There is an old saying, “Art is as Art does”, which of course leads to the question, “What exactly is it that art does?” For many, art is meant to reflect people, places, events and most important of all ideas of the world around the artist either through allegory or otherwise. And in such cases, art that is produced in the here and now – contemporary art is probably the best medium for transmitting such ideas. In India, where over a thousand years of art and culture weigh on the nation, the time-honoured tradition of creating works of beauty have continued with these modern day Indian masterpieces that we at PASSIONS have reproduced in the following pages.
Conception and birth
The first inklings of what would become modern Indian art manifested itself in 1940 with the establishment of the Progressive Artists‘ Group (PAG). This was a group set up in conjunction with India’s struggle for independence from British rule. The nationalism of the PAG caused the members to look at art in a different perspective from that which was popular at the time. What they sought to do was to bring art to the people and make it more accessible for the common people to appreciate rather than it being the preserve of a well-off group of economic elites. What makes modern Indian art so unique is that it draws upon the classical and the modern. It takes from religious, cultural and historical influences and themes. We can find in the age-old depictions of the Hindus gods and goddesses, with their bright colours and distinctive features, a correlation with what many would consider to be contemporary Indian art. These are themes that can be recognised and understood by the people as a part of what India is for them.
Similarly, the birth of modern Indian art did not just inspire a more nationalist interpretation of art, it also did the same for the socialist movement. Just like in the Soviet Union, where socialist realism was in vogue, a similar school of thought was set up in India where artists attempted to reconcile their depictions to that of Marxist theory.
However, it was not just nationalism, religion and socialism that got a lease of life from the advent of modern Indian art. Some artists did not agree with the nationalist leanings of the Bengal school and embraced global modern art practices. These artists were influenced by several themes from the West such as eroticism, expressionism, surrealism, cubism and primitivism.
Art the mirror of society
Each expression of contemporary art is a record of society’s progress throughout history. It is an archive where memories and achievements are stored. The ethos of Indian contemporary art is not limited to its geographical origins itself. Like all contemporary art, it has been used to send messages of a universal value such anti war campaigns, resistance to sectarian trends, expressions in support of human rights, gender and environmental issues.
As such contemporary art becomes more than a way to a person’s soul but also an insight into the workings of artistic mind.
