Latest news with #GilesTillotson
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
India's colonial past revealed through 200 masterful paintings
Founded in 1600 as a trading enterprise, the English East India company gradually transformed into a colonial power. By the late 18th Century, as it tightened its grip on India, company officials began commissioning Indian artists - many formerly employed by the Mughals - to create striking visual records of the land they were now ruling. A Treasury of Life: Indian Company Paintings, c. 1790 to 1835, an ongoing show in the Indian capital put together by Delhi Art Gallery (DAG), features over 200 works that once lay on the margins of mainstream art history. It is India's largest exhibition of company paintings, highlighting their rich diversity and the skill of Indian artists. Painted by largely unnamed artists, these paintings covered a wide range of subjects, but mainly fall into three categories: natural history, like botanical studies; architecture, including monuments and scenic views of towns and landscapes; and Indian manners and customs. "The focus on these three subject areas reflects European engagements with their Indian environment in an attempt to come to terms with all that was unfamiliar to Western eyes," says Giles Tillotson of DAG, who curated the show. "Europeans living in India were delighted to encounter flora and fauna that were new to them, and ancient buildings in exotic styles. They met – or at least observed – multitudes of people whose dress and habits were strange but – as they began to discern – were linked to stream of religious belief and social practice." Beyond natural history, India's architectural heritage captivated European visitors. Before photography, paintings were the best way to document travels, and iconic Mughal monuments became prime subjects. Patrons soon turned to skilled local artists. Beyond the Taj Mahal, popular subjects included Agra Fort, Jama Masjid, Buland Darwaza, Sheikh Salim Chishti's tomb at Fatehpur Sikri (above), and Delhi's Qutub Minar and Humayun's Tomb. The once-obscure and long-anonymous Indian artist Sita Ram, who painted the tomb, was one of them. From June 1814 to early October 1815, Sita Ram travelled extensively with Francis Rawdon, also known as the Marquess of Hastings, who had been appointed as the governor general in India in 1813 and held the position for a decade. (He is not to be confused with Warren Hastings, who served as India's first governor general much earlier.) The largest group in this collection is a set of botanical watercolours, likely from Murshidabad or Maidapur (in present-day West Bengal). While Murshidabad was the Nawab of Bengal's capital, the East India Company operated there. In the late 18th century, nearby Maidapur briefly served as a British base before Calcutta's (now Kolkata) rise eclipsed it. Originally part of the Louisa Parlby Album - named after the British woman who compiled it while her husband, Colonel James Parlby, served in Bengal - the works likely date to the late 18th Century, before Louisa's return to Britain in 1801. "The plants represented in the paintings are likely quite illustrative of what could be found growing in both the well-appointed gardens as well as the more marginal spaces of common greens, waysides and fields in the Murshidabad area during the late eighteenth century," writes Nicolas Roth of Harvard University. "These are familiar plants, domestic and domesticated, which helped constitute local life worlds and systems of meaning, even as European patrons may have seen them mainly as exotica to be collected." Another painting from the collection is of a temple procession showing a Shiva statue on an ornate platform carried by men, flanked by Brahmins and trumpeters. At the front, dancers with sticks perform under a temporary gateway, while holy water is poured on them from above. Labeled Ouricaty Tirounal, it depicts a ritual from Thirunallar temple in Karaikal in southern India, capturing a rare moment from a 200-year-old tradition. By the late 18th Century, company paintings had become true collaborations between European patrons and Indian artists. Art historian Mildred Archer called them a "fascinating record of Indian social life," blending the fine detail of Mughal miniatures with European realism and perspective. Regional styles added richness - Tanjore artists, for example, depicted people of various castes, shown with tools of their trade. These albums captured a range of professions - nautch girls, judges, sepoys, toddy tappers, and snake charmers. "They catered to British curiosity while satisfying European audience's fascination with the 'exoticism' of Indian life," says Kanupriya Sharma of DAG. Most studies of company painting focus on British patronage, but in south India, the French were commissioning Indian artists as early as 1727. A striking example is a set of 48 paintings from Pondicherry - uniform in size and style - showing the kind of work French collectors sought by 1800. One painting (above) shows 10 men in hats and loincloths rowing through surf. A French caption calls them nageurs (swimmers) and the boat a chilingue. Among the standout images are two vivid scenes by an artist known as B, depicting boatmen navigating the rough Coromandel coast in stitched-plank rowboats. With no safe harbours near Madras or Pondicherry, these skilled oarsmen were vital to European trade, ferrying goods and people through dangerous surf between anchored ships and the shore. Company paintings often featured natural history studies, portraying birds, animals, and plants - especially from private menageries. As seen in the DAG show, these subjects are typically shown life-size against plain white backgrounds, with minimal surroundings - just the occasional patch of grass. The focus remains firmly on the species itself. Ashish Anand, CEO of DAG says the the latest show proposes company paintings as the "starting point of Indian modernism". Anand says this "was the moment when Indian artists who had trained in courtly ateliers first moved outside the court (and the temple) to work for new patrons". "The agendas of those patrons were not tied up with courtly or religious concerns; they were founded on scientific enquiry and observation," he says. "Never mind that the patrons were foreigners. What should strike us now is how Indian artists responded to their demands, creating entirely new templates of Indian art."
