The Unknown Artist
The story of ‘Indian’ art. How the artist was called upon, to direct reality and the course of our ‘history’.
“Appearances travel in. Our traditions of Art called them reality”
-John Berger, “Ways of Seeing”
‘The Unknown Artist: A Journey Through Time’ is a ten part series which builds a narrative around the practising artist and their journey through the ages: from the medieval, through the colonial and the modern to the present ‘post-modern’ times, in what is now the Indian subcontinent. It is said that art reflects the situation and polity of a society, and history is made by grand narratives. This story tries to uncover the motivations and obligations of an unknown artist in their time — what they were born into and who they had as patrons to help them sustain through their art.
Primary Research for the facts and interpretations has been majorly done through visits to the National Gallery Of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi and Mumbai, over a period of six months, with secondary research on the internet to corroborate and validate these interpretations.
A special mention to Arko, the art curator at NGMA Delhi who took time off to give me a thorough tour of the premise and indulged in a comprehensive discussion and dialogue, which has helped shape a solid foundation to the narrative and a steady direction.
Part 0
An Introduction to the narrative
‘A Journey in time, through the eyes of The Unknown Artist’
is as much a commentary on the polity of the changing times through which the visual artist in India evolved to their current form,
as it is a story about their journey
from anonymity in collaborative medieval art forms
to eventual self identity and independence
in the later (Indian) renaissance and post (Indian) renaissance period.
The narrative follows a timeline
which explores the changing motivations and artistic freedom
as experienced by the visual artist in India,
from the medieval age of the monarchs,
through the age of exposure with the British colonists,
from their impact on the Indian independence
in the middle of the twentieth century,
till the challenges they now face in the current post-modern age.
It explores their relationship with the patron
who commissions and pays for the artist for their skills
and the society,
from which these artists emerged.
The patron, who, with changing interest in art,
within the various strata of society,
helped varied voices represent their perspective through the unknown artist’s lens.
And the society,
and its components,
who sought to use art as a form to educate and galvanize the people together
to enable constant change in its polity and the way things work
and challenge the establishment.
The unknown artist has always remained at the center of these spheres of influence,
earning a living through it,
a way to indulge in their own artistic impulses
and discovering the depths to which they can represent the seemingly real world around them.
The artist is born into their own unique situation and circumstance,
different worlds with different concerns, in different times
and has possessed the urge to communicate their observations and visions, through their form,
influenced by what they see.
to reflect their present scenario
And imagine a better one.
The unknown artist is a work in progress,
And will always remain such.
*
End of part 0.
You can read the next chapter below
Part 1: The Unknown Artist, Who They Are
