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Section 4. Theory and history of art - European Journal of Arts 4 (2021) - ISSN 2310-5666 -
Раздел 4. Теория и история искусства Section 4. Theory and history of art
UDC 7.038.2 DOI: 10.29013/EJA-21-4-137-142
V. V. HORBACHOVA 1
1 Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine
"GROUP 1890" - AS A MANIFESTO OF MODERN INDIAN ART
Abstract
Objective. This article examines the activities of the art association "Group 1890", which was created in the second half of XX century in India and brought together artists who sought to free Indian art from any historical or social context and the influence of historical background.
Methods: the study uses the method of art history figurative and stylistic analysis, the main method is comparative analysis, which determined the course of the research.
Results. Since India's independence in 1947, Indian art has taken a new turn. It is becoming more open to world art styles and techniques, new initiatives are emerging, and later galleries aimed at supporting young artists. These trends further form a fertile ground for the development of those artists who will later represent contemporary Indian art around the world. The critical group "Group of 1890" presented new concepts that have not yet been noticed in Indian art. Although the existence of the group led by J. Swaminathan was quite short-lived, the artists developed their own theory of perception of art, first creating the foundations for Indian art theory.
Scientific novelty: The article for the first time conducts an art analysis of the works of the "Group of 1890" in the context of European art of the twentieth century, which allows to include their works in scientific circulation, contributing to the development of Ukrainian Indology.
Practical significance: The results and conclusions of this work can be used as additional material for an expanded and in-depth study of the theme of Eastern art. The made analytical conclusions can become a basis for scientific research on the corresponding subjects.
Keywords: "Group of 1890", Indian post-avant-garde, the Indian art of the 1960s, Jagdish Swaminathan, Bengal revival.
For citation: V. V. Horbachova. "Group 1890" - As a Manifesto of Modern Indian Art // European Journal of Arts, 2021, №4. - C. 137-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29013/EJA-21-4-137-142
Introduction. Indian art, which for almost a hundred years was subject to certain norms and rules, from the second half of the twentieth century connects to the general line of development of world art. Until the 1930s and 1940s, the British school and the nationalist art of the Bengal Renaissance remained dominant on the Indian art
scene. With the dissolution of the British Raj in 1947, during and after the partition of the country, a number of art groups emerged that rejected existing artistic practice in favor of international movements and styles of art.
During this period, some Indian artists became interested in avant-garde trends and the desire to manifest the
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principles of new art. Its forerunners were the representatives ofthe "Group of 1890" led byJagdish Swaminathan. It was a bright and fleeting phenomenon in Indian art after the country's independence. And it is impossible in any way to categorize the activities of this group in one common stylistic key.
The initiative, which brought together artists from all over India (except the eastern regions of the country), was, so to speak, spontaneous. Representatives of this group demonstrated the level of dissatisfaction that was spreading in the Indian cultural field. This was dissatisfaction with the world and the general trends in the development of art, in response to the words of the founder of the metaphysical school of painting Giorgio de Chirico, who said - "I write what I see with my eyes closed" [12, 74]. Thus, Indian art is permeated by a common dream for all modern, innovative art - not to see the real world, and thus the tendency of abstract painting.
Meanwhile, each of the Indian artists had an original approach and made some contribution to the formation of the concept of "Group 1890". The group was officially formed on August 25-26, 1962. In fact, the manifesto of the Group of 1890 was formulated during these two days. The name itself did not appeal to anything, as it indicated the number of the house where their first meeting took place. The members were: Ambadas, Jeram Patel, Jyoti Bhatt, Raghav Kaneria, Balkrishna Patel, Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, Reddapa Naidu, S. G. Nikam, Rajesh Mehra, Himmat Shah, Eric Bowen [9, 4].
The basic premise of abstraction - by the way, the key question of aesthetics - is that the formal qualities of a painting (or sculpture) are just as important than its representational qualities.
Main part. The "Group of 1890" revealed its goals and artistic views a little later, in a manifesto published in 1963. In the first point, artists identify the main problem of Indian art - the pernicious purpose of the search for national identity. According to them, previous generations, instead of revealing the true possibilities ofart, focused on eclecticism: from the early vulgar naturalism of Raja Ravi Varma and the pastoral idealism of the Bengal school, through the hybrid mannerism of European art to escape into "abstraction" as evidence of cosmopolitanism.
