Page:The Modern Review Vol 15 (January to June 1914).pdf/422

 A VISIT TO ART SECTION OF THE INDIAN MUSEUM

411

dis~rsing some of the haze with which of the ea rtiestexamples in tM: Mueeum colthis subject is surrounded. T he arts of lectio n is the wound ed lion which it bas India have a lways been so indissolubly a been truly said "reca lls the vigour a nd pa rt of the life of the people of that truth of the a ncient sculptures of Ninuch." country, t hat unt il the deep meaning of A_Rother carly spt"Cimen. vcry 6ne in them is better understood t ha n at present, colo uring, is 0 po r t ra it. presumably ora the Indian character is presented t o t he poet, Rnd is particularly inte~8ti ng on w orld incomplete in one of i ts most ,·ita) account of its very obv ious Persia n cha raeaspects. Conceive how limited our know. ter. A picture depicting " Travellcn rou nd ledge would ha'e bee.n of t he Greek, if in al'amp.fi re" barely needs description I1!J it o ur researches we had disregardecl his art. fully explains itself, but as a n impression Va luable pioneer work hEts been a lready of night 'tnd firelight it holdsn hig h pIner. achieved, no tably by my predecessor Dr. Note the fig ures in shadow a nd t hose lit by Havell who ha s pointl'<l o ut the wily in the fli ckeri ng flames , while the li ttle slerp. his able writings o n t he subjt.'<:t, but much ing child is t1 most delight ful thouJ;:ht. remains to be do ne before the fu ll signili. The a llegorica l scene in tlli s illustratio n can<.'C of Indian art ca n be depicting Abhisa rikn, the adequately realized. SPIrit of poetry passing It is therefore on this through a n encha nted forest, account t hnt the collection is replete w ith symbolism of Indian pictures in the a nd describes t he terrors of Museum is only temporarily night in a most g raphic c1assified into the two broad manner. T hi s slide reprodivisio ns of Rajput a nd duces a sketch, a pastoral M ogul. The various schools scene of considerable spirit, of paintings require more fro m the brush of one of definition before the ex· the Knngra artists. An a mples can be satisfactorily outline drawing in the same allocated t o their separate style shows H picture in its subdivisi o ns. 'ery first stage of produc. We know t hat cert ain tion. The subjt.'Ct is the forms of composition And famous Punjnb love story of methods of technique mani· Hir and Ranjn, where the fested themselves in certain Indy, of ,u ili ta nt proclivities, cities and districts, as for beats o ne of the cha racters, exa mple t hose families of disguised 8S a mendicant, heredItary a rtists atKangra, in a very t.horoug h man ner in the Punjab, whose talent The actual line. work done I was a ble to brin.l! to with the brush is rem ~ rk· light some years ago, but In ~li~ dark n~ h t, By Mr. a bly good in t his S~ I. whether we a re justified in Abanmdrlllllth II,gore, C. I. II. men. Another, the Persia n regarding these a s schools of pa in t ing, or love story ofShirin a nd Ferhnnd, conj ures merely as loca l styles has yet t o be dete~ up thought s of the early ill uminated munu· mined. Irrespective of 'a ny detailed ar- script s of t he West, a nd certain phascs of rangement, however, the Mulfum collee· the Ita lia n schools of painting. The hero tion preeents a displdy of Indian painting is represented digging a ca nal through the which i, pro bably uniq ue. Deprived of range of mountai ns, which impo8lible task, their beautiful colourinit' .which is o ne of w hen accompli8hed, will leCure him the their mOlt charm ing q ualities, the pictures lady's love. as reproduced by ordina ry photography, In nig ht scenes the Indian artist was may be: some-wbat disappomting, but a singularly successful, and t he two pictures few specimens have bl!tn eeleeted t o illus· n<.> w she wn of hunting by mea ns of " flam" trate thi, aection. In this connexion it may reproduces tbeee difficult effects very be mentioned that step' are being taken to faithfully. photopph tbe8e picture. in colo urs, so In po rtraiture a lone thHe India n picthat, if tbis provQ succnsful, a more turet open up a wide field, and the ('ollee· iD_tractive eenes of1autem slidQ may be tion pruenta us with a oational portrn.it Cortbcomiug for some future occaaion. One gallery of great historic interat, The