain can get an idea of the state of British colonies from these paintings.

 

THE COURT ARTISTS

 

 

A major demand for paintings came from the royal courts. The Nawabs of Murshidabad patronised artists. The artists were now influenced by the British styles and art forms.  By this they could make an object appear near or distant by using colours. Tipu Sultan also encouraged local artists. He had murals painted on the walls of his palace. These courts ceased to exist and this was a major setback for the artists. They lost their means of livelihood and later on painted for the officials of the East India Company.

 

SCHOOLS OF PAINTING

 

The Company School

During the rule of the East India Company, a new kind of painting popularly known as the 'Company School' made its appearance in India. The officials of the Company were interested in paintings that could capture the pictorial and exotic aspects of India, besides recording the variety in the Indian way of life. The Indian artists of this school adapted their style according to the British tastes. They produced paintings of flora and fauna, landscapes, historical monuments, durbar scenes, images of native rulers, trades and occupations, festivals, ceremonies, dance and music. They changed their medium and now began to paint with water colours and also used pencil sketches. Paintings were done on paper. Company paintings were first produced in the Madras Presidency in South India. This soon spread to other parts of the country such as-Calcutta, Lucknow, Agra, Delhi, Punjab and Western India.

 

 

The Kalighat School

By the early 19th century the Kalighat Temple was an important destination for local people and pilgrims. There was a great demand for religious art. Many artists immigrated to the cities in search of secure employment. Many of the artisans and craftsmen flocked to Kalighat area to earn livelihood by selling religious art works.

 

They set up stalls outside the temple. In the villages, there were patuas or scroll painters. The traditional art of scroll painting was very popular in Bengal. These paintings were done on patas or 'cloth' and depicted images of gods and goddesses and scenes from the epics. The style was non-realistic and non-life like. The patuas would travel from village to village, and used to sing the stories of there artworks to their audiences. However, the visitors to Kalighat did not want to buy long scrolls. The patuas therefore started painting single pictures

 

Q.        what changes were brought about in painting by the Patuas'?

 

Involving just one or two figures that could be painted quickly with simple forms leaving the background plain and eliminating non-essential details. Instead of cloth or handmade paper, they used manufactured paper. Also, in place of natural colours, they started using manufactured water colours. Soon, the Kalighat patuas were turning over hundreds of these cheap paintings on paper which were bought by pilgrims.

 

The Kalighat paintings had a wide variety of themes. From Hindu Gods and Goddesses to the religious and contemporary social events, all these formed the subject matter of the Kalighat paintings. The prime focus was given on religious and mythological characters. From the depiction of Hindu gods and goddesses, episodes from Ramayana and Mahabharata, scenes from the life of Krishna to other mythological characters. Amongst the deities. Kali was the favourite.

 

History Reveals

 

 

During 1890s, Shyamakanta Banerjee became famous for, wrestling with tigers while performing in circuses. This ? subject was also reproduced many times in Kalighat paintings.

 

The folk art of Kalighat did not separate itself from life. They began painting on important contemporary events, both social and political. The rise of 'Babu culture' in the late eighteenth century was well-portrayed sarcastically by the patuas in the series of Kalighat paintings where the 'babus' were illustrated as high class rich gentlemen who were typically identified with nicely oiled hair, pleat of his dhoti in one hand and either chewing the betel or smoking a hukkah in the other hand. They also ridiculed the westernised Indians speaking in English and adopting western habits. Also, they depicted the life under the colonial role and the changing life of women. These paintings were later printed. They were very popular and were sold in large numbers.

 

 

DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL ART

 

Towards the early years of the 20th century, there was an upsurge of nationalist feelings. Paintings were made in a modern style and often depicted nationalist sentiments. Raja Ravi Varma was one of the pioneers of this art form.

 

Classical Art: Raja Ravi Varma

 

 

Raja Ravi Varma from Travancore, Kerala was a one of the most famous artists. His talents took him to Europe, where he learnt to paint in oil. He made fascinating paintings of gods and goddesses. He reintroduced Indian mythology in his art works. He was invited to different parts of India and wherever he went, he painted portraits and scenes from Indian mythology. He is particularly noted for his paintings depicting episodes from the story of Shakuntala, Nal- Damayanti and from the Mahabharata.

