Brainwave: A Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 744–749, June 2024.

ISSN(online): 2582-659X

The Objectives of Establishing Art Schools in

Colonial India by the British
Susanta Pal
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Nabarangpur, Odisha
Email: [email protected]

Received on: January 27, 2024 | Accepted on: June 19, 2024 | Published on: June 29, 2024

Abstract

Although the history of art in India is very old, art education was included in the academic curriculum
during the colonial rule, under the British, in the 19th century. Although earlier, especially in miniature
painting, many artists worked under the master painter in 'Tasbirkhana'. All these artists used to learn
method and techniques of art from the main artist as apprentices and considered him as the master.
Basically, through visual experience and regular work, step by step they were able to grasp the simple to
complex aspects of the techniques of making images. But by opening art schools for a specific purpose by
the British, art education was included in the syllabus of those schools. Even salaried teachers who
controlled the academic structure had been appointed of those schools. Four art schools were opened in
Madras, Calcutta, Bombay and Lahore at the four ends of the Indian subcontinent at this time. The original
purpose of setting up these schools was to train Indians in technical education such as carpentry, masonry,
printing, and leather work. That is, the real goal was to make skilled craftsmen, not to make artists. But at
the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, a renaissance in art education took place
in search of the traditional culture of India under the encouragement of E.B Havell, then Superintendent
of the Art School of Calcutta. This new shift in academic art education and the introduction of indigenous
sentiment into students’ artwork in this system is an important concern to discuss.

Keywords: Art schools, Academic Art education, Naturalism, Artisans, British rule, Freedom movement,
Indigenous tradition, Cultural identities.

Introduction also in vogue. Painting of landscapes was rare, or

landscapes used to paint as the background of main
Till the 16th century, the most important centers of
characters. [1]
art in Europe were Rome and Florence. From the
17th century, the French emperor, Louis XIV, made
There was no distinction between fine arts and
Paris the Mecca of art. In this century, under
crafts before Renaissance in Europe. At that time,
through royal patronage, literature, architecture
to the Greeks all handmade works was considered
and science academies were established. In 1648
as ‘Techne’. The purpose of opening art schools by
was founded the Academie Royale de Peinture et
the British was to provide academic education to
de Sculpture or the Royal Academy of Painting and
create skilled artisans. It was not their intention to
Sculpture. This institute was a bureaucratic
create artists. In this case, the similarity of thought
organisation under the command of the royal court.
with the French and British academy was seen. The
Expounding the glory and nobility of the taste of
main purpose of art education in colonial era in this
the King was the sole motive of this institution. In
subcontinent was to meet the technical needs of
this academy, the central focus of the artists was to
government offices. In art schools, carpentry and
create history painting. But portrait painting was

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 ISSN(online): 2582-659X
Pal, Susanta. “The Objectives of Establishing Art Schools in Colonial India by the British” Brainwave: A
Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, Jun. 2024, pp. 744–749.

