Partha Mitter

This concise yet lively new survey guides the reader through 5,000 years of Indian art and architecture. A rich artistic tradition is fully explored through the Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, Colonial, and contemporary periods, incorporating discussion of modern Bangladesh and Pakistan, tribal artists, and the decorative arts. Combining a clear overview with fascinating detail, Mitter succeeds in bringing to life the true diversity of Indian culture. The influence of Islam on the Mughal court, which produced the world-famous Taj Mahal and exquisite miniature paintings, is closely examined. More recently, he discusses the nationalist and global concerns of contemporary art, including the rise of female artists, the stunning architecture of Charles Correa, and the vibrant art scene. The very particular character of Indian art is set within its cultural and religious milieu, raising important issues about the profound differences between Western and Indian ideas of beauty and eroticism in art.

Indian Art

Mia Fineman

Shanay Jhaveri

Amit Chadhuri

In the New York Times, critic Teju Cole offered this appreciation of the work of Indian–born photographer Raghubir Singh (1942—1999): "Singh gives us photographs charged with life: not only beautiful experiences or painful scenes but also those in–between moments of drift that make up most of our days." This richly illustrated volume, the first in–depth study of Singh's work, situates it at the intersection of Western modernism and traditional South Asian modes of picturing the world. A major practitioner of color street photography, Singh captured images that demonstrate the diverse culture of India. Raghubir Singh features over 100 of his photographs—in counterpoint with the work of such influences as Henri Cartier–Bresson and Lee Friedlander and with images of traditional South Asian artworks that inspired his practice—providing an extensive overview of the artist's career. With its vibrant plates and insightful essays, this publication brilliantly illustrates Cole's assessment that Singh's work draws "breathtaking coherence out of the chaos of the everyday."

Modernism on the Ganges

Raghubir Singh

Professor of History of Art Partha Mitter

Mitter Partha

Partha Mitter's book is a pioneering study of the history of modern art on the Indian subcontinent from 1850 to 1922. The author tells the story of Indian art during the Raj, set against the interplay of colonialism and nationalism. The work addresses the tensions and contradictions that attended the advent of European naturalism in India, as part of the imperial design for the westernisation of the elite, and traces the artistic evolution from unquestioning westernisation to the construction of Hindu national identity. Through a wide range of literary and pictorial sources, Art and Nationalism in Colonial India balances the study of colonial cultural institutions and networks with the ideologies of the nationalist and intellectual movements which followed. The result is a book of immense significance, both in the context of South Asian history and in the wider context of art history.

Occidental Orientations

Art and Nationalism in Colonial India, 1850-1922

The Triumph of Modernism probes the intricate interplay of Western modernism and Indian nationalism in the evolution of colonial-era Indian art.

India's Artists and the Avant-garde, 1922-47

The Triumph of Modernism

The tumultuous last decades of British colonialism in India were catalyzed by more than the work of Mahatma Gandhi and violent conflicts. The concurrent upheavals in Western art driven by the advent of modernism provided Indian artists in post-1920 India a powerful tool of colonial resistance. Distinguished art historian Partha Mitter now explores in this brilliantly illustrated study this lesser known facet of Indian art and history. Taking the 1922 Bauhaus exhibition in Calcutta as the debut of European modernism in India, The Triumph of Modernism probes the intricate interplay of Western modernism and Indian nationalism in the evolution of colonial-era Indian art. Mitter casts his gaze across a myriad of issues, including the emergence of a feminine voice in Indian art, the decline of “oriental art,” and the rise of naturalism and modernism in the 1920s. Nationalist politics also played a large role, from the struggle of artists in reconciling Indian nationalism with imperial patronage of the arts to the relationship between primitivism and modernism in Indian art. An engagingly written study anchored by 150 lush reproductions, The Triumph of Modernism will be essential reading for scholars of art, British studies, and Indian history.

Partha Mitter

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