Roopa Lekh

When in 1925 the initiative was taken by the Kern Institute Leiden to start the publica tion of an Annual Bibliography of Indian Archaeology, the Board of the Institute could do so with confidence, as it was sure of the assistance of scholars all over the world as to the supply of publications as well as of information. With the help of this material a bibliography could be compiled by a small team of highly skilled archaeologists who could devote part of their time and attention to such a task for the benefit of their colleagues in all parts of the world. Times since then have changed, and circumstances have become less and less favourable. To find classified labour for the compilation and editing of such a bibliography has become extremely difficult, and this the more so as this work cannot be paid in accordance with the standards for this branch of classified documentation. The work has to be done as a part of the daily routine work even a scholar in today's time is expected to perform, and which he cannot but consider as being detrimental to the performing of those parts of his work, that demand the use of those qualifications that actually make him the expert.

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.

Ragamala Paintings Have A Special Significance In The World Of Art, Which Has Not So Far Been Fully Realised. They Not Only Display Their Own Technique And Art Of Colour And Line But Also Express, Interpret And Exhibit The Soul/Spirit And Beauty Of Another Art, The Art Of Music, The Art Of Svara-Laya And Cultivated/Cultured Voice. Music Was Considered To Be Of Divine Origin And Was Supposed To Possess The Property Of Evoking An Ecstatic State Of Mind Or Mood, Called Rasa-Anubhuti, In The Musician As Well As The Listerner. This Conception Of Rasa Is The Basis Of All Art In India. The Sadhakas (Practitioners) Devised Some Formulas In Order To Capture And Comprehend The Divine Quality Of Music And To Evoke Rasa Or Brahmananda. These Were Formulated In The Form Of Prayers In Which The Conceptual Form, Dhyana-Murti, Of The Raga Was Described. Thus The Ragas Were Personified Or Deified. This Fact Provided A Rich And Expressive Theme To Indian Painters And It Has Considerably Enriched The Art Treasure Of India. Whether The Dhyana-Theory Of Ragas Is Scientific Or Otherwise It Certainly Furnished A Rich Source Of Theme For The Indian Artists Who Painted Some Of The Most Charming And Inspiring Pictures Representing The Ragas (Melodies). The Two Ragamala Mss Discovered In A Manuscripts Collection At Jammu Are A Part Of The Extensive Art Treasure Created All Over India During The Period From 16Th To 19Th Centuries. The Jammu Ragamala Paintings Were Done Expressly With The Usual Object Of Depicting Their Dhyana-Murtis Or Icons In Order To Create The Relevant Rasa Situation In Those Looking At Them.

Trends in Modern Indian Art is a study of Indian Art from the end of 19th century to 1990. Indian Art started with academic realism of Raja Ravi Varma at the close of the 19th century. Abanindranath Tagore who was trained by Samuel Palmer and Japanese artist. Okakura, established the wash process of water colour painting known as the Bengal School in the beginning of the 20th century. His disciples like Nandalal Bosa and Ventappa further elaborated the style of the Bengal School later known as the Oriental Style.