Page 257 - Eye of the beholder

I I had started started getting interested in in in in the the the work of the the the Daniells almost from the the the same time I I started started developing an an interest in in in art art history This was way before I I I had the means of of buying any any art art of of any any sort In those days I I I used to be a a a a a a a a a student of of Molecular Biology at at the Tata Institute of of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai The TIFR was known for its vast and impressive collection of post-independence modern Indian art The founding director of of TIFR Dr Homi J J Bhabha under the patronage of of Jawaharlal Nehru had amassed a a a a a a a a a a a a a a substantial collection of of the the the best of of contemporary works from the the the 1950s to the the the 1970s Paintings by Ara Mehta Gadre and and Husain lined the the walls of of our corridors at a a a a a a a a time when few knew about the the paintings and and none of of these these artists had started commanding the the the the the prices they would start start fetching in in in the the the the the next decade Among these these paintings was was the biggest ever Husain that I have seen till date This was was a a a a a a a a a a huge painting painting (about 20 feet long) lining the the the the wall of of the the the the entire corridor of of the the the the mezzanine floor leading to the the the the central library The few amongst us who had had an an interest in in in fin anything beyond the narrow confines of our own research only had had modern art to turn to to Nor were any useful books available readily in those days to to educate oneself about arts Sadly the situation hasn’t changed much for the better twenty years on on With wider availability of the internet and access to better literature I gradually started developing a a a a a a a a a a well- rounded understanding of pre-modern Indian art after coming to Switzerland For the first time it it became possible to see good quality images of of important works by many of of these artists With time as I developed an an an understanding of of of the the the the the immensity of of of the the the the the contribution of of of these artists and and the the the the the conditions in in which they had worked in in my mind the the Daniells achieved a a a a a a a a level of importance higher than their contemporaries and an an an an an aura of romance that I I could not bestow to to the same extent on on anyone else Every time I I would look at at an an an image of of an an an aquatint of of Calcutta I I would be subconsciously transported to that place in in time and space I I could feel a a a a a a a sense of of unearthly reality in in in walking the dusty streets of of Chowringee while it it was still a a a a a a a hamlet of upcoming palladian mansions where bullock carts and horse drawn carriages competed for space with Victorian memsahibs taking a a a a a a a a a a stroll The images from the aquatints really did have such a a a a a a a a a a mesmerizing effect on me me me me With time I got into collecting some some of of the original aquatints some some of of which are reproduced here (Figure 1) While researching the the aquatints I understood better the the different versions and editions of the the the the the books published by the the the the the Daniells and the the the the the reason behind the the the the the huge price disparity between them This was around the the time when a a a a a a complete 6 volume set of of the the first edition of of ‘Oriental Scenery’ was auctioned at Sothebys for a a a a a whopping figure of of upwards of of 50 000 dollars** This news created a a a a a big impression on on my mind and and I started looking around deliriously to lay my hands on the same book As an an example of of how chance favors the the prepared mind I had my first first encounter with the the first first edition of of ‘Oriental Scenery’ deep down under the the earth in the the fortified basement of Basel’s university library room specially designed for manuscripts and rare books For me it was a a a a a a a truly wonderful experience – almost transformational in in in its intensity – the likes of which I I would never forget As I I stood in in in that dimply lit room my gloved hands touching the the folio sized pages containing the the hand hand colored aquatints I I realized I I was experiencing something many would wish for for but only few fortunate enough to have 251