Art class about the Bombay School
Art aficionados in the city, who've been keen to learn more about the Bombay School of Art and its legacy, have much to cheer. After months of toil, the Circular Gallery for Visual Art at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya opened its doors yesterday for its first exhibition, Pravaha: A Glimpse from the Early Phase of Sir JJ School of Art and Progressive Art Movement (late 19th to mid 20th century CE). Going by the preview that this diarist was privy to, the exhibition will be a showcase of landscapes, portraiture and the early works by the Progressive Artists' Group of Bombay. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, director-general of CSMVS, shared an anecdote to reiterate how British minds and Indian artists coexisted to inspire some of the works on display. "John Griffiths, one-time principal of Sir JJ School of Art, encouraged his students to visit and study the art on the rock edicts of Ajanta and Ellora Caves. Others, like art historian and administrator, EB Havell spent time at Santiniketan to understand Indian art," he reminded us. Art knows no boundaries, and here's another reason why.