Annals of Art, Culture & Humanities
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S.R.S.D. Memorial Shiksha Shodh Sansthan, Agra, India UGC Sl. No. 64548 ANNALS OF ART, CULTURE & HUMANITIES A Peer Reviewed Refereed Research Journal ONLINE ISSN-2455-5843 Volume IV, Issue II, August 2019, pp. 01-06 UGC Sl. No. 64548 Chandigarh, Art and Prof. Brijinder Nath Goswamy Dr Anantdeep Grewal Resource Person, Department of Art Fine Arts Post Graduate Government College for Girls (PGGCG), Chandigarh Abstract Prof. Brijinder Nath Goswamy is India’s leading Art Historian, who has contributed immensely towards understanding Pahari painting and Indian miniature painting. He has been a source of encouragement to the artists and inspiration to art historians around the country. His writings on art, especially on Indian Pahari and Miniature paintings, have contributed in spreading its awareness internationally. Prof. Goswamy’s contribution as a teacher, art critic and head of various organizations around the country cannot be ignored as in this capacity he encouraged art and writing on art, incurring a better understanding and interest regarding the subject among his readers and audiences. In this research paper the main aim is to concentrate on Prof. Goswamy’s critical writings scripted during the 60’s decade as this was the time when Chandigarh’s foundation was being laid as a modern city and scholars like Dr. M. S. Randhawa and Dr. B. N. Goswamy were diligently working towards sowing the seeds of art and its appreciation in Chandigarh. Keywords :- Art criticism, Chandigarh, Prof. B. N. Goswamy, Art. AACH, Vol. IV, Issue II, August 2019 ONLINE ISSN-2455-5843 Introduction Prof. Brijinder Nath Goswamy was born to a District and Sessions Judge, B. L. Goswamy, on 15th August 1933 in Sargodha, in the undivided Punjab of British India. His father‟s job took him to different parts of Punjab so he studied at various towns in Punjab finally completing his intermediate from Hindu College Amritsar, toping in his discipline. He pursued his Masters in history from Panjab University (1954) and joined Indian Administration Services after two years. Impressed by Randhawa‟s book on Kangra paintings, Goswamy met him and expressed his desire to do research in Art History. As he did not find satisfaction in his chosen carrier, he soon resigned in 1958 to follow his true calling in research and joined Ph.D at Panjab University Chandigarh under guidance of renowned historian Dr. Hari Ram Gupta. His research was on Kangra painting and its social backdrop. During this period he came in touch with many known scholars of art like M.S. Randhawa and W.G.Archer. In fact his examiners for doctoral degree in 1961 were Arthur Llewellyn Basham, the Indologist, and the art critic, W. G. Archer. His conscious decision to move towards a conducive milieu of research in art history was a blessing for not only Indian art history, which was a subject in need of such scholars, but also for the new developing city of Chandigarh. The city was in need of nurturing art and aesthetics. Goswamy‟s abilities even as a young art historian had impressed and challenged seasoned art historians like Randhawa and Karl J. Khandalvala. Impressed by Dr. Goswamy‟s diligent and patient research, Randhawa in many book reviews mentions these qualities. He also wrote to his friends and colleagues about new findings of Dr. Goswamy, especially related to the Pahari paintings. We understand with this that Goswamy‟s passion for art history was recognised quite early by fellow historians. With his huge and significantly recognised publications with over twenty books, on the subject his authority in the field grew with time. For his contributions he won many honours and fellowships in India as well as around the world. He held the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship from 1969 to 1970, under which he did the project titled „A reconstruction of the styles of Pahari paintings‟ and later in 1972 he held the John D. Rockefeller III-Fund Fellowship. Besides these he was bestowed with various other fellowships in Canada and U.S.A. In 1994 he held the Sarabhai Fellowship. Prof. Goswamy was also a Mellon Senior Fellow of the National Humanities Center, North Carolina. He was honoured with the civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 1998 by the Government of India and in 2008, the Government selected him for the third highest honour of the Padma Bhushan. As head and member of many organisations around the world Prof. Goswamy contributed towards popularising Indian art. He has been Chairman and member of various organization like Lalit Kala Akademi Chandigarh (founder member in 1966 and later served as Chairman), Sarabhai Foundation of Ahmedabad, which runs the Calico Museum of Textiles (Vice Chairman in 1999 and later served as Chairman too). His seminal contribution for Indian costumes in the Calico Museum of Textiles is acknowledged and appreciated by top Indian fashion designers. He was also Vice Chairman of C.C.R.T. (Centre for Cultural Resources and Training), New Delhi and member of ICHR (Indian Council of Historical Research). He has been President of Indian Association of Art Historians and Chairman Art Acquisition Committee (National Museum). Prof. Goswamy is Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Asiatic Oriental Society, London and member of the American Oriental Society, Advisory Committee, Chandigarh, Art and Prof. Brijinder …. 