CAPF AC 2022 Q98: Art & Culture – Painting & Visual Arts
- (a) Art was being produced for the open market.
- (b) The artist (Shilpi) became distinct from the artisan (Karigar).
- (c) The technique of oil painting was developed.
- (d) The distinction between elite and popular art widened.
Answer: (d) The distinction between elite and popular art widened.
Explanation
Painting in nineteenth-century India
How to think: the nineteenth century brought the market, the art school and oil paint.
It also brought the printing press, which carried the same images to rich and poor alike.
So test which statement goes against these changes.
| Statement | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Art was produced for the open market | True | Kalighat paintings and Company paintings were sold to buyers, not made for a patron |
| The artist became distinct from the artisan | True | Art schools at Madras, Calcutta and Bombay created the trained artist |
| The technique of oil painting developed | True | Raja Ravi Varma mastered oil on canvas |
| The gap between elite and popular art widened | Not a feature | Cheap prints and oleographs took the same images into ordinary homes |
Example: Ravi Varma's press printed his paintings of gods and heroes in thousands.
They hung in palaces and in humble houses alike.
A caution: this key follows the published answer and the reasoning above.
Answer: (d).
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. This was a feature: paintings were now made for sale in the market.
- (b) Incorrect. This was a feature: the school-trained artist stood apart from the craftsman.
- (c) Incorrect. This was a feature: oil painting took root in India.
- (d) CORRECT. This was not a feature: mass prints narrowed, not widened, the gap between elite and popular art.
Key point
19th-century Indian art: Company painting, Kalighat pats (market art of Calcutta), art schools (Madras 1850, Calcutta 1854, Bombay 1857), Raja Ravi Varma (oil painting, oleograph press). Reaction: the Bengal School of Abanindranath Tagore.
Remember
Prints carried elite images into popular homes.
Common mistakes
- Assuming new European techniques must have widened every social gap.
- Forgetting the role of mechanical printing in spreading images cheaply.
- Missing the word not and marking a true feature.
Exam tip
Educated guess: statements (a), (b) and (c) are solid, well-known facts. That leaves (d) by elimination, and calendar-art prints of gods in every home show why.
Sources
- NCERT Class VIII History — Our Pasts III, Chapter: The Changing World of Visual Arts
- NCERT Class XII Fine Arts — An Introduction to Indian Art Part II (Company painting, Raja Ravi Varma and the Bengal School)