Socio-Economic Study of Company Paintings (CE 1757-1857)

The paintings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are recognised as a valuable source for the study of social and economic life during the colonial period. A deep study of the Company paintings of the time is significant because the paintings have carefully observed and recorded the Indian scene in all its aspects, particularly its history and society. The book discusses the evolution of the Company School of Art, as a result of interactions between traditional Indian paintings and European paintings, and its spread to most of the art centres in India. In a thorough attempt, it deals with its thematic preoccupations and the common features of the paintings: their favourite subjects, especially their depiction of the professions, and the variety of common people they carefully depict. It examines the techniques adopted by the artists: their choice of mediums and colours and their style of depicting the themes. It also takes up the social status of the artists at the time. The book will fascinate lovers of Indian art and will prove useful to scholars and students especially involved in study of evolution of Indian art and modern art.