Teaching the Bombay School

Shifting Visions: Teaching Modern Art at the Bombay School is an exhibition historicising the pedagogic changes taking place at Mumbai’s Sir J. J. School of Art, from its beginnings in 1857, until the period of the early 1940s, when a group called the ‘Young Turks’ was formed by artists under the influence of the School’s Principal, Charles Gerrard. What were the imperatives that marked the first few decades of the School and why did it change its focus from improving industrial crafts manufacturing in India to developing a fine arts academy? And ultimately, what kind of impact did such changes and debates have on the evolving artistic styles of students and teachers in Bombay?

To find out the answers to such questions, with a little help from a galaxy of early masters such as Pestonji Bomanji, M. V. Dhurandhar, M. F. Pithawalla, Abalal Rahiman and many others, please consider visiting the exhibition in Mumbai.

The Forgotten Chapter: Stories of the Bombay Revival of Art

Saryu Doshi, a former student at the School of Art and founding director of NGMA, Mumbai, will be talking about the now-forgotten period of rich variety and experimentation during the 1920s and 30s, which usually goes by the name of Bombay Revivalism. What was the objective of this revivalist movement and what were the factors leading to the establishment of dedicated Indian Painting classes at the School? As we throw a light on this movement, several masters appear with a fully formed vocabulary of expression, including J. M. Ahivasi, R. G. Chimulkar and Gerrard himself, who sought to integrate Indian painting traditions with modernist techniques.

The Muralists

Along with the exhibition, we have programmed several events to explore in greater depth some of the lesser known narratives of the J. J. School of Art. A walkthrough of the extraordinary murals at the School has been organised with artist and Head of the Painting Department, Dr. Douglas John, to explore the central role of mural painting in the formation of modern art in the city and beyond.

Views from Elephanta

The caves on the island of Elephanta provides a rich historical canvas for exploring not only the ancient traditions of Indian art but also to map the evolution of western responses to that tradition. Early reactions by Portuguese travellers were influenced by the European tendency to syncretise their own beliefs with the unfamiliar sculptures they encountered, leading to misinterpretations and the creation of stereotypes about Indian art, and sometimes even acts of vandalism.

During the British colonial period too, they were usually portrayed as mysterious and dark, symbolising the unknowable aspects of India. With the work of British artists such as the Daniells, the caves would eventually move out of such shadows and stake a claim as a significant heritage site. Recounting this history through a visit, Giles Tillotson will be discussing the impact of such works, and their reception abroad, on the larger narrative of colonial art in India.

Places of Imagination

Two connected programmes will seek to enrich the artistic and cultural environments that shaped two of India’s most feted modern artists, M. F. Husain and Tyeb Mehta. Both originated from the city’s influential Bohra Muslim communities, concentrated around historic neighbourhoods such as Bhendi Bazaar and Grant Road. They were immersed not only in the life of their communities but the larger cultural world of Mumbai, especially that of cinema.

Mehta worked at Alfred Talkies, which was (and still is) owned by his family, and it is a venue for our first programme discussing the impact of cinema on the lives of the two artists; while the second part takes place at the Mohammadi Manzil, near Crawford Market—which was another significant venue for arts and culture in the city. Through discussions, talks and presentations we will try to unpack the layers of social life that went into the making of their complex canvases and imaginative works across painting and cinema.