Contemporary Indian and World Art – A Study in Contrasts

Abstract

The modernist movement in India is concerned with spatial and temporal expressions. India is home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, languages, religions, and castes. Although moving away from categorizations of art into across different levels, it is important to remember that every visual art genre deliberately or subconsciously contained all these aspects. The growth of art in India necessitates a holistic approach to the country's living traditions since the creation of images is connected with oral history, mythology, tales, and archaeological investigation, even in its most fleeting forms. Being an expression of Indian culture and character, Indian art is a window into this ancient civilization. We must also be aware that human cultures are always combining and producing new varieties; there is no such thing as total caste limitation of human cultures. Persian influence on Indian art seems to have met little resistance, and evidence of other foreign styles may also be detected. Both China and Japan have recognised India's contributions to their own cultural development, particularly in the areas of art and philosophy. As India gained its freedom, many artists there began to focus on Western influences. In the 1950s, Paris stood out as one of the world's most desirable centres of culture. The many Indian artists who moved to Paris between the 1950s and the 1970s to study and work did so for a number of reasons. Some took advantage of the thriving Western art scene, others of French government scholarships, but they all maintained a strong connection to their own cultures. They weren't looking to build a name for themselves as artists in India by making work that was uniquely Indian; rather, they sought to introduce the world to India. Their creative processes were complex, and they had to muster a lot of fortitude to survive and produce work in a setting that was so foreign to them. Rabindranath Tagore beautifully captured the spirit of their voyage, which was one of crossing boundaries and reestablishing connections with the heart of human civilization.