Indian Life and Landscape By Western Artists: Paintings and Drawings From the Victoria and Albert Museum 17th to the Early 20th Century Organized By the V & A and CSMVS

by Pauline Rohatgi, Graham Parlett, Shirley Imray

Early western encounters with India produced paintings and prints with imaginary landscapes and settings. They were based on accounts written by travellers, and Mughal paintings that were collected by a few Europeans, including the Dutch painter, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-69). Professional artists began to travel to India from Europe only in the . eighteenth century and painted scenes based on direct observation. They created a comprehensive pictorial record of India, in a visual style familiar to western audiences. For the first time, these images revealed the spectacular nature of India's architecture, the immensity of her landscapes and the great diversity of her people.

84 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008