Another day, another exhibition…basically the weather in Delhi is SO hot and SO conducive to not stepping out or doing anything, that I am doing the exact opposite. Forcing myself to leave my air-conditioned study and head out!
(Hums “Mad dogs and Englishmen…”)
After yesterday’s exhibition about Ladakh, today it was time to head to DAG – Delhi Art Gallery – for their ongoing exhibition “A treasury of life. Indian company paintings c1790-1835”
It is a beautifully displayed exhibition
Explanatory panels provide lots of information:
I’d heard about “company painting” before, but this is the first time I’ve seen so many examples together.
And what, precisely, is “company painting”?
To quote the DAG’s own words:
“The term ‘Company painting’ was coined some seventy years ago to describe works made by Indian artists working for European patrons in India – typically employees of the various foreign trading companies – in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Early enthusiasts of the genre were few: most people thought it was too late or ‘decadent’ to be considered as good court art, and too early or ‘primitive’ to be considered as modern.
Recent exhibitions and publications have raised awareness and appreciation of this exceptional phase of Indian art, and this exhibition contributes to that purpose.“
The coming together of 2 worlds is at the heart of “company painting”
“…this was the moment when Indian artists who had trained in courtly ateliers first moved outside the court to work for new patrons. The agendas of those patrons were not tied up with courtly or religious concerns.
They were enthralled by India’s flora and fauna; by its architectural traditions; and by the costumes, customs and manners of its diverse peoples; and they looked to local artists to capture these details in images that would help them understand an environment that was new to them.
Never mind that the patrons were foreigners, and their vision could be ill-informed.”
Indian artists tried their hand at a new genre, with the subjects chosen to please foreigners who might now little of India but were fascinated by it.
The exhibition covers flora and fauna (my favourites), architecture, and people and festivals.
The architectural paintings are interesting, because – as the exhibition notes tell us – “Most company depictions of buildings show them on a blank background (in the same manner as the botanical views) without any surrounding landscape.” Which made the few paintings also depicting people and animals instant favourites:
Horses and an elephant and a palanquin with the Qutb Minar, c 1830
Above, again with elephants and horses galore – attributed to Sita Ram, c1815, “A procession of a European in a palanquin before a European residence”
Above – a stunning drawing by James Forbes from 1769 – “Bulbul or Indian Nightingale, on a sprig of the custard apple tree.”
There are some fascinating discoveries – like this painting (below) c1822 of “A pilgrim carrying a wooden Kavati”
You can still see pilgrims carrying “kavadis” today. The shape of the “kavadi” is pretty much the same, but I have to admit I’ve never seen a pilgrim in such jazzy shorts nor with such amazing sandals!
You also can still see acrobats on the streets – usually children, begging at traffic lights – but I guess in 1822, when this was painted, it must have seemed very exotic.
An interesting exhibition, well displayed, informative, and well worth a visit.
It is free, and is on until July.