2 | P a g e AACH, Vol. IV, Issue II, August 2019 ONLINE ISSN-2455-5843 Festival of India, for France and U.S.A. He is currently Director, Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University. As a teacher Prof. Goswamy inspired many scholars who studied and did their research under him. Some of the prominent names are Dr. Kavita Singh (Associate Professor at School of Arts and Aesthetics, Research Editor, Marg Publications, Mumbai, 2000-01, Guest Curator, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California, 1998-2000, Professional Museum Intern at the Asia Society, New York, 1997-98), late Dr. Urmi Kesar (Art Historian and Associate Professor Panjab University), Kavaljeet Singh Kang (Art Historian) and Usha Bhatia (Art Historian) among many others. Prof. Goswamy‟s teaching career started in 1960, when he joined Panjab University as a lecturer. From 1965 to 1967 he was Reader in Art History in the university and after that he was made the Professor (1967-93) and Head (1967-81) of Dept. of Fine Arts, Panjab University. Prof. Goswamy has been visiting Professor in India and various universities in countries like Canada, U.S.A, Switzerland and Germany. He has also delivered many lectures around the country and world. As an Art Historian his contribution is not only seminal to the subject but also extensive in the field of research. He has authored and co-authored many books and an extensive number of research papers, focusing on many aspects of Indian art unknown to the world before. As a critic he played a significant role in the region to promote art. His association with Chandigarh goes back to the foundation years of the city. Initiation of Dr. M.S. Randhawa and Mulk Raj Anand in establishing Fine arts Museum and Art Gallery, Lalit Kala Akademi, Chandigarh and Department of Visual Arts in the Panjab University with a museum was slowly sprouting the seed of fine arts in the tri-city. Many artists had started exhibiting their works at various places in Chandigarh, especially in the university‟s Fine Art Museum and Art Gallery of Govt. Museum in sector 10. Prof. Goswamy played a crucial role as a critic who reviewed these exhibitions showing light to many blooming artists. While teaching Art History in the university and being involved in many art related activities, especially in the 60‟s, Prof. Goswamy found time to visit and review mushrooming art exhibitions in Chandigarh. Chandigarh, Art and Prof. Brijinder Nath Goswamy In 1966 Prof. Goswamy wrote a review in The Tribune on the painting exhibition of Mr. Vinod Bakshi in Panjab University. Goswamy wrote that although the artist has come a long way from painting pretty pictures to please himself and people around him but he has not reached his true destination yet. However the writer saw hope for the artist to find the right path to discover himself in some of the paintings. Goswamy recognised that the artist was interested in „a concern with the passage of time‟ and „a fascination with the pattern of light‟ which are evident in his paintings titled „She‟ and „Death of Sun‟ respectively and also in many others. He says that paintings must be seen as paintings and not as illustrations of ideas. It shows that the writer did not believe that the theme alone should be base of the painting but looked for appeal in works of art. By appeal he was referring to unity of composition, theme and technique in a work of art. Goswamy did find „appeal‟ in some of the works of Mr Bakshi but most of the works left him untouched. He discussed composition of some of the paintings in detail on which he based his judgement of the paintings. Prof. Goswamy was disappointed in Bakshi‟s rather shallow exploration of city lights in his paintings which he compared with Mark Tobey‟s profound Chandigarh, Art and Prof. Brijinder …. 3 | P a g e AACH, Vol. IV, Issue II, August 2019 ONLINE ISSN-2455-5843 interest in lights and humanity. Bakshi‟s colour combinations are well appreciated by the critic. Showing hope in the artist to make his decision to choose between abstraction and figurative forms and between personal and general depiction, Goswamy ended his article. When three young artists, Prem Singh, Balvinder Singh and Miss Anita Mehta exhibited their works as a group „Trio‟, Dr Goswamy reviewed the exhibition in his regular column on art.