Marvels of Indian Painting: Rise and Demise of Company School

Haryana, India: Nevile Books, 2007. Hardcover. VG/Good+ (some scuffing and edge wear to dj). Black cloth, gilt letters on spine & front cover, black & color illus. dust jacket, illus. flyleaves, 175 pp., many color illus. "A pioneering effort to explore and study the creative genius of those forgotten Indian artists who produced remarkable paintings for their British patrons. Defined as the 'Company School' art, these beautiful pictures reveal a lively fusion of Eastern warmth with Western objectivity. The author highlights how Western ideas and artistic techniques were absorbed in the Indian tradition by these artists without losing the essential Indianness. Sumptuously illustrated with reproductions of the finest Company School paintings assembled for the first time from the collections of museums and libraries all over the world, [this book] presents a visual treat and also provides rare glimpses of the Indian social and cultural scene of the period. The author has diligently tried to blend the visual images with his vibrant narrative to underline the importance of Company School painting in the Indian art scene as the last original contribution by Indian artists." (dj).