masonry were taught to students. It is also known Facts, Sources & Critical analysis
that students of arts school used to engage in work
The Renaissance painters, instead of producing
like plastering and painting for houses for earning.
diagrammatic art in the Byzantine or Gothic
In 1839, the Mechanics Institute was opened in
fashion, attempted to depict, in painting and
Kolkata on the model of London’s Mechanics
sculpture, the ideal beauty of the human form.
Institute for the purpose of making professional
From the renaissance period the study of antiques
craftsman. In 1853, and Indian businessman, Sir
as a part of art education had begun. At that time,
Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy, donated one lakh rupees to
there was no distinction between fine arts and
the company’s government for the purpose of
crafts. In the 18th century, in the culture and daily
establishing a technical school in Bombay. And in
lives of European people, a great change took
this regard, in a letter written to the Governor of
place. The French Revolution and the Industrial
Bombay, he requested to bring suitable teachers
Revolution were responsible for these. On the one
from England. Although Jamshedji did not want
hand, while mechanised production became
the aesthetic development of the students, rather he
popular, on the other hand, in the various countries
wanted to develop technical education. The advice
of Europe, French art, literature, culture, language
of Dr. Alexander Hunter, a skilled artist, was
and manners, were also being propagated. [3]
adopted when the school opened. He opines,
In 1795, for training in mechanized craftsmanship,
1. Best samples of local manufacture should first the Ecole Polytechnic was established in Paris. In
be collected; emulation of this, in Scotland and England, the
2. Arrangements should be entered into for having Mechanix Institute was founded. Here the trainees
them taught on a liberal and extended scale and were to be trained to produce of objects of daily
keeping in view the improvement of the use. These were part of industrial art. Segregation
manufacture by application of science art and was attempted by adding the words ‘Beaux Arts’ in
machinery; an art education academy for the elite. [4]
3. European and Native workmen should be From the middle of 19th century, in British-rule,
employed where knowledge of particular mode of subservient Indians, who, roused from their
manufacture could be derived for benefit; longstanding sense of inferiority, manifested
4. The pupil should work gratis for the first two awareness of their own history and traditions. For
years till he became fit to earn –“Until they gained the first time in India, transcending political and
sufficient proficiency and if they could not pay social boundaries, the kind of awareness or the
tuition fees”. sense of patriotism developed about own traditions
5. A small percentage of profit should be paid to and practices. Historian Ranajit Guha has written
apprentice after eighteen months if they showed in this context,
quick development;
6. Exchange of artistic design with similar schools “Mobilisation, we have noticed, was an issue of
in other countries should be done; prestige for Indian nationalism as it matured
7. The committee on Management should be into a mass political phenomenon during the
composed of leading members of different ranks in first half of the twentieth century. Under whose
society; banner would the people rally? Who was to
8. Head of local Government should be the patron; speck for them? A response to such questions
and was regarded as a critical measure of the
9. Qualified Europeans should be employed for support commanded by the congress party in its
leading branches of instruction. [2] claim to hegemony- a claim it pressed

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 ISSN(online): 2582-659X
Pal, Susanta. “The Objectives of Establishing Art Schools in Colonial India by the British” Brainwave: A
Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, Jun. 2024, pp. 744–749.

vigorously and relentlessly at every forum and employment. Most of these craft persons belonged
by all means of publicity at its disposal not only to the class of potters, blacksmiths, goldsmiths or
against the colonial regime but also against all carpenters. From the beginning of the 19 th century,
its indigenous rival such as the Muslim League with the rise of the printing industry, these craft
and some of the left-nationalist and socialist persons from various fields began to participate in
parties. printing with the hope of a change in fortune. With
the flourishing of printing in the bazaars printing,
An outstanding feature of this hegemonic claim
the quantity and value of the work of these
was the uses it made of the Indian past. The
artist/craft persons was on the rise. From the
idioms of such use would differ according to
middle of the 19th century, it was from the images
tendencies prevailing within the nationalist
created by bazaar artists/crafts persons, that the
ideology at any given time and the inclinations
emergence of a ‘new’ kind of art was visible. Since,
of its principal protagonists. With Rabindranath
the Indian artists, in their compositions, used
Tagore, for instance, the emphasis came to rest
stories and characters from the Ramayana, the
on an idealized past in which an autonomous
Mahabharata, the Puranas and the Mangal-
and self-reliant civil society lived in peace with
Kavyas,with the primary objective of exploring
itself. With Gandhi, on the other hand, all that
tradition, hence, these gods and goddesses, as
was good and great about that past lay in its
popularised by those texts, featured in large
spiritual achievements and moral superiority;
numbers in their prints and gained tremendous
with Nehru in the secular unity of its politics and
popularity. [6]
the synthesis of its diverse cultures.” [5]
The triumph of academic art teaching in India
Kolkata was the capital of the British Raj in India.
ensued, in 1850, with the establishment of the art
Hence, for governance needs, here in the capital
school in Madras, by Alexander Hunter and 4
city, several Government offices, law courts, police
years later in Kolkata, in 1854. The teaching
stations, schools and colleges had been opened. To
methods used there, were completely in the fashion
train clerks for administrative work, by teaching
of the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Most of
them the English language, was the foremost
the teachers in Government art schools established
objective of the British. It was against this
by the British in colonial India were European and
backdrop that a few English-educated, meritorious
believers in the traditional education patterns of
youth, raised the call for ‘renaissance’. The art
The Royal Academy of Arts, London. The Royal
education institute was established in Kolkata, in
Academy of Arts, London was established in 1768,
1854. Since the people of Kolkata had the
under the patronage of King George III. The then
opportunity to be educated at the schools and
famous artist, Joshua Reynolds, was the first
colleges established by the Government, hence, the
President of the institute. He was a practitioner of
progressive, thoughtful, Bengali youth of Kolkata
landscape painting in the naturalistic style. It is
played a leading role in this ‘renaissance’. Till the
believed that he determined British academic art
mid-19th century, Indian painters were regarded as
practices with the inception of conventional art
artisans. The recognition as ‘artists’ was meant
practices akin to renaissance traditions in this
only for the resident foreign artists in India.
academy. In British India too, the rulers were
However, many of the Indian artisans engaged
enthusiastic about establishing similar education of
themselves in various craftsmanship, voluntarily
art. In the art education centres, founded in the 19th
learned the nuances of oil painting, and those of
century in Kolkata, Madras, Bombay and Lahore,
metal and wood engraving and lithography for
students were trained keeping the Royal
printing, with the expectation of better
Academy’s art education practices as the primary