 

His painting style was unique because it was a fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic art. In 1894, Ravi Varma setup a printing press in Mumbai. The press produced thousands of copies of his paintings.

Soon, people all over the country bought them and many even worshipped the gods and goddesses in the paintings.

 

History Reveals

The pictures of gods and goddesses and other characters from Indian classics in 'Amar Chitra Katha comics are based on the work of Raja Ravi Varma.

 

Bengal School of Art

The Bengal school of Art was founded by Abanindranath Tagore. He was in favour of Indian traditional and local techniques of painting. Thus, he rejected western artistic style, Abanindranath Tagore and Sister Nivedita led the artists to move away from oil paintings and themes that were popular with both the British and the Indians. They criticised the style of Raja Ravi Varma as being westernised. They inspired the traditional style of mural and medieval Indian miniature painting. They were also influenced by Japanese artists. The art that developed found many enthusiastic followers. This spread well beyond the borders of Bengal. The artists developed an indigenous yet modern style of art as a response to the 'call for swadeshi' to express Indian themes on paper. Chief among Abanindranath's followers was Nandalal Bose. The themes most often seen in the Bengal School include misty and romantic visions of the Indian landscape, historical scenes and portraits as well as incidents from daily life in the countryside.

 

 

 

COLONIAL PRESS

 

Many printing presses came up which sold prints of images of gods and goddesses and even famous Bengali personalities. One of the earliest was the Calcutta Art Studio. These pictures were realistic and set in landscapes. These were printed on posters and even calendars. A very popular print was of the painting of Bharat Mata by Abindranath Tagore. It became an icon to inspire nationalist feelings among Indians. He portrayed Bharat Mata as a four-armed Hindu goddess wearing saffron-coloured robes, holding a book, sheaves of rice, a mala, and a white cloth. The painting had helped in conceptualising the idea of Bharat Mata (Mother India).

 

 

 

COLONIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

 

The British introduced photography in 1840's. They photographed archaeological sites. Due to this, photography became a key element of the Archaeological Survey of India. The Revolt of 1857 created much public interest about

India in Britain, creating an increased market for photographs about the culture and lifestyle in India. Thus, this was the key event in the development of photography in India. People who read stories about Delhi or Lucknow wanted to see what these places really looked like and wanted to see pictures of India.

 

Samuel Borne was a professional British photographer who set up the first photographic studio known as 'Bourne and Shepherd' in India'. He travelled extensively through India and photographed the landscape, and the architecture of India. Felice Beato was able to capture images of the Revolt.

 

 

COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE

 

The colonisation of India also had an impact on the architecture style. The imperial architecture was-" architecture both of knowledge and of power." Madras, Bombay and Calcutta were the British establishments and the early stages of British architecture can be traced here. The colonial architecture also drew inspiration from the existing Indian architecture. In its later phase, the colonial architecture culminated into what is called the Indo-Saracenic architecture.

 

 

The Indo-Saracenic architecture combined the features of Hindu, Islamic and Western elements. Colonial architecture exhibited itself through the institutional, civic and utilitarian buildings such as?clock towers, post offices, railway stations, rest houses and government buildings. Such buildings began to be built in large numbers over the whole empire.

 

The Victoria Terminus, one of the finest railway stations in the world, was completed in 1888. It is an outstanding example of the mixture of two cultures. The architecture of the Prince of Wales Museum is of Indo-Saracenic style.

 

 

The Parliament House and Connaught Place in Delhi are good examples of colonial architecture. The architect Lutyens, designed Rashtrapati Bhavan, formerly the Viceroy's Residence. It is built of sandstone and has design features like? canopies and jaali from Rajasthan. The Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, (the former capital of British India) is a huge edifice in marble. It now houses a museum full of colonial artefacts.

 

 

Around the World

 

 

In the beginning of the twentieth century, a new movement in art started in Europe which came to be known as Expressionism. This style of art principally developed in Germany and later spread to the United States. The style extended to a wide range of arts including?painting, literature, theatre, dance, film, architecture and music. The term 'expressionism' was invented by Czech art historian Antonin Matejcek in 1910 as the opposite of impressionism, an art movement of the 19th century. Expressionism is often suggestive of emotional agony. This style of art emphasised on expressing the artist's inner (mental, spiritual) experiences rather than objective reality. The famous Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh greatly influenced Expressionism.