CHENNAI: Art is a mirror to society and as society evolves, so does art. Seventy five years of our country’s complex history can be mapped through the metamorphoses of Indian art. From ancient pictographs to the contemporary form we witness today, let us revisit the developments and movements spearheaded by some of the greatest artists of their time.
Bringing back local flavours
During the British rule in India, art schools promoting European styles were set up resulting in an idealised Indian art style with foreign influences. Then, at the start of the 20th century, when the Independence movement was gaining ground, the Bengal School art movement, led by Abanindranath Tagore, was initiated. Fuelled by nationalism and a need to recover the indigenous language of Indian art, this movement prevailed when colonial rule ended in 1947.
Around this time, opposition to these conservative artistic practices was voiced by six artists — FN Souza, MF Hussain, SH Raza, HA Gade, KH Ara and SK Bakre — who formed the Progressive Artists Group in 1947 in Bombay, to promote a progressive style. After several exhibitions showcasing modernist styles such as post-impressionism, cubism and expressionism, the group fell apart in the late 1950s, but not without leaving an ineffaceable mark on Indian art.
The southern revolution
Down south, in the 1960s, this modernist style with strong Western influences was considered a reminder of the shackles of colonialism. Thus was born the Madras Art Movement, spearheaded by KCS Paniker, who along with fellow artists and sculptors like S Dhanapal, evolved a new artistic idiom that was deeply rooted in regional traditions. Paniker founded the Cholamandal Artists Village in 1966, a self-sustaining commune of artists, which still exists and has contributed immensely to India’s art history.
While these two movements were triggered by the need to find new visual languages, the Indian Radical Painters and Sculptors Association was formed in 1985, as a response to the growing capitalism in art. Led by KP Krishnakumar and leaning heavily towards leftist ideologies, the group brought together artists like Jyothi Basu, Anita Dube, Alex Mathew, K Reghunadhan, K Prabhakaran and many others. They organised art camps in public places and strived to reinstate art as belonging to the common people. The movement suffered a huge blow with the untimely death of Krishnakumar in 1989 and ultimately, differences of opinion within the group led to its demise.
Back to the future
In recent times, though there have been no major movements in art, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, an exhibition of international contemporary art, could be termed a movement of sorts. Founded by leading artists, Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu in 2012, this is the only artist-led Biennale, and essentially rejects the idea of the white cube. The exhibition, which happens every two years, has drawn global attention and has radically altered the landscape for many young artists.
With iconic artists like Bhupen Khakhar, J Swaminathan, KG Subramanyan, Vivan Sundaram, Subodh Gupta, Nalini Malani, Jitish Kallat, Shilpa Gupta and collectives like the Raqs Media Collective, a Delhi-based trio, who have presented their works in most major international shows, redefining the global perception of Indian art, we have come a long way in these past seven decades. With boundaries erased in art, regional identities have come under the umbrella of one united national identity — the Indian artist. In the global scenario, this truly is India’s moment.
Jitha Karthikeyan
Email: jithakarthikeyan2@gmail.com
(Jitha Karthikeyan is an artist and curator, passionate about making art accessible to the larger public)