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 ISSN(online): 2582-659X
Pal, Susanta. “The Objectives of Establishing Art Schools in Colonial India by the British” Brainwave: A
Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, Jun. 2024, pp. 744–749.

yardstick. The first institute of art education, the To produce knowledgeable artists was not the
Mechanical Institute, was established in Kolkata in intention. In 1839, in an assembly of a few
1839. The classes were conducted in the Town Britishers and educated Indians, at the Town Hall
Hall. In 1854, The School of Industrial Art was in Kolkata, a Mechanical Institute in the city was
established at Garanhata. Regarding the academic established. Though short-lived, but the
practices at the art schools established in Kolkata, establishment of this as an academic art education
Mrinal Ghosh opines, institute, was the very first initiative in the
Subcontinent. After a few years, in 1854, on the
“Henry Hover Locke, the superintendent of
lines of the Mechanical Institute, the School of
London School of Design was assigned the
Industrial Art was established in Kolkata as a
charge of the school on 29th June, 1864. At
center for art education. Before that, in 1850, with
Kensington academic naturalism of Joshua
the same motive, that is the improvement of fine
Reynolds style was the primary norm of art
art, in Madras, in South India, the East India
practice, though other artist in England during
Company’s revered doctor and art-enthusiast,
that time were trying to come out of the strict
Alexander Hunter took the initiative to host a
norm of naturalism, movements of Turner and
similar assembly in the city to establish the Madras
the pre- Raphaelite artists being the examples.
School of Industrial Art. After being taken over by
Locke was not sympathetic to those new trends.
the government, in 1862, this institute was renamed
Consequently, those were not considered for
Government School of Art and Craft. In a few years
imparting art education at Calcutta. Academic
following this, in Bombay in 1857, under the
naturalism was taken up as the only norm,
initiative of Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy, an art school
which continued unabated till 1896.” [7]
was established. During the founding of this
Artist Shyamacharan Srimani, resident of Kolkata, institute, he himself donated a sum of 1 lakh
in the 19th century, translated fine arts as ‘sukhho rupees. In 1865, John Griffiths was selected as the
shilpo’. The technique of art education in the Principal of this institute and in 1866. Similarly, at
academic tradition was acquired by the British Lahore, in the Punjab province, in 1875, the Mayo
from Italy and France. Moreover, before William School of Industrial Art was established. John
Hogarth in the 18th century, no significant British Lockwood Kipling joined as its first Principal and
artists are known. In 1768 in England, the Royal as the first curator of the Lahore Museum. Later, in
Academy was established on the lines of the French 1958, the institute was renamed National College
Academy. The Chairmanship of this Academy was of Art. Just as in the 19th century, with the purpose
first assigned to the artist, Joshua Reynolds. The of occupying low ranking clerical jobs, educational
students here were taught history painting or institutions were opened up; similarly art education
literature painting in an academic manner, and they institutes were being founded in British dominated
were encouraged to paint such images. In 1837, at India, with the aim of building indigenous crafts
Kensington, London, the Government School of persons. [8]
Design was founded. It was later, in 1896 renamed
Before the establishment of art education institutes
the Royal College of Art. In 1967, the institute was
by the British in India, Indian art was already
formulated into a university of art. The 23 year-old,
developing under the influence and inspiration of
E.B Havell, qualified from this School of Design,
British and other European artists, who had come
was sent to India as the Superintendent of the
India to earning a livelihood. Native artists, right
Madras School of Art. By establishing art
after the formation of the East India Company,
education institutes in British-dominated India, the
began painting under British artists and
former attempted to impart industrial art education.
professionals, with the purpose of earning their

