In what way did the British history paintings in India reflect the attitudes of imperial conquerors?
British history paintings celebrated the British, their power, their victories and their supremacy. The paintings were full of action and energy. The painting dramatised the event and glorified the British triumph. These paintings sought to create a public memory of imperial triumphs. Victories had to be remembered, implanted in the memory of people, both in India and Britain. Only then could the British appear invincible and all-powerful.
Why did some artists produce cheap popular prints? What influence would such prints have had on the minds of people who looked at them?
In what way did the British history paintings in India reflect the attitudes of imperial conquerors?
Point out which of the following were brought in with British art:
(a) oil painting (b) miniatures (c) life-size portrait painting (d) use of perspective (e) mural art
1. Fill in the blanks:
(a) The art form which observed carefully and tried to capture exactly what the eye saw is called _________.
(b) The style of painting which showed Indian landscape as a quaint, unexplored land is called _________.
(c) Paintings which showed the social lives of Europeans in India are called _________.
(d) Paintings which depicted scenes from British imperial history and their victories are called _________.
Why did the scroll painters and potters come to Kalighat? Why did they begin to paint new themes?
Describe in your own words one painting from this chapter which suggests that the British were more powerful than Indians. How does the artist depict this?