The most significant difference of the "Group of 1890" from other Indian art groups was the fact that its members did not promote a specific stylistic direction or devotion to a particular artistic technique. Moreover, it is this association that becomes the first to formulate one's
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own understanding of a work of art in Indian art theory. Artists claim that the creative act creates its own information field, and when working on the work, the artist must refuse to give preference to style, choice of technique, and so on. In this case, the work of art becomes isolated from any props by the author.
Relations with the Communist Party allowed the artists to establish friendly relations with Jawaharlal Nehru and Octavio Pas [6, 98]. They received the support of the first due to the offer to write the introductory text to the exhibition catalogue. Relations with O. Pas were no less close, like the poet he even dedicated the lines to S. Jagdish:
"With a rag and a knife Against the idée fixe The bull of fear
Against the canvas and the void... " [3].
Despite the fact that the "Group 1890" received positive feedback not only from their patrons but also from the artistic community in general, the association disbanded after its first exhibition. According to art critics, the reason was the problems faced by artists regarding the ability to adhere to their own ideals and proposed principles.
The first exhibition was dedicated to the art of Georges Braque. However, this does not involve copying or imitating his work. Indian artists do not borrow technical solutions, such as the colour palette of Braque in shades of grey-green, or repetitive images of houses "bizarreries cubiques" (A. Mathis's impression of the work of Georges Braque).
The members of the "Group 1890", cultivating a new direction for artistic development on the cultural basis of India, take only an abstract theoretical direction to continue the artistic tradition, learned from the fathers ofCubism. For example, while Georges Braque is inspired by the Impressionist strongholds of Paris, Argenteuil, and Le Havre, J. Swaminathan will create idealized meditative landscapes, on the border between reality and speculation. His works will be the fruit of the office work of an artist-thinker, who rejects the factuality and detail of the real world.
It is impossible to reject the political background as a core that influenced art, albeit indirectly. The problem of national consciousness, the struggle for independence and the formation of self-identification, although unconscious, but appear in the works of Indian artists. Interestingly, this theme is reflected in the works of artists as long as they are directly in context. Meanwhile, Kishor Singh in his book "Memory & identity: Indian artists abroad" [2] notes that
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in the work of Indian artists, including members of the "Group of 1890", who travelled to other countries after Indian independence, researchers sometimes exaggerate by finding Indian features in each work, even where they were not founded by the author from the beginning. Eric Bowen's works are often outside the context of belonging to a particular art school, allowing his works to remain universal to every viewer. The balance of geometric lines, their order was usually formed on the basis ofIndian art of previous periods, and outside the context of the country do not contain any features to deny their globality.
Jagdish Swaminathan (1928-1994) was a leading Indian artist and writer. His formation as an artist took place through short training sessions at the Delhi Polytechnic University, and then in Poland. It was not until the late 1950s that he was able to devote himself entirely to art: before that, Jagdish was an active member of the Communist Party of India, working as a journalist and art critic for Left magazine. During the short period of existence of the "Group 1890", the artist had more than 30 solo exhibitions in India.
The artist's track record includes Nehru's scholarship for research work "The Importance of Traditional Numen in Contemporary Art", membership in the International Jury at the Biennale of Sao Paulo, as well as guardianship of the National Center for the Arts Indira Gandhi. In 1981, he established the Roopanker Art Museum in Bharat Bha-van, Bhopalia, where he served as director until 1990.
The main feature ofJ. Swaminathan's work was fascinating simplicity. Bright images and colours became an expression of inner elevation above everyday life. Later, the artist's artistic language changed: from colour geometric images and brushwork, he moved to the use of symbols and finger painting. This feature in the work of the Indian artist was due to the influence of primitive art, where the criterion of the work is not its beauty or mastery of technique, but - the ability to "work", i. e., the ability to perform the role assigned to him in the magical rite, as noted by E. Gombrich [1, 36]. Moreover, primitive artists worked for their fellow tribesmen, who knew exactly what this or that form, this or that colour meant. It is on this approach, where there is a community dedicated to the process of creating the work and relies on the Indian artist in the work of "Group 1890".
Jagdish Swaminathan believed that artistic practice belongs to the spheres of freedom and imagination, and the real art is the world around. He never reproduced reality and did not seek to portray life or talk about it.
