The journey of Modern Indian art and beyond in 2015

“Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us many useful objects such as wickerwork picnic baskets. Imagination without skill gives us modern art.” Tom Stopard

Indian art, paintings and culture has had an esthetically long tradition and history. The earliest amongst the paintings were the pre-historic rock paintings, the petroglyphs and Stone Age rock paintings, which were found in and around the Bhimbetka rock shelters, which are more than 30,000 years old.

India pre-historic rock paintings

“It is not hard to understand modern art. If it hangs on a wall it’s a painting, and if you can walk around it it’s a sculpture.” Tom Stopard

The Buddhist literature of India is filled with similar texts that very systematically describes about aristocratic class embellished and their armies through their rich paintings. To name a few is the eminent Ajanta Caves paintings, a momentous example of the few survivals. In addition, there were paintings done in smaller scale in the form of manuscripts during this era.

Ajanta Caves paintings

Mughal paintings do need to be mentioned, as they did play a large role in the area of Indian Art. These paintings represented a fusion of older Indian tradition with Persian miniature and from the 17 century, the painting style was disseminated across Indian princely courts of all religions, each of which had its own flavor and local style. Under the British Raj, company paintings and sculptures was made for British clients and from the 19th century, art schools along western lines was introduced that gradually led to modern Indian painting, which is progressively inclining towards its Indian routes.

“The strangeness will wear off and I think we will discover the deeper meanings in modern art.” Jackson Pollock

Bhimbetka rock paintings

The Bengal School
In the arena of Indian paintings, modern Indian art movement hails its roots back from Calcutta, during the late 19th century. The old traditional painting style was gradually wearing off and new school of art was being sensed all over which was initiated during the British Raj. Gradually protagonists of Indian art like Raja Ravi Varma, started to draw on Western traditions and approaches such as easel and oil painting.

Due to this enormous gush of Western Influence, led to the rise of revival in primitivism, which was known as the Bengal School of Art. The Bengal School of Art represented the spectacular and rich heritage of India. This was then succeeded by Santiniketan School whose founder was the famous poet Rabindranath Tagore who harked back the tranquil rural folk and rural life setting.

Bharat Mata (Bengal School Art)

Bharat Mata by Abanindranath Tagore who was the nephew of the famous Bengal poet, Rabindranath Tagore

“To say the word Romanticism is to say modern art — that is, intimacy, spirituality, color, aspiration towards the infinite, expressed by every means available to the arts”. — Charles Baudelaire

There is no doubt about the fact that Indian paintings evoke a sense of aesthetic continuum which extends right from early civilization and still stretches to the preset day art and painting scenario. Indian paintings have evolved with time. From being essentially spiritual in idea in the beginning
From being essentially religious in purpose in the beginning, Indian painting has evolved over the years to become a fusion of various cultures and traditions.

“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence”. Rabindranath Tagore

During the colonial reign, Western influences had started to greatly influence Indian art. Many artists to express Indian themes started to imbibe and use Western ideas of composition, perspective and realism. Raja Ravi Varma was quite a prominent name amongst the few. Due to the widespread influence of Western, art style, being noticed especially in Bengal, Ernest Binifield Havel, a well-known British art teacher, attempted to bring in modification and reform to teaching techniques in Calcutta School of Art. He also encouraged students to emulate and relate to Mughal miniatures. Even though this did bring a bit of controversy into limelight, eminent Indian artists like Abanindranath Tagore who was the nephew of Rabindranath Tagore even then supported him.

“Who knows if these very pictures, now painted for maharajas, will not find their way to the museums one day”. — Raja Ravi Varma

Abanindranath Tagore, did do a lot of paintings after being influenced by Mughal art. This was one style, which both he and Havel believed in the best of ways expressed India’s distinct spiritual qualities, as a combat against ‘materialism’ of the west. Amongst his greatest of paintings is the Bharat Mata (Mother India), which depicts a young lady, who is portrayed with four arms, like many of the Hindu deities. She is seen to be holding objects that are figurative symbols of India’s national aspirations.

Few of the other renowned figures belonging to the Bengal School of Art were Abanindranath’s elder brother, Gaganendranath Tagore, Mukul Dev, Ram Kinker Baij, Manishi Dey and Jamini Roy. They were more famous and known as pioneer’s of Modern Indian Sculpture.

At the break of the 21st century, the Indian Contemporary Art has perceived a wide array of styles and ideas like never before. From royal families, middle-class buyers to elitist business houses, these contemporary modern art paintings and sculptures have entered into every ones living rooms embarked as a symbol of class and elegance.

With internet getting widespread and every little need being so easily fulfilled by a click of the mouse, there is a wide array of online art galleries such as MyIndianArt.com, making it highly convenient for buyers to get hold of modern art paintings and sculptures in a jiffy. These expedient online art reproductions allow you to choose and modify artwork to fit your home decorating requirements. It is not at all tough as all you have to do is browse through the website and go for the art, which suits your taste. They provide for a flotilla of art paintings and modern art designs and you could go for the one you feel aptly suits your drawing room. Just browse through the online art gallery in Kolkata, India and get the best of antique art pieces to swoon your imagination in the best of ways! It now gets easier to reach out art to a wide array of audience by just a single click.

“In Art, man reveals himself and not his objects.” — Rabindranath Tagore

Image Sources:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Ajanta_Padmapani.jpg
http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/rockpain/5571.jpg
http://arthistoryworlds.org/wp-includes/images/3%20bhimbetka-1.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Bharat_Mata.jpg