Essence and Appearance: Portraiture in the Indian Tradition

Speaker: B.N. Goswamy

September 23, 1993 | 6.30 pm
Little Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai

Internationally known scholar and art historian, B. N. Goswamy is a former Jawaharlal Nehru Fellow, JDR III Fellow and National Lecturer of the University Grants Commission. He was for some years Chairman of the Department of Fine Arts, Panjab University. At present, he is Professor of Art History at the Panjab University, Chandigarh and Visiting Professor at the universities of Heidelberg, Zurich, Berkeley, Texas and Pennsylvania. “Wonders of A Golden Age”, “Pahari Masters” and “Essence of Indian Art”, are among the titles shared by his critically acclaimed books and major exhibitions (curated by him far the Reitberg Museum, Zurich, the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco and the Grand Palais, Paris).

In this lecture, Dr. Goswamy will explore through examples of portraits (especially in Indian painting), basic ideas relating to portraiture as they emerge from an examination of the texts and visual materials from the past. The contrast between approaches taken by the painters of the Mughul and the Rajput School, both Rajasthani and Pahari, will be the focus of particular interest.