His early works include many figurative things that were eventually developed into abstraction. J. Swaminathan's work is based on deep spiritual reverence. He seeks to discover the truth through nature, as the artist himself wrote: "The face of art is somewhat like the sun. It does not communicate but gives" [10, 168]. Special attention to colour creates an atmosphere of infinity of the universe and mysticism, becomes a step towards a romantic mood in the works of the artist.
In the late 1960 s and 1970 s, after the series "Color Geometry of Space", where the artist explored geometric planes, he began to combine similar elements from nature, creating conceptual landscapes. Applying the metaphor of the Surrealists while preserving the formal qualities of Indian miniatures, he compared mountains, trees, stones and animals with pure planes of colour.
Other members of the "Group 1890" were also engaged in geometric abstractions, as an even more paradoxical belief in the magical role of so-called deformation was first embedded in Cubism and later in geometric abstraction. The aesthetics of these areas suggested that painting deals with the visible side of the world. But the relationship between the eye of the artist and the world of things that he must depict is historical in nature, it varies from era to era. For several centuries, artists lived in constant conflict with the appearance of the subject environment. In turn, the aesthetic conscience did not accept the world of vulgarity and prose, did not allow him to justify life with his image. In the 1980s, Bowen created a series of twelve paintings, including quotations from Rabindra-nath Tagore, the Japanese poet Sankichi Toge, and other prominent poets and philosophers, entitled The Right to Live in Peace [10, 121]. The content of this series is based on concerns about the world that arise from senseless war and violence against the artist. In his own works, the artist will not give up color, but does not provide for a colorful palette. It was built on a game of spots and clear contours.
Jyoti Bhatt had a stormy experimental temperament. His early works echo the Cubist style, which later changed to pop art images and finally transformed into a style inspired by traditional folk designs. Although Bhatt worked with a variety of techniques, including waterco-lour and oil painting, he preferred printing.
Bhatt's imagery has a wide range, and it proves that his vision is extremely catholic. He can be urbane as in the spoof of a Tantric exploitation of the nude in "Sports car" (one of his best graphics) o he can be lyrically surrealistic as "A Face" series. He derives naturally from the
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indigenous imagery of the Gujarat region, and many of his graphics echo the visual schemes of the region's folk art and, perhaps, also its illuminated manuscripts.
The idea of appealing to the peasantry and rural life, which began to interest artists, has a deep meaning. For the culture of that time - the peasant and a simple, ascetic life, a wing of reference to the mystical unity with nature, long inherent in Indian culture, to mythmak-ing, which in modern times could be achieved only by renunciation of the material. These varied influences are subtly integrated into a composite viewpoint which strikes the balance between the calculatedly decorative and the symbolically subtle. Other works which may be recommended for a close perusal include "Self-portrait" (1972), in which one sees an emaciated pariah in a sort of double vision: "Dice", which is notable for Bhatt's typical mastery of design; and "A Bird", which projects a Tagore-like expressionism.
He has generally juxtaposed two images, one on top of another one on top of another with measured white and distinct gaps in between. this brings out the similarities and dissimilarities of the images like a visual simile. There is also considerable obscurity, and one begins to wonder whether Bhatt has very much to say.
Himmat Shah also attracts attention among the members of the 1890 Group. As a universal master, he easily worked in any technique and with any materials. Shan made three-dimensional collages of burnt paper, architectural paintings, drawings, and sculptures. The artist primarily used homemade tools and worked on the development of innovative technologies. Shan used a number of tools, brushes, knives for cutting and shovels for moulding. He designed and implemented monumental frescoes made of brick, cement, and concrete. Himmat did what can safely be called artifacts. His terracotta sculptures do not have a specific shape, they resemble the wreckage of forgotten civilizations.
Adaptation to the new language of modernism required rapid changes in Indian artists in the artistic imperative, which prompted them to abandon the previous paradigm of focusing only on the fine arts. Artists are beginning to turn to folk and professional national art, finding new meanings in it. Although Himmat Shah identified himself primarily as a sculptor, it is necessary to look in more detail at his graphic works. The artist uses them to be able to practice the basic artistic principles -the ratio of the size of the elements, symmetry and asymmetry, the study of rhythm as the basic unit of the work.
Without being distracted sometimes by colour and spatial volume, Shah delves into the analysis of the expressiveness of conciseness. Combining this with the variety of born images, it is also necessary to highlight another feature inherent in the "Group 1890" - this is the nature of the story or short story, inherent in each of their works.
