Stepping into the magic of the lost past

Oriental Sceneries” is an exhibition being held in the Art Heritage Gallery II of Triveni Kala Sangham. The exhibition presents antique wood engraving of different regions of British India. These were printed and published by ‘The London Printing and Publication Company’.

The display presents Indian national heritage as captured by the Imperial understanding of art and finesse. The pictures of the Indian monuments and locations show polish and a subtlety in rendering of colours in a way that is almost entirely English.

The cave of Karli, The Elephanta Caves, The Bowli of Bijapur, The British Residency of Hyderabad, The Hindoo (Hindu) Temples in Madura, Tombs of Golconda, Auranzeb’s Tomb, Cootub (Qutub) Minar of Delhi and Humaioon (Humayun) Tomb of Delhi are amongst the sites visible in the display. All of them retain a character which in details belongs to history. The exhibition takes us back to the bygone persona of India. The greenery and void around the locations pictured and framed appear to affirm it’s belonging to the past. 

Afzal Ali, a resident of Delhi says “The show is outstanding with the most beautiful details of Delhi.” Another visitor, Dinesh Sharma, says “The pictures have an amazing ambience. This is a mind blowing combination of art and painting.”

Oriental Sceneries is being displayed in Triveni Kala Sangam, 205 Tansen Marg till August 8 from 11am to 7pm.