What do you think?
Rate this book
Empire and art: British India
The book examines the interactions between Britain and India during the Raj in relation to issues of empire and visual culture. It explores the impact of the Anglo-Indian colonial encounter on the arts and aesthetic traditions of both cultures. Presenting a unique overview that ranges from painting, print-making and photography to architecture, exhibitions and Indian crafts, the book considers the art of urban elites and princely states alongside popular arts.
The book highlights the key role of art in forging British colonial ideology. It offers accessible discussions of issues such as Orientalism and (post)colonialism and presents current approaches to questions of British art and empire. It is structured around visual examples which include early nineteenth-century British views of India, Indian negotiations of Western aesthetics represented by Company painting, Kalighat art, and the rise of Indian national art. It covers the display of Indian crafts both in India and at international exhibitions in Britain, as well as the place of India in the British Arts and Crafts movement. The role of the market and items of fashion such as the Kashmir shawl are also discussed, along with the role of photography in representing the colony and questions around national and imperial architecture.
The book is aimed at students but will also be relevant to members of the general public with an interest in questions of art, visual culture and empire in relation to Britain and British India.
The book highlights the key role of art in forging British colonial ideology. It offers accessible discussions of issues such as Orientalism and (post)colonialism and presents current approaches to questions of British art and empire. It is structured around visual examples which include early nineteenth-century British views of India, Indian negotiations of Western aesthetics represented by Company painting, Kalighat art, and the rise of Indian national art. It covers the display of Indian crafts both in India and at international exhibitions in Britain, as well as the place of India in the British Arts and Crafts movement. The role of the market and items of fashion such as the Kashmir shawl are also discussed, along with the role of photography in representing the colony and questions around national and imperial architecture.
The book is aimed at students but will also be relevant to members of the general public with an interest in questions of art, visual culture and empire in relation to Britain and British India.
- GenresArt HistoryHistoryArt
200 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2017
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 15, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyable read, Renate Dohmen’s language is accessible and she makes fantastic use of and reference to primary and secondary sources throughout.
August 26, 2020
A good book but I was expecting something else - something more in depth.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews