Intro: Indian scholarship on the practice of arts and aesthetics traces back to ancient texts like Shilpa

Shastra which engaged with iconography and image-making. In the mid-19th century there was a
renewed academic interest sparked by westerners in critical studies of Indian art. These compilations
map the trajectory from the colonial era to present times to uncover how the discipline has evolved. The
luminaries in the field are revisited to narrate the vibrant discussions on form, style, interpretations,
connoisseurship, gendered perspectives and its consequent impact on art movements. The first segment
takes us back to the late 19th century when India’s art and heritage is being carefully explored by
Western thinkers, in tandem with Indian academics. From these pre-Independence times, the essay
concludes with the coming in of the iconic quarterly on Indian Art, The Marg.

As the principal of the Government School of Art, Calcutta between 1896 and 1905, historian E.B. Havell
(1861-1934) brought in several decisive changes in the curriculum, fulfilling his theory that ‘Indian art
(should be made) the basis of teaching’. With Abanindranath Tagore’s help, he became part of the
movement that gave rise to the Bengal School of Art. The India Society, responsible for increasing
dialogues on Indian Art amongst international audiences, was created at his residence in March 1910.
The Society was proactive about publishing, one of its most seminal texts being Rabindranath
Tagore's Gitanjali (Song Offerings) in 1912. One of the founding figures of the historic Indian Society of
Oriental Art, Havell composed many series of books on Indian art history including the titles Monograph
on Stone Carving in Bengal (1906), Essays on Indian Art, Industry and Education (1907), and Indian
Sculpture and Painting (1908). He also wrote articles for various journals, including British journal The
Studio.

Raised in England and educated in Geology and Mineralogy, Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy’s (1877-
1947) examination of Indian, Ceylonese, and Indonesian visual art from a non-western perspective was
path-breaking at the time. Most of his studies were published over the thirty-year period (1917-1947)
that he worked with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston as a curator.

In texts like Medieval Sinhalese Art (1908), The Arts and Crafts of India and Ceylon (1913), and his
earliest collection of essays, The Dance of Shiva (1918), he attempted to counter existing misconceptions
and establish a fresh perspective from which traditional Asian art could be explored. Of his later works,
Christian and Oriental Philosophy of Art (1939), Hinduism and Buddhism (1943) and two posthumous
collections of essays, Sources of Wisdom (1981) and What is Civilization? (1989) are marked with
graceful and remarkable scholarship. Although he never published a book on Indian architecture, a four-
part series of essays entitled ‘Early Indian Architecture’ written early on in his career, focused on
characteristic building styles and motifs, and was an immense contribution to the field.

Considered to be one of the earliest art critics of Calcutta, O.C. Gangoly (1881-1974) holds a place of
pivotal importance. One of the founders of Indian Society of Oriental Art, Gangoly authored many books
on Indian Art, including the definitive Ragas and Raginis and Rajput Paintings, which was reviewed by
Hermann Goetz, the eminent scholar on Indian Art in Artibus Asiae. However, his most enduring and
extraordinary project was Rupam, an art journal founded and edited by Gangoly and published by Indian
Society of Oriental Art. Although it had only 44 issues, its relevance is incontestable, because of its
illustrious and scholarly insights, and the contributions from the likes of Stella Kramrisch and E.B. Havell.
Richly illustrated with the litho prints of the original paintings, the journal documented the momentous
turns in Art, mainly related to the Indian subcontinent.

Stella Kramrisch (1896-1993), an American art historian of Austrian origin was one of the first scholars
of the western world to study Asian visual art extensively. Trained in western Art History and holding a
doctorate in classical Indian Buddhist Art, she was invited to Kala Bhavan in Shantiniketan to teach art
history by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921. Following this, she joined Calcutta University (1924-1950) as a
professor of Ancient Indian History. She also worked with Abanindranath Tagore (1933-1950) as a joint
editor of the Journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Art, and developed an interest in collecting Indian
folk art during this period.

She went on to teach Indian Art in both London and the United States. Her most influential publications
include Indian Sculpture (1933), The Hindu Temple (1946), Art of India Through the Ages (1954). She
curated exhibitions on Indian Art for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and dedicated herself almost
entirely to the folk arts in the latter period of her life, even hosting the first exhibition on Indian art in
the US entitled “Unknown India: Ritual Art in Tribe and Village” (1968).