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 ISSN(online): 2582-659X
Pal, Susanta. “The Objectives of Establishing Art Schools in Colonial India by the British” Brainwave: A
Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, Jun. 2024, pp. 744–749.

livelihood. After the establishment of the art Mughal miniature paintings, along with copies of
school, for nearly 50 years, the students were images from the frescoes of Ajanta. Later, in 1904,
trained in European art practices, and owing to when the government proposed to merge this
their success, this foreign artistic trend became collection with the art section of the Indian
deep-rooted in India. But at the beginning of the Museum, he objected. He had, really, built this
20th century, some thinkers embarked on the search collection to facilitate art education. Hence, he was
for an art that was related to India’s own heritage. reluctant. They were not motivated by the aim of
Of them, E.B Havell was unique. In 1884, Havell formulating an indigenous Indian artistic practice,
came to India as the Superintendent of the Madras through training in Indian culture and tradition. For
School of Art. Later he held the same post at the this reason, the name of the art school held the word
art school in Kolkata, where he remained from ‘craft’. Besides, it was established at Chitpur for
1896-1909. Despite being a British himself, he the first time with the mindset of training
objected strongly to the presence of South craftspersons only. Nearly 200 people enrolled
Kensington art practices in the art educational here for the first time, and most of them were local
schools in India, taking certain steps to discourage wood-block makers, wood & metal engravers,
students from the influence and usage of alien art blacksmiths, goldsmiths and carpenters. [10].
practices. [9]
Concluding observation
Actually, when the British established the art
It can be said that the British deliberately set up art
school in Kolkata, their purpose was merely to
schools in India for the purpose of producing
create craftsperson. They were not objected
artisans and in the decades following the
strongly to the presence of South Kensington art
establishment of the school, they succeeded in that
practices in the art educational schools in India,
purpose well. Artisans passed from these art
taking certain steps to discourage students from the
schools were in demand in the society. Apart from
influence and usage of alien art practices. He was
working under the British government, some of the
an admirer of the ornamental design used in ancient
students who passed out from these schools opened
Indian architecture and sculpture. In his search for
their own businesses. Even some of the Indian
materials for authentic Indian art, he found in these
students who passed out from here were later
designs, the pathway to a possibility. At the art
employed as teachers in the schools. However, this
school in Kolkata, he began classes in decorative
tradition has changed since the beginning of the
design, fresco painting, wood and glass work.
twentieth century. Indigenous traditional cultural
Since, he was open-minded, doing away with the
identities continue to be seen in the visuals
distinction between fine art and applied art, he laid
produced by the students here. The freedom
emphasis on the practices of traditional design and
movement across the country had a direct impact
ornamentation in India. He laid emphasis on
on arts education and a kind of indigenous
turning of the focus back to Indian handicrafts,
sentiment fueled a change in the course of colonial
ornamentation in temples, alpona and folk art. He
art education.
was not only to alert improving craftsmanship
skills through emulation of European art objects, References
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 ISSN(online): 2582-659X
Pal, Susanta. “The Objectives of Establishing Art Schools in Colonial India by the British” Brainwave: A
Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, Jun. 2024, pp. 744–749.

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