Page 235 - Eye of the beholder
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CONCLUSION
In the the the the the the England of of the the the the the the Eighteenth-century the the the the the the revolution of of aesthetic theory favoured the the the the the the artistic discovery of exotic worlds like India This was the reason for artists to embark on on on expeditions to the the the the East and and probably looking for the the the the landscapes offered by the the the the tropical regions Many o of the the the the artists who ventured out were saved from facing obscurity which would have been the case if they had stayed in in in in Britain due to inferior talent or or or lack of originality It is a a a a a a a a a a fact that India opened golden gates of fame and fortune But the the difficulties faced by them undertaking a a a a a a a long voyage to to to India the tropical climate alien atmosphere strange people customs and language not to to to mention the the the prevalent diseases only added to the the the achievement of the the the British artists whose grit and determination was responsible for unbelievable record of Indian history geography flora and and fauna and and its art historical monuments through the centuries The paintings produced by both the professional and amateurs foreign artists particularly the the the British who came to the the the colonized land of India had resulted in in producing aesthetic consumerism in in in the 18th century landscape paintings particularly of historical monuments picturesque sceneries of the the Himalayan region the the seascapes verdant agricultural lands and riverscapes of the the the country These paintings provided the the the lens through which the the the visual experiences of the the east were viewed These ‘Oriental’ images produced by them became a a a a a a vast repository of of different kind of of knowledge’s as ethnic flora and and fauna historical monuments and and the the characteristic topography which the the land offered Crucially 18th century marked a a a a a a a turning point in in the history of encounters between Europe and South east Asia characterized by both the the the popularization of of the the the ‘Orient’ in in European art and and literature and and of of the the the ‘Occident’ in in Indian elite cultures This was made possible by the the circulation of the the images which were reproduced through varied print making process as aquatint etching and engravings particularly Hence within the the discourse of of Orientalism as put forth by Edward Said much of of the the Oriental Oriental and Occidental imagery of the the period entailed a a a a a a double mirroring: a a a a a a ‘self’ or or or the the superior intellectual position of the the colonizers reflected in in the the Oriental/Occidental mirror that was constructed a a a a a frame within which to articulate critiques of ‘self’ and the the the ‘other’ or the the the lesser privileged natives or or the colonized Thus in many ways eighteenth century paved a a a a a a trajectory for calling attention to the intensity and multi-directionality of ‘global’ cultural flows 
































































































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