Modern Indian Art: Defying Colonial Perceptions and Nationalist Emergence

In the 19th century, British colonial perceptions labeled fine arts as European and questioned the artistic sensibilities of Indians. Art schools were established in major Indian cities, promoting traditional crafts and Victorian-influenced academic art. The Bengal School of Art, nurtured by Abanindranath Tagore and E.B. Havell, emerged as a prime example of nationalist art against this colonial bias. 

Modern Indian Art: Evolution, Nationalist Roots, and Contemporary Diversity

• First Nationalist School: Kala Bhavana, India’s first nationalist art school, was founded in 1919 as part of Visva-Bharati University of Rabindranath Tagore. 
• Abstract Art: In the backdrop of World War I, Indian artists were influenced by modern European art through magazines, leading to a shift towards abstraction and the belief that art could create its own world through forms, lines, and color patches. 

• Gradual Shifting: Modern Indian art evolved through different dynamic shifts and influences over the years, marked by distinct artistic changes. 
• Nascent Stage: It found its nascent voice during the nationalist struggle of the 1930s when artists sought to express the spirit of a nation striving for independence. 
  • Figurative Art: During this era, figurative art emerged as a potent means of storytelling, drawing from indigenous traditions and folklore to narrate the Indian experience. 
• Transition in the 1980s:The art world witnessed a transition towards figurative art and Modern Indian Art in the 1980s, where Indian artists explored diverse styles, narratives, and mediums, breaking away from traditional constraints.
• New Media Art: Further, the 1990s ushered in the era of new media art, as technology opened up fresh avenues for artistic exploration. Today, modern Indian art continues to thrive, reflecting the dynamism and diversity of the nation’s cultural landscape.
• Contemporary Thriving Diversity: This journey through time reveals how Indian art has continually adapted, reflecting the ever-changing cultural, social, and technological landscape of the nation.

Modern Indian Art: Fusion of Global Influence and Nationalistic Roots

• Artistic Evolution: Modern Indian Art was undoubtedly influenced by the West but exhibited significant differences. 
• Early Modern Art in India: It arrived in India during British colonial rule, with artists like Gaganendranath, Amrita Sher-Gil, and Jamini Roy being considered modern as early as the 1930s. 

• Artistic Rebellion: In contrast to Europe, where modern art arose in rebellion against academic realism, Indian modernity was intertwined with colonialism and cultural nationalism. 
  • Artists like F. N. Souza and J. Swaminathan rebelled against art institutions and identified with Western avant-garde artists. 
• Cultural Nationalism: Modernity and colonialism were closely linked in India, giving rise to cultural nationalism and the idea of swadeshi in art. 
• Selective Influence: Modern Indian artists carefully selected elements from Western art, rather than blindly imitating it.
• Roots of Nationalism in Art: It can be traced to the Bengal School under Abanindranath Tagore’s leadership and later took a unique form at Kala Bhavana, Shantiniketan, where artists like Nandalal Bose drew inspiration from traditional Indian art forms. 
• Key Artist Contributions: However, it was artists like Gagendranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, Ramkinker Baij, and Benode Behari Mukherjee who modernized Indian art, shaping the trajectory of Modern Indian Art.

Modern Indian Art: Exploring Early 20th Century Artistic Journeys

• Gaganendranath Tagore: He developed a unique style influenced by Cubism, featuring mysterious halls and rooms with vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines, distinct from Pablo Picasso’s geometrical facets.
• Rabindranath Tagore: Late to visual art, Tagore created patterns out of doodles and developed a unique, calligraphic style out of crossed out words from his poems, incorporating human faces and landscapes with a limited palette. 
  • His palette was limited with black, yellow ochre, reds and browns. 
  • He created a small visual world, which often drew inspiration from Mughal and Pahari miniatures along with Ajanta frescoes. 
• Nandalal Bose: He was influenced by nationalism, and allowed artistic exploration at Kala Bhavana. 
  • His training under Abanindranath Tagore made him familiar with nationalism in art.
  • Bose’s students, Benode Behari Mukherjee and Ramkinker Baij developed their own styles, capturing their environment, Santhal tribe, and medieval saints in their works, departing from the elegant Bengal School style. 
• Benode Behari’s mural “Medieval Saints” in Shantiniketan highlights the humane teachings of saints like Tulsi Das and Kabir. 
  • Focus on Medieval Saints: Rather than making paintings around well-known epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, Benode Behari Mukherjee was drawn to the lives of medieval saints.
• Ramkinkar Baij: His art celebrated nature and everyday experiences, with sculptures like the Santhal Family reflecting the daily life of a Santhal family using modern materials. 
  • His style contrasted with earlier sculptors like D. P. Roy Choudhury, who employed academic realism to celebrate the labour of the working classes, The Triumph of Labour.
• Jamini Roy:  Influenced by folk art and modern European masters, used simple colours and rural themes, differentiating himself with personal signatures. 
  • Like village artists, he also made his own colours from vegetables and minerals.
• Amrita Sher-Gil: She was trained in Paris, combining Indian and European art influences, leaving behind a remarkable body of work that impacted the next generation of Indian modernists. 
  • Blended Form: Her art fused Indian themes with European modernism, contributing significantly to modern Indian art. 
  • Indian Flavour: After deciding to make India her base, she worked to develop art with Indian themes and images.