Page 293 - Eye of the beholder

OLINTO GHILARDI [1848-1930]
The name of Ghilardi an Italian artist who arrived in India to carve a career for himself; is associated particularly with the name of Abanindranath Tagore, when the latter replaced him as a Vice-Principal of Calcutta School of Art in August 1905, and was equally his teacher as well. Ghilardi was appointed in 1886. During his tenure he showed a definite interest in the study of the specimens of Indian art and design, and it was under his initiative that a class of fresco painting, entirely on the principle of ancient Indian decorative art was introduced into the curriculum. Another innovation of Ghilardi was the use of plaster casts of the sculpture and decoration of the Bhubaneswar temples, prepared for Rajendralal Mitra’s project, as models for study in the architectural drawing classes.
Ghilardi when he arrived in India was 37 years old and not much information is available about his accomplishments as an artist untill he took up the teaching assignment at the Calcutta School of Art. His association with Abanindranath concerns the latter’s academic training in his output of pastel and was an influential teacher and mentor to him. Importantly besides pastel, Ghilardi also introduced Abanindranath to the technique of water colours and gouache, a technique for which he developed a predilection and extended his interest when the Japanese artists arrived at jorshonko. The association with Abanindranath suggests that Ghilardi was already well known and accepted among the Bengali elite of Kolkata as an artist. His presence in Calcutta also resulted in opening new trajectories particularly bringing in European art that made an impressionable impact on Indian art. In many ways, Ghilardi was to the Bengal school what Walter Langhammer was to the Progressive Artists Group. Both played a seminal role in gathering together and identifying the young budding talents and inspired them with the progressive ideas from the European modern art movements. Unfortunately within the art historical discourse it has been witnessed that artist-teachers have not been given prominence either because of intentional amnesia or as teachers their contribution has been highlighted in the development of students who established themselves as successful or pioneering artists as the case of Abanindranath Tagore can be made out.
In the collection of Anirban Sadhu are two untitled paintings of Ghilardi. In a well researched article that was published in MARG Anirban writes, “The works are from a deceased British estate that apparently had Indian connections going back many generations. This provenance supports the origin of the paintings in India, and the attribution to Olinto Ghilardi. Additionally however, both the paintings are clearly signed by the artist on the lower left side. Both the paintings are of identical dimensions, and are set in a solid oak frame. Expert opinion dates the making of the frame to the turn of the last century. This is further supported by the label of the art gallery that supposedly framed the painting namely J Brown & Sons, 22 Duke Street Aldgate, London. This gallery was in business till the early 20th century, but is no longer operational now. The name of the framers and the sophisticated framing also indicates that the picture was a coveted object, and it was much valued and appreciated by the owners”.
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