Viii Chapter 10

1.
Fill in the blanks:

(a) The art form which observed carefully and tried to capture exactly what the eye saw
is called ___________.
(b) The style of painting which showed Indian landscape as a quaint, unexplored land is
called __________.
(c) Paintings which showed the social lives of Europeans in India are called _________.
(d) Paintings which depicted scenes from British imperial history and their victories are
called ____________.
Answer
(a) The art form which observed carefully and tried to capture exactly what the eye saw
is calledportraiture.
(b) The style of painting which showed Indian landscape as a quaint, unexplored land is
calledpicturesque.
(c) Paintings which showed the social lives of Europeans in India are called Kalighat
paintings.
(d) Paintings which depicted scenes from British imperial history and their victories are
called history paintings.
Page No: 140
2. Point out which of the following were brought in with British art:
(a) oil painting (b) miniatures (c) life-size portrait painting (d) use of perspective (e) mural
art
Answer
(a) Oil painting, (c)life-size portrait painting and (d) use of perspective.
3. Describe in your own words one painting from this chapter which suggests that the
British were more powerful than Indians. How does the artist depict this?
Answer
The painting which depicts the discovery of the body of Tipu Sultan shows the British as
more powerful than Indians. In this painting, the British General is shown as if standing
on a high pedestal and exuding all the confidence. On the other hand, Tipu Sultan is
shown half naked and lifeless; lying in the dark recess. The painting appears to
announce that those who dare to challenge the British authority would meet the same
fate.
4. Why did the scroll painters and potters come to Kalighat? Why did they begin to paint
new themes?
Answer
The scroll painters and potters come to Kalighat in the hope of new patrons and neve
buyers of their art. After the 1 &lOs, a new trend was visible within the Kalighat artists.
Living in a society where values, tastes, social norms and customs were undergoing
rapid changes, Kalighat artists responded to the world around and produced paintings
on social and political themes.
5. Why can we think of Raja Ravi Varma's paintings as national?
Answer
Raja Ravi Varma was one of the first artists who tried to create a style that was both
modern and national. He used the Western art of oil painting and realistic life study to
paint themes from Indian mythology. He dramatised on canvas scene after scene from
the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. This portrayal of an Indian consciousness
is what makes his paintings national. This was perhaps one of the reasons why his
paintings were popular not only among Indian princes and art collectors but also among
the masses.
Let's Discuss
6. In what way did the British history paintings in India reflect the attitudes of imperial
conquerors?
Answer
The British history paintings sought to dramatise and recreate various episodes of British
imperial history. These paintings celebrated the British power, their victories and their
supremacy. The imperial history paintings attempted to create a public memory of
imperial triumphs. Victories had to be remembered, implanted in the memory of people,
both in India and Britain. Only then could the British appear invincible and all-powerful.
7. Why do you think some artists wanted to develop a national style of art?
Answer
Some artists rejected the art of Ravi Varma as imitative and westernised and declared
that such a style was unsuitable for depicting the nations ancient myths and legends.
They felt that a genuine Indian style of painting had to draw inspiration from non-Western
art traditions, and try to capture the spiritual essence of the East. These artists broke
away from the convention of oil painting and the realistic style, and turned for inspiration
to medieval Indian traditions of miniature painting and the ancient art of mural painting in
the Ajanta caves. Abanindranath Tagore was one of the first artists who wanted to
develop a national style of art.
8. Why did some artists produce cheap popular prints? What influence would such prints
have had on the minds of people who looked at them?
Answer
By the late nineteenth century, mechanical printing presses were set up in different parts
of India. This allowed prints to be produced in large numbers. These prints could
therefore be sold cheap in the market. As a result, even the poor could buy them. With
the spread of nationalism, the popular prints of the early twentieth century began
carrying nationalist messag

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