Ancient times
Sculpture plays a key role in Indian culture. As early as prehistoric times, modest statues were fashioned in terracotta or stucco. Parallel to these icons, a few centuries before our era, the first large-scale creations appeared, carved in stone. Then, from the5th or 6th century onwards, the lost-wax bronze casting technique, using a mold, was adopted. Long, narrative reliefs spread across the walls. This medium continued to flourish in India until the end of the 8th century.
During the reign of Narashimavarman I, in the 7th century, bas-reliefs adorned temples and caves, still visible today in the Chennai region. The rock carvings of the Mahabalipuram Caves are a perfect illustration of Hindu folk art. Among the rock-cut sanctuaries in the same town of Mahabalipuram, the Shore Temple, in the one dedicated to Shiva, a high relief shows the deity in family, or in Somaskanda, i.e. with his wife Parvati and child Skanda. On the north wall, goddess Durga appears as Mahisamardini, the name given to the warrior form. Riding her lion, she hunts down the demon Mahisa, recognizable by his buffalo head. On the south side, Vishnu is depicted reclining on the serpent Ananta, symbol of infinite time, while two demons (evil and ignorance) strive to awaken him. In the Varaha 2 cavern, whose columns are supported by horned lions, Vishnu is depicted as a boar carrying the goddess Earth, who has just risen from the waters. Vishnu appears in several places on the Unesco World Heritage site as a Brahmin dwarf or as a shepherd.
Characteristics of Indian art
The distinctive feature of Indian aesthetics is its permanence. Certain characteristics have endured for two millennia, and can be found in all genres. Religious art dominates, although there is also secular art. However, religion and everyday life are so intertwined that it is often difficult to distinguish between them.
The human figure is often idealized. Generally depicted as adults, they show no signs of aging, illness or weakness. Nor is there any sense of modesty, but rather an exaltation of the human body. The nude is barely veiled by a light garment. The woman proudly displays her sensuality, with refinement and gentleness.
Indian artists, sculptors and painters, happily draw from the pantheon of 33 million gods. However, the great Trinity, composed of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, is widely favored. Each possesses several appearances and attributes, depending on the story to be told. In addition, local beliefs enrich the range of incarnations. These avatars are inspired by the animal kingdom, and the qualities attributed to each species. Indian artists, for example, are gifted at depicting animals.
Treaties clearly set out the canons to be respected by artists. In particular, the making of icons was governed by strict rules. However, standards never hindered the dynamism of Indian art. The same applies to frescoes depicting religious scenes. In all artistic fields, and without ever running out of steam, Indian art demonstrates a masterly sense of balance, and an exceptional taste for detail.
The emergence of classicism
The Gupta dynasty (4th-6th century) was marked by the retreat of the human figure in favor of divine subjects. Brahman subjects benefited from the graphic perfection acquired over the ages. Art, in sculpture as in painting, remained narrative, but gradually lost its warmth. The classical style spread throughout Asia, and would take on new forms in the centuries to come, notably in Cambodia.
Throughout India, local schools began to emerge from the 7th century onwards. The decline of Buddhism, which disappeared in the 12th century, had repercussions on the plastic arts. The Vedic religion that succeeded it inspired more eventful and grandiose works.
Two trends emerged: one that perpetuated the canons, the other that combined sculpture with architecture.
Painting, less developed, was enriched by Iranian and then European influences. Painters mainly produced portraits and court scenes. Miniaturists illustrated Brahmanic poems. Palaces were adorned not only with frescoes, but also with galleries of paintings. An impressive collection of 19th-century paintings can be seen in Cochin's Pareekshith Thampura Museum, also known as the Durbar Hall Art Gallery. The archaeological museum also houses sculptures and artefacts that once belonged to the royal family.
Madras movement
Indian modernism arrived through this current, formed in the 1960s in Chennai. In the years following Independence in 1947, artists questioned national identity through aesthetic research. The first Indian director of the Madras School of Arts and Crafts, Devi Prasad Roy Chowdhury, instituted an art curriculum, the first of its kind in South India. This program laid the foundations for the first modern art movement. The impetus was extended by K.C.S. Paniker, who headed the school between 1957 and 1966. By the early 1960s, a number of artists were rallying around a thirst for modernity. In sculpture, the movement was led by S. Dhanapal.