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
India's colonial past revealed through 200 masterful paintings
Founded in 1600 as a trading enterprise, the English East India company gradually transformed into a colonial power. By the late 18th Century, as it tightened its grip on India, company officials began commissioning Indian artists - many formerly employed by the Mughals - to create striking visual records of the land they were now ruling.A Treasury of Life: Indian Company Paintings, c. 1790 to 1835, an ongoing show in the Indian capital put together by Delhi Art Gallery (DAG), features over 200 works that once lay on the margins of mainstream art history. It is India's largest exhibition of company paintings, highlighting their rich diversity and the skill of Indian by largely unnamed artists, these paintings covered a wide range of subjects, but mainly fall into three categories: natural history, like botanical studies; architecture, including monuments and scenic views of towns and landscapes; and Indian manners and customs."The focus on these three subject areas reflects European engagements with their Indian environment in an attempt to come to terms with all that was unfamiliar to Western eyes," says Giles Tillotson of DAG, who curated the show."Europeans living in India were delighted to encounter flora and fauna that were new to them, and ancient buildings in exotic styles. They met – or at least observed – multitudes of people whose dress and habits were strange but – as they began to discern – were linked to stream of religious belief and social practice." Beyond natural history, India's architectural heritage captivated European visitors. Before photography, paintings were the best way to document travels, and iconic Mughal monuments became prime subjects. Patrons soon turned to skilled local the Taj Mahal, popular subjects included Agra Fort, Jama Masjid, Buland Darwaza, Sheikh Salim Chishti's tomb at Fatehpur Sikri (above), and Delhi's Qutub Minar and Humayun's once-obscure and long-anonymous Indian artist Sita Ram, who painted the tomb, was one of them. From June 1814 to early October 1815, Sita Ram travelled extensively with Francis Rawdon, also known as the Marquess of Hastings, who had been appointed as the governor general in India in 1813 and held the position for a decade. (He is not to be confused with Warren Hastings, who served as India's first governor general much earlier.) The largest group in this collection is a set of botanical watercolours, likely from Murshidabad or Maidapur (in present-day West Bengal). While Murshidabad was the Nawab of Bengal's capital, the East India Company operated there. In the late 18th century, nearby Maidapur briefly served as a British base before Calcutta's (now Kolkata) rise eclipsed part of the Louisa Parlby Album - named after the British woman who compiled it while her husband, Colonel James Parlby, served in Bengal - the works likely date to the late 18th Century, before Louisa's return to Britain in 1801."The plants represented in the paintings are likely quite illustrative of what could be found growing in both the well-appointed gardens as well as the more marginal spaces of common greens, waysides and fields in the Murshidabad area during the late eighteenth century," writes Nicolas Roth of Harvard University. "These are familiar plants, domestic and domesticated, which helped constitute local life worlds and systems of meaning, even as European patrons may have seen them mainly as exotica to be collected." Another painting from the collection is of a temple procession showing a Shiva statue on an ornate platform carried by men, flanked by Brahmins and trumpeters. At the front, dancers with sticks perform under a temporary gateway, while holy water is poured on them from above. Labeled Ouricaty Tirounal, it depicts a ritual from Thirunallar temple in Karaikal in southern India, capturing a rare moment from a 200-year-old tradition. By the late 18th Century, company paintings had become true collaborations between European patrons and Indian artists. Art historian Mildred Archer called them a "fascinating record of Indian social life," blending the fine detail of Mughal miniatures with European realism and perspective. Regional styles added richness - Tanjore artists, for example, depicted people of various castes, shown with tools of their trade. These albums captured a range of professions - nautch girls, judges, sepoys, toddy tappers, and snake charmers."They catered to British curiosity while satisfying European audience's fascination with the 'exoticism' of Indian life," says Kanupriya Sharma of DAG. Most studies of company painting focus on British patronage, but in south India, the French were commissioning Indian artists as early as 1727. A striking example is a set of 48 paintings from Pondicherry - uniform in size and style - showing the kind of work French collectors sought by painting (above) shows 10 men in hats and loincloths rowing through surf. A French caption calls them nageurs (swimmers) and the boat a the standout images are two vivid scenes by an artist known as B, depicting boatmen navigating the rough Coromandel coast in stitched-plank no safe harbours near Madras or Pondicherry, these skilled oarsmen were vital to European trade, ferrying goods and people through dangerous surf between anchored ships and the shore. Company paintings often featured natural history studies, portraying birds, animals, and plants - especially from private menageries. As seen in the DAG show, these subjects are typically shown life-size against plain white backgrounds, with minimal surroundings - just the occasional patch of grass. The focus remains firmly on the species Anand, CEO of DAG says the the latest show proposes company paintings as the "starting point of Indian modernism".Anand says this "was the moment when Indian artists who had trained in courtly ateliers first moved outside the court (and the temple) to work for new patrons". "The agendas of those patrons were not tied up with courtly or religious concerns; they were founded on scientific enquiry and observation," he says. "Never mind that the patrons were foreigners. What should strike us now is how Indian artists responded to their demands, creating entirely new templates of Indian art."
