Indian Art and Letters

Author(s): India Society
Publisher: India Society

Page 19

India Society's Exhibition of Modern Indian Art
and one by Mr. Ranada Ukil, and other works are from local art schools and museums and the private collections of native Princes, the Maharajah of Patiala in particular, and British officials.
The works are grouped according to States and Provinces. This makes for convenience, though it would be extremely rash for anybody but a person thoroughly well acquainted with the whole history of Indian art to attempt a definition of local styles. The broad division is that between the work of the Bombay school and that from other parts of India. It is at Bombay that the application of Western methods of teaching has gone farthest. Speaking generally, it can be said that the results in the first gallery-seem to show that such teaching can be digested without serious disturbance to the native tradition. A fair statement of the case would be to say that, having regard to contemporary conditions, the work from Bombay strikes one as being more businesslike, but that many of the things of the highest artistic interest are to be found elsewhere.
Examples which may be quoted are "Goddess Durga," by Ranada Ukıl, “Saptasur (The Seven Tunes)," by Sarada Ukıl, “The Midnight Offering," by Sudhir Khastgir; “Mythic Dance," by Roop Krishna, "The Zita Player," by Asit K. Haldar, "The Lost Tune," by Kiranmoy Dhar; "Illustrations to the Arabian Nights," by Abanındranath Tagore, “The Storm " (anonymous); “The Morning Flower," by S. Ch. Sen ; “The First Lesson," by Jamını Roy; the etchings by Mukul Dey and the compositions in black and white by G. N Tagore. He and Roop Krishna are the two artists who excite the greatest interest. On account of its authorship, the drawing “Devatatma Himalaya," by the poet Rabindranath Tagore, should not be overlooked.
LINE AND COLOUR The prevailing impression of the exhibition is that of line and colour. In speaking of " line" it may be well to remark that, whereas in Western drawing line bears first reference to the forms enclosed, in the hands of Indian artists--of Oriental artists generally-it is pursued as a means of expression in itself The colour, again, is what we should call "decorative," though it is probable that it has also a symbolical meaning. This, however, 18 not a point to be touched upon by anybody unversed in Indian philosophy and religion. But, taking line and colour as the tradition, it is in its effects upon them that Western teaching is to be judged "Cartoon for Mural Decoration," by V. S. Adurkar, Bombay, seems to show that relief can be attempted without injury to the native conduct of line, though it is questionable if this drawing is more truly "plastic" in effect than "Trimurti," by M G. Solegaonkar, also Bombay, which is in pure line. Perhaps the most successful reconciliation of Eastern and Western ideals is seen in the pastel study of "Marwar Beauty," by V. H. Rajwadkar, though "Sir Jamsetji Jeejebhoy, First Bart.," by M. F. Pithawalla, is a good portrait, pleasantly reserved in colour, on academic lines, and there is a singular charm in" Moharram Offerings," by N. S. Bendre. But one cannot help feeling that “Divine Love," by G. H. Nagarkar, which, though in oil, is practically a painted drawing, represents the most effective kind of compromise for Indian artists. In water-colour one wishes that Indian artists could be weaned from the trick of misty gradations, which seems to have crept in from Japan, and obscures the linear merits of their work. In sculpture, the most impressive works are the groups by R. C. Roy and R. P. Kamat, traditional and Westernized respectively. The Bombay Architectural Section is of general interest, but it does not present anything remarkable. The India Society and Mr. John de La Valette, the honorary organizer, are to be congratulated heartıly on this exhibition.
BROADCAST On December 18, at 4.30, Mr. John de La Valette broadcast a short account of the Exhibition to India from the London studios of the British Broadcasting Corporation, of which the following is the text :
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