Bengal School of Painting: Company Painting’s Colonial Adaptation

Company painting refers to the style that emerged when local Indian artists adapted their traditional techniques to cater to the tastes and interests of British colonial officials during the 18th century.

Bengal School of Painting: Evolution through Company Painting

• Diverse Pre-Colonial Indian Art: Pre-colonial Indian art was diverse, seen in temple statues, miniature paintings, and village wall decorations.
• The British, intrigued by India’s unique customs, flora, and fauna, commissioned paintings for documentation and appreciation.
  • It was created largely on paper by artists, some from former courts like Murshidabad, Lucknow, or Delhi.
  • The shift from relying on memory and rule books (traditional art) to close observation (European art). 
  • It resulted in a blend of Indian and European art techniques.
  • It was favored by the British in India. 
  • The albums of these paintings were highly sought after in Britain.

Bengal School of Painting: Nationalist Art Movement in India

• Influence: The Bengal School of Painting was an art movement and style that, although initiated in Calcutta, Bengal, extended its influence throughout India, reflecting nationalist sentiments in art.
• The movement began in Calcutta, the then center of British power. 
  • It was not confined to Bengal, influencing artists across India, including in Shantiniketan, the site  of India’s first national art school.

Bengal School of Painting: Influential Figures in Nationalist Art

• Spearheaded by Abanindranath Tagore (1871–1951), a prominent figure in the nationalist (Swadeshi) movement.
• Supported by E. B. Havell (1861–1934), the British administrator and principal of the Calcutta School of Art.

Inspirations

• Both Tagore and Havell criticised the colonial art schools and their promotion of European tastes.
  • It aimed to foster an art form that was distinctly Indian in both style and subject matter.
  • They drew inspiration from traditional Indian art forms like Mughal and Pahari miniatures, rejecting the influences of the Company School of Painting and the European academic style prevalent in colonial art schools.

Bengal School of Painting: Abanindranath Tagore and E. B. Havell’s Vision

• Pivotal Year of 1896:  The year 1896 is important for Indian visual arts, marked by the collaboration of E. B. Havell and Abanindranath Tagore.
  • Their primary mission was to Indianise art education, which began in earnest at the Government Art School in Calcutta, now known as the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata.
• Emphasis on Fine Arts: Unlike other art schools in cities like Lahore, Bombay, and Madras, which emphasised crafts, Calcutta’s institution leaned towards fine arts.
• Curriculum Redefined: Havell and Tagore reimagined the curriculum, embedding techniques and themes from Indian art traditions.
• Epitome of Mughal and Pahari Influences: Abanindranath’s “Journey’s End” epitomises the influence of Mughal and Pahari miniatures, showcasing his aspiration for a distinctive Indian style in painting.

Bengal School of Painting: Reviving India’s Artistic Language and Cultural Renaissance

• Art historian Partha Mitter noted that Abanindranath’s first-generation students were committed to reviving the “lost language” of Indian art.
• To reinforce the notion that modern Indians could draw from their rich artistic past, Abanindranath played a pivotal role in the Indian Society of Oriental Art journal.

Swadeshi Values and the Birth of the Bengal School of Painting

• Abanindranath emerged as a chief proponent of Swadeshi values in Indian art.
  • His vision culminated in the establishment of the Bengal School of Painting, laying the foundation for modern Indian painting.
  • The innovative direction set by Abanindranath was embraced by subsequent artists, including Kshitindranath Majumdar (with works like “Rasa-Lila”) and M. R. Chughtai (famed for “Radhika”).

Bengal School of Painting: Shantiniketan’s Early Modernism

• Kala Bhavana was India’s first national art school, established as part of the Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan and founded by poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore.
• Nandalal Bose:  A disciple of Abanindranath Tagore, headed the painting department at Kala Bhavana.
  • He cultivated an Indian artistic style by drawing inspiration from folk art forms prevalent in Shantiniketan and emphasising the language of art.
  • His integration of art into education was evident in his woodcut illustrations for Bengali primers.

Nandalal Bose’s Contribution to Nationalism

• Mahatma Gandhi commissioned Bose to create art panels for the 1937 Congress session in Haripura, known as the ‘Haripura Posters’.
  • These posters portrayed everyday rural individuals — musicians, farmers, women — engaged in diverse activities, symbolising their contribution to nation-building. 
  • With tiller of the soil as a famous painting.  
• They resonated with Gandhi’s vision of inclusive nation-building through art.

Jamini Roy

• Jamini Roy, after his academic training, embraced the vibrant and simplistic style of village folk art.
  • Themes: His artworks, emphasising themes of women, children, and rural life, were designed for broad accessibility and replication.

Continued Struggle between Indian and European Art

• The British Raj’s art policy mirrored the ongoing tension between Indian and European artistic sensibilities.
• While students from the Bombay School of Art, mentored by Principal Gladstone Solomon in realism, were tasked with mural decorations for Lutyen’s Delhi, artists from the Bengal School were assigned to adorn the Indian House in London, albeit under stringent British oversight.

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