The Colonial and National Formations of the National College of Arts, Lahore, circa 1870s to 1960s

By (author) Nadeem Omar Tarar

Publication date:

08 February 2022

Publisher

Anthem Press

Dimensions:

229x153mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781785277924

Utilizing archival sources, this book examines the formation and evolution of the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore, a pivotal institution shaping the art, architecture, and design landscape of contemporary Pakistan since the 19th century. Theoretical analysis reveals how the NCA, as a bureaucratic entity, has influenced the development of design schools, museums, and artistic practices in both British India and Pakistan, initially under the influence of British art education from South Kensington. The study traces the institution's history from its metropolitan European roots during the British colonial period through the American restructuring of art education administration and pedagogy in the early years of independence. It explores how frameworks of art history and anthropology have been used to construct and objectify Pakistani art and artists. By deconstructing these disciplinary frameworks, the book sheds light on how imperial and nationalist discourses have intersected to influence and redefine artistic and cultural identities within Pakistan.

Introduction; Chapter One; CRAFTING ARTISANS AS PRIMITIVE ARTISTS: ART AND CRAFT DISCOURSES IN COLONIAL PUNJAB; I. Primitivisation of Indian Art and Artist; II. ‘Primitive Art in Civilized Places’: the Formation of the Pedagogic Triad of Trade Exhibitions, Museums and Art Schools in Colonial Punjab; III. Lahore Museum: A Storehouse of Natural History and Primitive Art; IV. “Aboriginal” Artisans and the Colonial Ethnography of Occupational Castes; Chapter Two; KIPLING'S SCHOOL: BRITISH ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT IN PUNJAB; I. Technical Education in Colonial Punjab and the Making of the Mayo School of Art; II. The Lahore Model: the Mayo School under Lockwood Kipling; III. The Suitable Boys: the Mayo School of Art and Ibbetson’s Anthropology; IV. From “Primitive” Artisans to “Modern” Craftsmen-Artists; Chapter Three; POLITICS OF ART AND CRAFT: RETHINKING THE MAYO SCHOOL; I. Drawing Masters as Artists: The Emergence of Fine Arts in Punjab; II. Posters from the Early Twentieth Century Colonial Punjab: Chromolithography and Mayo School of Art; Chapter Four; AESTHETICS MODERNISM IN THE POST-COLONY: THE MAKING OF A NATIONAL COLLEGE OF ART; I. From Craft to Fine Arts: The Nationalist Discourse on Traditional Arts; II. The Development of Industrial and Technical Education in Pakistan as a Panacea for Modernization; III. From Mayo School of Art to National College of Arts: The Forward Looking Years; IV. Post-Bauhaus at NCA: An Aborted Agenda; Chapter Five; FRAMINGS OF A NATIONAL TRADITION: DISCOURSES ON MODERN MASTERS AND THE INVENTION OF MINIATURE PAINTING IN PAKISTAN; I. Neo-Orientalist Discourse of Revivalisms: Tagore and Chughtai; II. Haji Sharif: Encounter with Tradition and Modernity; III. Discourse on Old Masters and the Myth of Tradition in Miniature Painting; IV. Miniature Painting as Kitsch: Shazia Sikander’s Innovation; V. 'The Original as Copy': Creative Process in Indian Painting; Conclusions; Appendix; Bibliography

“An excellent work: the first comprehensive study of any of the major and influential schools of art and design (Lahore, Bombay, Kolkata) in South Asia from their colonial-era roots to the present day. This book undertakes a much-needed shift in focus towards the manner in which institutional dynamics and state practices have structured aesthetic thought and art practice alike. The reader will particularly appreciate how artistic concerns are linked to broader governmental concerns of socialization and economic behavior.” — Arindam Dutta, author of The Bureaucracy of Beauty: Design in the Age of its Global Reproducibility (2007).