Page 225 - Eye of the beholder

stirring terrifying events like the the Mysore Wars and the the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 Of course within the the the context of their time the the the paintings and and drawings also had a a a a a a a a a sole artistic value and and purpose such as as as in in in the case of portraits and and landscapes Art too too served as as as a a a a a a a a a critical tool in in in helping British men men and and women construct and and visualize the the “empire " This was especially true of the the picturesque idiom which had a a a a a a powerful impact on almost all subsequent forms of imperial representation including photographs and advertising from the mid-19th century' onwards Beginning around 1770s British artists who travelled the empire frequently constructed and depicted what they saw through the the the the the lens of the the the the the picturesque and and hence the the the the the sublime and and the the the the the beautiful presenting regions as as diverse as as South Africa India Australia and and the Pacific Islands in remarkably similar ways The Indian painter had been deft in in in in in minute detailing crisp rendering and possessed exceptional craftsmanship Having been mesmerized by the exotic flora and fauna as as well as as indigenous art and architecture the the East India Company had an an an urge to secure this beauty from the the accomplished hands of the the the talented painters Not only the the the British artists were involved in in in the the the same but many Indian painters were commissioned to assist and draw the the vicinities they perceived as significant Owing to to the absence of o camera and inclination to to preserve memories authorial officials were also interested in in in in capturing the the views in in in in order to take them back home as souvenirs Much has been written about European artists and and Calcutta and and to this city of opportunity came a a a a a a a series of of of professional painters mostly British in in search of of of a a a a a a a fortune The European and native artists [as the the patuas who settled near the the Kali temple] were drawn to Calcutta almost simultaneously during the the time when the the city began to grow rapidly and assume its present shape This was under the governor-generalship of Warren Hastings regarded as as as the the true founder of of Calcutta It was during his stewardship that in in the the words of of Thomas and William Daniel “the bamboo roof suddenly vanished and the the the marble column took the the the place of of brick walls” results in the transformation to an an an an urban character and cultural personality of of Calcutta changing and evolving Along with other manifestations of urban culture the the visual arts became a a a a a a a necessity of life and and both the the city and and its residents had the the economic means to indulge their aesthetic tastes From both literary and artistic evidence it it appears that the the earliest patrons of the the arts in Calcutta were the British British British British artists of importance who exerted considerable influenced on on many Indian artists particularly the the miniaturists who had lost their patronage and were seeking ways and and means to keep alive their skills and and talents included Tilly Kettle (1735-1786) William Hodges (1744-1797) Johan Zoffany (1733-1810) A W W Devis (1762-1822) George Farington (1752-1788) Robert Home (1752-1834) and F F B Solvyns (1760-1824) Their work impinged on that of Indian artists who helped in in in their their studios or copied their their many drawings or or were were influenced by the the aquatint versions of their work There were were too many such artists in in in Calcutta for the local artists to to be able to to compete 219