Jaipur House, India Gate, New Delhi. Welcome at the NGMA where you find the distinct character of modern and contemporary Indian art. Uniquely positioned, it is a powerful synthesis of western aesthetic values, and conceptual elements of Indian art, of different mediums and sensibilities, of a long and vibrant history steeped in art, philosophy and culture. Visiting European Traveller Artists, you can admire British portrait painters trained in oil paintings (between 1770 and 1825). Amongst the earliest European artists who visited India were John Zoffany and Tilly Kettle, William Daniells, Emily Eden and others. The artists worked in oils on canvas utilizing the western technique of academic realism with its emphasis on linear perspective. These works imaged India as an exotic and mysterious land in paintings depicting the ghats of Benaras, dancing girls in princely courts, colourful caste costumes, portraits of local rulers and their courtiers, different native occupations and the local flora and fauna. Early organized movement of Europeans into Indian shores occurred in the 17th century itself, with Dutch, British and Portuguese companies all attempting to gain maximum control over trading privileges in India. What started as an economic tussle between these European companies gradually made way for the supremacy of the British East India Company. This led to an irreversible transformation of the inner landscape of the country, which was now transformed into a colony. For that – around 1760 till the mid 19th century – itinerant artist-travelers toured India, working for local patrons making paintings and prints of monuments, landscapes as well as portraits. http://ngmaindia.gov.in/#