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First Post
11-05-2025
- Business
- First Post
How the most comprehensive exhibition of India reveals the breadth and richness of Company Paintings, an underexplored genre representing a remarkable moment in Indian art history
Curated by Giles Tillotson, SVP, DAG, A Treasury of Life: Indian Company Paintings, c. 1790 to 1835 looks at how Indian artists responded to the demands of their patrons read more In keeping with its commitment to honour the unknown Indian masters commissioned by the East India Company in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, DAG, India's premier art company, dedicates an exhibition to Company Paintings entirely from the gallery collection. Unidentified Artist (Company School) Curated by Giles Tillotson, SVP, DAG, A Treasury of Life: Indian Company Paintings, c. 1790 to 1835 looks at how Indian artists responded to the demands of their patrons, creating entirely new templates of Indian art. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Unidentified Artist (Company School) With two hundred works of art, it is set to be the largest exhibition in India showcasing the diversity of Company Paintings and artistic brilliance of Indian painters. Opening on 12 April 2025 at DAG, New Delhi, it will remain on view for nearly three months. Unidentified Artist (Company School) Company painting has long existed on the margins of Indian art history—too late to be considered part of the classical court tradition and too early to fit within the narrative of modernism. Murshidabad Artist (Company School) Yet, A Treasury of Life challenges that perception, proposing Company painting as a crucial prelude to Indian modernism. By showcasing works that blend Indian artistic heritage with Western influences, the exhibition reveals how Indian painters actively engaged with changing patronage, techniques, and visual traditions, making this one of the most dynamic periods in Indian art. Madras Artist (Company school) It explores three primary categories: natural history, capturing India's flora and fauna with scientific precision and artistic sensitivity; architecture, documenting historic sites and cityscapes with a striking blend of Indian and European techniques; and Indian manners and customs, portraying traders, artisans, religious figures, and sacred idols in vivid detail. Reflecting the European desire to document an unfamiliar land and the ways in which Indian artists responded with ingenuity, adapting their skills to new formats and audiences, A Treasury of Life underscores the fragility of the worlds they depicted. Murshidabad Artist (Company School) Whether in the delicate rendering of a now-endangered plant species, the careful documentation of architectural heritage, or the detailed portrayals of social customs, these paintings hold historical value not just as art, but as windows into a past that, in many ways, no longer exists. Murshidabad Artist (Company School) Beyond botanical studies, Company paintings also provide an unparalleled visual record of India's natural environment and wildlife, many of which have undergone significant changes over the centuries. These works serve as historical snapshots of a time when India's diverse ecosystems were still largely intact, offering glimpses of species and landscapes that have since been altered due to urbanisation and environmental changes. Murshidabad Artist (Company School) Indian Coral Tree (Erythrina variegata), Indian Borage (Plectranthus amboinicus) and Mexican Prickly Poppy (Argemone mexicana) Watercolour on paper pasted on paper, c. 1795 10.5 × 28.0 in. / 26.7 × 71.1 cm. Panel 1: Inscription in English (lower left) 'Erythrina corallodendron' and inscription in English (lower right) 'Muddar' Panel 3: Inscription in English (lower right) 'Kuttella' Registered work (non-exportable) Ashish Anand, CEO and MD, notes, 'This exhibition is a continuation of DAG's long-standing commitment to bringing greater recognition to Company painting. Beginning with its sponsorship of Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company at the Wallace Collection in 2019—the first significant exhibition on Company painting in the UK—DAG has since presented Birds of India, a pioneering exhibition dedicated to the genre, across three Indian cities. A Treasury of Life builds on this foundation, expanding the conversation to highlight the full scope of Company painting and its significance in the evolution of Indian art.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Chuni Lal (Patna Artist) While many Company artists remain unnamed, this exhibition presents works by recognised masters such as Sita Ram, Sewak Ram, and Chuni Lal. Though it is known that European patrons provided these artists with Western models to guide them, the point is seldom demonstrated. Works by European artists like James Forbes, F.B. Solvyns, and Charles Gold help understand the kind of material Company artists would have had at their disposal. Sewak Ram Rather than tracing direct influences, these references shed light on the broader visual culture of the time—one where Indian artists engaged with foreign patrons to create something entirely new. More than a historical survey, A Treasury of Life repositions Company painting as an essential part of India's artistic journey. It captures a moment when Indian painters moved beyond royal commissions to embrace new patrons, subjects, and styles—laying the foundation for future shifts in Indian art. In doing so, the exhibition not only celebrates a vital chapter in history but also invites fresh perspectives on how we understand the beginnings of modern art in India. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tanjore Artist (Company School) With an introductory essay by historian and curator Giles Tillotson, the accompanying publication carries contributory essays by scholars and experts. Apurba Chatterjee (University of Reading) and Nicolas Roth (Harvard University) explore Natural History while Malini Roy (the British Library) and Rosie Llewellyn-Jones investigate architecture and landscape and, Jennifer Howes (Royal Asiatic Society) writes on customs and trades.
