Through August 3, 2008
The latest display of SDMA’s Edwin Binney 3rd Collection explores the nature and extent of European influence on Indian paintings from the 16th to 19th centuries. It also demonstrates how European printmakers in turn derived imagery from Indian court paintings for inclusion in armchair travel albums.
Many scholars believe that the new naturalism seen in imperial Mughal painting was derived from Mughal artists’ contact with European art brought to India through trade and Jesuit missions. However, as the works in this exhibition demonstrate, Indian artists treated European subjects more as curiosities to be marveled at, rather than stylistic models to be copied.
The display features close to 20 prints and paintings, including Indian paintings that are direct copies of European prints which will be shown next to one another. Some Indian paintings on view are interpretations of European writings from a bible, which are significantly different that what would be expected or seen by a Western artist due to their lack of familiarity with Western religion.
