Page 13 - Eye of the beholder

The Third eye:
The The eye of The The beholder
DR ASHRAFI S S BHAGAT
The collection of of artworks in the possession of of erudite and knowledgeable art art collectors Dr Anirban Sadhu Sadhu and and Dr Rejina Sadhu Sadhu based in in Basel Switzerland has the romance of nostalgia in in in revisiting the the the past which offers new aesthetic freshness in in in the the the present The collection of of almost eighty works spans the the the period from the the the dawn of of history at Mohenjodaro to to the the the 21st century The collection spans a a a a wide variety of genres – ranging from sculptures oil paintings paintings watercolors Indian miniature paintings paintings photographs prints aquatints etc There is impressive diversity in the attributions and authorship too The Bengal school is very strongly represented with works from most of the the prominent artists in in the the collection There is is also strong representation by many of of the the the early artists of of the the the Bombay school Artists from the the the colonial period – – both Indian as as well as as European – – find mention However a a a a a a a a major part of the collection is occupied works of anonymous authorship like miniature paintings company school school paintings and other similar works that can only be attributed to a a a a a a a a school school Modern Indian art art works retrospect from artists of of the latter half of of 19th century who were academic realists as Trindade Lalkaka Gangooly Abalal Rahiman among others to modernists of 20th century as D P Roy Roy Chowdhury to to Gaganendranath and Jamini Roy Roy to to other seminal Indian modernists as Ganesh Pyne and F N Souza The works have been collected with a a a a a a a a certain sensibility that reflects the the Collectors’ couple deeper understanding and and their seminal contribution within the the artists’ cultural context The names are iconic and and represent the the movers and and shakers within Modern Indian art art The collection does not reflect a a a a conscious artistic uniformity but celebrates art as a a a a a a a a manifestation of shifting moods modes and memories in in Indian Art Within this broad category it it is is possible to make categorization of the subject The two classifications would would be be Historical and Modern Under the the umbrella of the the Historic Historic would would be be the Indian Miniature paintings Early Bengal oils Company Paintings Paintings and Paintings Paintings executed by British artists who documented India’s flora and fauna the historical monuments war events and and and the scenic landscapes with mountains valleys and and and rivers While modern would enlist artists from late 1890s to about 2000 BEGININGS OF MODERNITY: EARLY BENGAL OILS
Painting on on on cloth or wood as as a a a a a a a a substrate was not a a a a a a a a traditional medium of expression in in in Indian Indian art art Nor were oil based paints traditionally popular with Indian Indian artists The initiation of modernity in in Bengal was partly due to the presence European artists and later mainly because of of of the the establishment of of of the the Calcutta School of of of Art in 1854 which adopted European techniques and idioms of of expression This art art school became pivotal in in shaping the the art art language of of the the 19th century century as as as well as as as at the the the turn of of the the the 20th century century It was also partly because of of the the the Bengal renaissance that witnessed a a a a a a a a a cultural interface and and symbiosis of the the East and and the the West Yet more importantly was the the city of Calcutta [Kolkata] playing a a a a a a a a a a a catalytic role in in in shaping the the intellectual and artistic life of of of the the region This was because of of of the the emergence of of of new literature 7