Students from other states continued the trend for three decades. But unlike other modern movements such as the Bombay Progressive Artists Group, the Madras School rejected all European inspiration, including Expressionism. They draw on history, mythology, folklore and local iconography to create a nationalist vocabulary. Figuration and abstraction coexist. K.V. Haridasan (1937-2014), a pioneer of neo-Tantric art, represents the abstract trend; C. Douglas, a painter and sculptor born in 1951, started out in geometric abstraction, before settling in the village of Cholamandalam, where he mixed the means of expression and figuration with abstraction.
A number of visual artists gather in the village of Cholamandalam, on the East Coast Road. The community has carried the recognition of modernism on its shoulders. To be discovered at the Cholamandal Center for Contemporary Art in Chennai.
Women painters
Considered a pioneer, Amrita Sher-Gil (1913-1941) showed Indian women that the visual arts were not just for men. Of Hungarian and Sikh origin, Amrita Sher-Gil received a varied artistic education. Trained in music, she showed a talent for drawing from an early age. In Paris, she enrolled at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, then at the Beaux-Arts. She excelled in portraiture, but turned to plein air painting. Her style evolved towards simplification when she returned to India. There, she expressed her image of India on canvas through portraits of local people. Her style remained at the crossroads of East and West. In 1937, she produced a trilogy of paintings of South India, of which Brahmacharis remains one of her most accomplished works. Her refined style is as much about form as color. She left to marry in Hungary, then returned to India. The artist never ceased to disrupt codes, and tackled the representation of women in Woman Resting on Charpoy (1940). Her works were donated to the nation after her death at the age of 28. Celebrated in the 1970s and 1980s, she is often cited in debates on identity.
The year Amrita Sher-Gil painted her masterpiece, 1937, saw the birth of India's first abstract artist, Zarina Hashmi. Although Zarina would make her career in the United States, she continued to use traditional techniques such as xylography to evoke exile in a minimalist style.
Current scene
Indian contemporary art encompasses a wide range of styles. Many of these talents are recognized internationally. Anish Kapoor is remembered for the sculpture he vandalized in the gardens of the Château de Versailles. Born in 1954, he moved to London in the 1970s, but continues to claim to be from Mumbai. From the outset, his uncluttered style attracted attention. Interest grew as his floor-based works took on gigantic proportions. Kapoor plays with surfaces. Initially reflective, they are then painted with Vantablack, a black that absorbs light to create the illusion of a cavity. He won a prize at the Venice Biennale, followed by the coveted Turner Prize.
His contemporary Atul Dodiya came to prominence in 1999 with a series on Mahatma Gandhi. The artist now includes Bollywood images in his installations and photo assemblages.
Sculptor Sakshi Gupta, born in 1979, recycles everyday materials, adding a touch of spirituality with the aid of light. Certain compositions, such as the grandiose Some Beasts, evoke the animals of Indian mythology.
A superstar of contemporary art, Subodh Gupta was born in 1964. From humble beginnings, he trained as a painter before branching out into a variety of media. Eventually, he turned to sculpture, his theme revolving around Indian culture. Cows and everyday objects are presented to reflect the economic changes in his country.
Where?
In Chennai, South India's popular artists come together at the Faraway Tree art gallery. Since 1965, the respected Sarala Art Center has been promoting young Indian artists worldwide.
In Alwarpet, the Focus Art Gallery focuses on the most innovative art. International or Indian artists, originality is the order of the day in this temple of contemporary creation.
In Cochin, a number of art galleries contribute to the dynamism. One of these is the visionary Kashi's Art Gallery (Burger Street). In a country where art is omnipresent, street art spots abound.
In Mumbai, the old Bandra district is the cradle of street art. Between Chapel Lane and Bazar Road, frescoes and graffiti cover facades and bridges.
With the help of the St+art India Foundation, festivals are revitalizing neighborhoods such as Mumbai's Mahim Art District and Chennai's Kannagi. Hand-painted frescoes on the theme of love, peace and community life are worthy heirs to an ancestral art.