Another member of the group, Ambadas, also immersed himself in storytelling through his work. However, the themes raised by the artist concern his internal identification, he considers his alienation from Indian culture through the prism of caste distribution. Ambadas was a Dalit, belonged to the caste of the untouchables, and therefore was a stranger to his own people. He tried to cross this border, as well as finding a new path in art.
Ambadas does not create "aggressive" works that have a clear figurative context [10, 232]. His works speak through the methods of abstract expressionism, based on this, art critics note a strong and balanced colour palette. In general, these are warm shades, ocher and red colours that do not repel the viewer and do not create the illusion of chiaroscuro depth.
He is very interested in contemplating the phenomenon of dispersion and distribution of the color spectrum, which determines his way of intersecting color planes, which he used in his own abstract watercolors. The chromatic rhythms in these works create the harmony that can be described as the achieved "state of music" - a definition that was used for the works of the late period of L. Feininger [4, 107].
The synthesis of the arts is a theme that is inextricably linked to the artistic movement in European art. Twentieth century is reflected in Indian art, meanwhile, it does not become the subject of study. One of the sources of acquaintance with avant-garde art was the theater. R. Parimoo notes the influence of the Bichitra Theater of 1916-1919, in the context of which two aspects are distinguished. First, it is light and the concept of lighting, and secondly - the location of the scenery. The principles of Gordon Craig, the leader-revolutionary ofscenography of his time, were taken as a basis for decorating the stage. The artist could also rely on the ideas of some leading Russian stenographers, who were among the first to adopt the ideas of cubism, futurism, and constructivism [10, 89].
The artist has developed a convincing style in the technique of oil painting, complementing the canvas with powerful brush strokes. Due to this, the broad lines received the effect of a contour, which in turn complemented the plane of the mosaic of individual
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elements. The experience of working as a designer in a textile factory has brought additional character to the works, they become similar to three-dimensional texture patterns. Thus, Ambadas's works begin to partially destroy the plane of the canvas, flirting with sculpture or installation, as does Lucho Fontana in a completely different field.
Conclusion. Considering the work of members of the artistic association "Group 1890" we can draw the following conclusions:
1. In fact, each of the members of this artistic association created his own artistic and semiotic language. All artists received awards and recognitions, and their forms of abstraction not in an instant, but over time also found certain followers and admirers, which is especially confirmed by Cristie's auctions, where the final price often exceeds the estimate by two or three times.
2. Comparing the works of members of the group, in particular Jyoti Bhatt, Ambadas, Himmat Shah, Eric Bowen, with certain names or artistic trends of European art of that time, we see confirmation not of copying or imitation, but of a parallel process of bold search.
3. "Group 1890" introduces such areas as abstract expressionism, geometric abstraction, and a combination of painting techniques with features and methods of other types of visual art.
Summing up the work, we can say that the activities of the "Group of 1890" become for Indian art of the second half. XX century is an important milestone that absorbs the denial of previous achievements, the attempt to organize through the manifesto of a new direction of movement, as well as a strong enough degree to the original expressiveness of Indian art after years of searching for an artistic language.
References:
Gombrich E. H. The Story of Art, - London: Phaidon Press, 2006.- 472 p. Kishore Singh Memory & identity: Indian artists abroad. - Delhi Art Gallery, 2016.- 440 p. Kramrisch Stella. The aesthetics of the young India: a rejoinder // RUPAM. Quarterly journal of oriental art.-1922.- No. 10. - P. 66-67.
Kramrisch Stella. An indian cubist // RUPAM. Quarterly journal of oriental art. 1922.- No. 11.- P. 107-109. Kramrisch Stella. Indian art in Europe // RUPAM. Quarterly journal of oriental art. 1922.- No. 11.- P. 81-86. Graven Poy C. A concise history of Indian Art.- London: Thames and Hudson, 1976.- 256 p. Havell E. B. The ideals of Indian art.- London, 1911.- 188 p., ill.
8. Havell, E. B. Indian Sculpture and Painting.- London, 1928.
9. Manifesto of Group 1890 // New Delhi, India.- 1963.- 8 p. URL: https://cdn.aaa.org.hk/_source/1963-group1890.pdf
10. Partha Mitter The Triumph of Modernism. India's Artists and the Avant-garde, 1922-47 p.- London: Reaction Books Ltd, 2007.- 272 p., il.
