Explain the changing world of visual arts during the British Imperial period?
experts please
Answers
The changes were seen primarily on paintings and print making.
New Forms of Imperial Art:
(i) In 18th century a stream of European artists came to India along with the British traders and rulers.
(ii) The artists brought with them new styles and new conventions of paintings. They began producing pictures which helped shape western perceptions of India.
(iii) The main feature of the European painting was realism, i.e., what the artists produced was expected to look real.
(iv) Oil painting was also introduced in India by the European artists. It enabled artists to produce images that looked real.
(v) Paintings were based on varied subjects. However, the European artist’s common intention was to emphasise the superiority of Britain, its culture, its people and its power.
Looking for the Picturesque:
Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin. The term “picturesque” needs to be understood in relationship to two other aesthetic ideals: the beautiful and the sublime
(i) Picturesque landscape paintingwas one of the popular imperial traditions. It depicted India as quaint land, to be explored by travelling British artists.
(ii) The most famous artists of this tradition were Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell.
(iii) They produced paintings of newly acquired British territories.
(iv) In some of the images they showed the British rule bringing modern civilization to India. In other images, depicting buildings reminding the glory of past and decaying ancient civilization.
(v) One of the image shows the modernizing influence of British rule, by emphasizing a picture of dramatic change.
Portraits of Authority:
(i) Portrait painting was another tradition of art that became popular in colonial India.
(ii) The rich and powerful people, both Indian and British, were very fond of self portraits.
(iii) In colonial India, portraits were life size images that looked lifelike and real.
(iv) The art of making portraits is known as ‘portraiture’ that served as an ideal means of displaying the lavish lifestyles, wealth and status generated by British in India.
(v) European artists like Johann Zoffany visited India in search of profitable commissions.
(vi) He was born in Germany, migrated to England and came in India and stayed for five years.
(vii) He depicted the British as superior and imperious, flaunting their clothes, standing royally or sitting arrogantly and living a life of luxury while Indians were portrayed as submissive and inferior serving their white masters and occupying a shadowy background in his paintings.
Explanation:
This tradition sought to dramatise and recreate various episodes of British imperial history. British victories in India provided a rich material for history painters in Britain. These paintings once again celebrated the British, their power, victories and supremacy
A stream of European artists, who came to India from the 18th century, brought with them new style and new conventions of painting. The picture that they produced shaped western perceptions of India.
These artists introduced the idea of realising. This was based on careful observation and faithful depiction of scenes which they saw with their own eyes.
The technique of oil painting, which was a new thing for the Indian artists, was also introduced.
The European artists chose varied subjects for their paintings but they never missed to emphasise the superiority of Britain.