JOIN USBe ready to walk through the annals of Indian history this summer, as the Pran Sabharwal Foundation (PSF) has organised an exhibition displaying around 300 artworks on lithographs, wood engravings, steel plate engravings and other canvases, from colonial Indian times. Paintings by artists such as William and Thomas Daniell, Solvyn, Mortimer Menpes and Dottor Ferrario are on display at 1AQ on Mehrauli Road, till May 17.
‘An Indian kaleidoscope - An exhibition bringing together the best of art and history from India 200 years ago’ as it is called, is about art and history, finding one another.
The exhibition strives to utilise art as a medium to highlight social issues. It has brought forth art works capturing the close ties of art, history, culture and tradition.
William and Thomas Daniell, Solvyn, Mortimer Menpes, Dottor Ferrario and many other artists accurately captured various Indian elements. Monuments of India from early 19th century, gods and goddesses, ways of worship, their observations of traditions and culture, glimpses from daily colonial life, flora and fauna on lithographs, hand-coloured lithographs, wood and steel plate engravings.
It is interesting to note that the tradition and culture of India depicted in these works of art, more or less remain the same even after about 200 years. The monuments that are seen in these works are also very close to the original monuments that are present till date, telling us volumes about the effort that has gone into preserving them over a couple of centuries or even more.
These works, which are mainly done by British artists, represent India from a colonial point of view. The work of the common people, or a day-to-day setting depicts the colony that India was all those years ago and it helps in understanding the traditions colonialism has given birth to and how they’ve been carried forward.
It will certainly be difficult to find out if man’s quest for great art helped in digging out history or if man’s interest in knowing his past helped in discovering great art. Since time immemorial, art and history have been woven together like silk and gold, coexisting and bringing beauty and meaning to one another. Works of art till date help in understanding the culture and lives of people of the time that they originate from, and what we know of history helps us understand the significance of a particular piece of art, based on its times.
Through its dedication to promote art and highlight issues, Pran Sabharwal Foundation, is making a change in the lives of the underprivileged and disadvantaged -- specially women.
There could not have be a better place to organise this prestigious exhibition than at Delhi’s very own creatively inspiring space 1AQ, located near the towering embodiment of history that is the Qutub Minar.
The exhibition is on till May 17.