Hindustan Files by Kolkata’s Virasat Art exhibited at Chitrakala Parishath

Hindustan Files: 1757-1950 by Virasat Art from Kolkata showcased canvases that depicted a regal subcontinent filled with gods and kings, traditions of the past and temples preserved through art. Ganesh Pratap Singh, founder of Virasat Art, is an art restorer who began this collection because of his keen interest in Company Art.

Under the British East India Company, Indian artists were hired to adapt their style for a European palate and they produced paintings and mica engravings that appealed to their patrons. These works were collectively termed Company Art.

“The British rule in India was both destructive and regenerative and the purpose of this exhibition is not to subscribe to the idea of Colonialism, but to look at an India from the Colonial perspective,” says Ganesh. The exhibition housed around 242 items that traced a timeline between the Battle of Plassey and the formation of the Indian Republic. 

Hindustan Files by Kolkata’s Virasat Art
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Caricatures of Ravan purchasing snuff in an advertisement, contemporary posters of Bharat Mata, as well as a brilliantly drawn political cartoon by Bireshwar Bhattacharjee featuring Mussolini, Hitler and Gandhiji in one frame, titled Race For a New Order, were among the many works at the exhibition.

Also on display was a rare first copy of the Indian Constitution, letters concerning the transfer of the Kohinoor Diamond as well as missives by Rabindranath Tagore and Jamini Roy.  

Updates on other events by Virasat Art available on social media