Born in Budapest into an assimilated Jewish family, Charles Fabri (1899-1968) trained himself in the
disciplines of Philosophy, Indology, Art History and Oriental Arts. The rise of anti-Semitic sentiment
forced him to leave Hungary but a distinguished career as an art scholar, critic, archaeologist and curator
was awaiting him oversees. In 1934, he became a lecturer in Santiniketan, at Rabindranath Tagore’s
request. Later he worked with the Archaeological Survey of India, and was the curator of the Lahore
Museum, Pakistan. He taught as a lecturer at the National Museum of India, New Delhi and Delhi
Polytechnic (now The Delhi School of Architecture). He wrote art reviews for The Statesman and firmly
believed in fostering a culture of art appreciation amongst the wider public. He had a special inclination
towards artists like Satish Gujral, B C Sanyal, P N Mago, and Amrita Sher-Gil, with who he had
established an acquaintance during his time in Lahore. He inestigated Indian archeology, puppetry,
theatre, dance, all the while elaborating on various nuances of Indian culture. Fabri was also greatly
influential in supporting and encouraging the contemporary art movement in India.

A widely respected academic, Niharranjan Ray (1903-1981) wrote abundantly on a plethora of subjects
including art, classical and modern literature, religion, history and politics. His approach sought an
integration between the political, economic, and cultural underpinnings of the human life that would
bring the common man’s experience back to the centre of historical studies. This outlook refined his
vision, which involved interpreting art with a contextual appraisal of the society and the history that
produces it. Ray's novel conceptualisation and methodology is furthered discussed in his texts Maurya
and Shunga Art (1947); Idea and Image of Indian Art; Mughal Court Painting, 1974; The Sikh Gurus and
the Sikh Society, 1970; Dutch Activities in the East (Edited), 1946; And an Approach to Indian Art, 1974.

An Indologist with a remarkable understanding of Indian art, Karl J. Khandalavala (1904-1995) wrote
several books on different areas of the subject, examining an array of topics, from miniature paintings
and Jain sculptures in a range of styles across varying periods. He wrote extensively on inscriptions and
scriptology. His publication on Amrita Sher-Gil is a definitive book which brought global and critical
attention to her art. His book on Pahari Paintings is one of the most authoritative works on the subject
to date. Besides, he was an editor of the Lalit Kala journal, and the Chairman of the advisory committee
of the publication Marg. Some of his important publications include Indian Sculpture and Painting: An
Introductory Study (1938), New Documents of Indian painting (1969), The Development of Style in Indian
Painting (1974). Besides, he was the chairman of the Prince of Wales Museum’s board of trustees. An
inspired collector committed to the cause of art history, Khandalavala eventually gifted his life’s
collection to the Prince of Wales Museum.

An eminent anthropologist from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, W.B. Archer (1907-
1979) visited India in 1931 as the Assistant Magistrate, Shahabad District, Bihar. Over the 16 years that
followed, prior to his departure in 1947, he closely studied the tribal art form and its rich tradition of
folk compositions, miniatures, and poetry. Besides authoring the monumental work, Indian Paintings
from the Punjab Hills in 1973, he extensively catalogued the collection of Indian art in the Victoria &
Albert Museum, London. Archer’s comprehensive research covers Kalighat paintings, Pahari miniatures,
and Maithili paintings. His formidable background in anthropology informed and influenced his work.

While reflecting upon his work, Rudy Von Leyden (1908-1983) once aptly remarked, “When I wrote
reviews it was with a definite bias for new talents, trying to give them the benefit of constructive
criticism while I just reported other exhibitions.” He contributed regularly to The Times of India, while
his cartoons appeared in the Illustrated Weekly of India. An Austrian World War II émigré, Leyden
arrived in Bombay in 1933, and his name grew to become inseparable from the Progressive Artists’
Group. His discerning eye recognised the immense potential of masters of modern art like Krishnaji
Howlaji Ara and S H Raza well before they received critical acclaim, and he was influential in expanding
their artistic horizons by rooting for a break from traditionalism. Engaging deeply with the role of art and
the artist in society, he wrote a crucial piece titled Artists in the New Republic, for the Republic Day
Supplement in The Times of India in 1950. Through his writings, he sought to cultivate discourses around
art within both the artists and the uninitiated public.

A pioneer in Indian writing in English, Mulk Raj Anand's (1905-2004) works Coolie (1936) and Two
Leaves and a Bud (1937) are marked by their deeply sensitive portrayals of the lives of the impoverished
and oppressed classes in the country. Anand was prominent in the Progressive Writers’ movement of
India and crucial in the drafting of its first manifesto. His contribution to the development of the arts in
the country is equally monumental. He founded and edited Marg in 1946, a journal which has shaped
the course of art visibility, writing, and discussions in India ever since. It meticulously followed
innovative and fresh directions in Indian art, and breaking away from the previous influence of the
Bengal school. Some of his prime publications on art are Persian Paintings (1930), and The Hindu View of
Art (1933).

While this compilation navigates through the pioneering thinkers of an age, some personalities could
not be included within the scope of its discussion. By no means were their contributions any less, and
stalwarts like John Griffiths, Mildred Archer, Heinrich Zimmer, Hermann Goetz have left behind
formative influences. Return to this space tomorrow to see how the next few decades critically changed
the course of writing on art in India.