11. Partha Mitter Art and Nationalism in Colonial India 1850-1922: Occidental Orientations.- London: Cambridge University Press, 1994.- 451 p., il.
12. Rubin W., Primitivism in 20th-century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern.- New York, 1984.- 360 p.
13. Welch, Stuart Cary India. Art and culture. 1300-1900.- N. Y.: The Metropolitan Museum ofArt, 1985.- 480 p., ill.
14. Zimmer, Heinrich Myths and symbols in Indian art and civilization.- N. Y.: Pantheon books ink., 1943.- 282 p., ill.
Information about the author
VV. Horbachova, Graduate student of the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, lecturer at the Department of the Theory and history of Art, Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine Address: 61040, Украина, Харьков, ул. Большая Панасовская, 232/1б кв. 88 E- mail: kotoyamasan@gmail.com; Тел.: +380-982-13-61-96 ORCID: 0000-0002-1338-9639
European Journal of Arts 4 (2021) - Section 4. Theory and history of art - ISSN 2310-5666 -
ГОРБАЧОВА В. В. 1,
1А Харивськог державноi академй дизайну мистецтв, Хармв, Украша
«ГРУПА 1890» - ЯК МАН1ФЕСТ СУЧАСНОГО 1НД1ЙСЬКОГО МИСТЕЦТВА
Анотаця
Мета: У цiй CTaTTi розглядаеться дiяльнiсть мистецького об'еднання «Група 1890», яке було створено в другш половит XX сголггтя в 1нди та об'еднало митцiв, якi прагнули звгльнити шдшське мистецтво в1д будь-якого icгоричного чи cоцiалbного контексту.
Методи: у досл!джент використовуеться метод мистецтвознавчого образно-стилштичного аналiзу, ос-новним методом е порiвняльний аналiз, котрий визначав характер досл1дження.
Результаты: За час1в нeзалeжноcгi 1нди, проголошено! у 1947 рощ, шдшське мистецтво здiйcнюе новий виток розвитку. Воно стае б1льш вiдкритим до cвiтових художнiх стимв та тeхнiк, виникають новi ищативи, а згодом i галере!, як1 мають за мету пiдтримку молодих митцiв. Цi тенденцп в подальшому формують пл1дний грунт для розвитку тих митщв, що стануть у подальшому репрезентувати сучасне iндiйcькe мистецтво в усьому cвiтi.
У той же час, критично налаштоване об>еднання «Група 1890» представила новi концепцп, як1 до цього часу не були помiчeнi в iндiйcькому мистецтвь Незважаючи на те, що 1снування групи на чол1 з Дж. Свамша-тханом було довол1 короткотривалим, художники розробили власну теорию в1дносно сприйняття мистецтво, вперше створивши засади для шдшсько! теорп мистецтва. Наукова новизна: У статт1 вперше проведено ху-дожнш анал1з твор1в «Групи 1890-х рок1в» у контекст1 европейського мистецтва ХХ стол1ття, що дозволяе включити !х твори до наукового об1гу, сприяючи розвитку укра!нсько! шдологп.
Практичне значения: Результати та висновки дано! роботи можуть бути використан як додатковий ма-тер1ал для розширеного та поглибленого вивчення теми сх1дного мистецтва. Зроблен анали'ичш висновки можуть стати основою для наукових досл1джень з вiAповiдноi тематики.
Ключов1 слова: «Група 1890 року», шдшський поставангард, шдшське мистецтво 1960-х рок1в, Джагд1ш Свамшатан, Бенгальське в1дродження.
1нформац1я про автора
Горбачова Валер1я Вадим1вна, астрант Харк1всько! державно! академп дизайну мистецтв, викладач кафедри
теорп 1 icторГí мистецтва Харк1всько! державно! академй' дизайну 1 мистецтв, Харк1в, Укра!на
Адреса: 61040, Укра!на. Харк1в, вул. Велика Панаавська, 232/1, кв. 88
E-mail: kotoyamasan@gmail.com; Тел.: +380-982-13-61-96
ORCID: 0000-0002-1338-9639
I. B. NAZAROVA «ГРУПА 1890» - ЯК МАН1ФЕСТ СУЧАСНОГО 1НД1ЙСЬКОГО МИСТЕЦТВА 142
