Faculty of Fine Arts
Encyclopedia
The Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU Baroda
is one of the top three art colleges in India. It has a reputation for promoting a creative and individualist approach among its students, and has historically adhered to secularist, humanist, and modernist ideals.
was invited to the princely state
of Baroda
by the Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
. Varma was treated with great respect by the Gaekwad court. Besides commissioned portraits of Maharaja Gaekwad III, he produced several other fine canvases during his stay. His visit is generally credited as a motivating force in the creation of The Baroda Museum under the patronage of Maharaja Sayajirao, which began construction in 1887 and was completed in 1894. During the years 1903 and 1904, the Maharajah and the new director of this museum, Mr. A.M. Masani, toured the museums and galleries of Europe and purchased in excess of twenty rare paintings plus numerous other art objects.
The Baroda College of Science was established in 1881 by the Maharajah, and developed into a full-fledged degree institution in 1889. The idea of establishing a separate university for Baroda was first advanced as early as 1927 by Sir Sayajirao himself. It came into existence on April 30, 1949, at the time of the merger of the Baroda State with the State of Bombay. Necessary changes were incorporated into the constitution of the Baroda College with a view to establishing separate Faculties in the University. Thus, the Baroda College, one of the oldest Centers of learning in western India, came to include the Faculty of Fine Arts.
The enlightened and liberal vice-chancellor of the new university, Hansa Mehta, believed in a liberal, literate, academic climate, where constructive engagement
and open dialogue would ensure full intellectual discourse and intellectual growth. She used her own resources to solicit the help of Markand Bhatt from the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia to help in the initial setting up of the Faculty of Fine Arts. Major figures in Indian art were invited to join the new project. They included K.K. Hebbar, V.P. Karmarkar and the eminent Indianologist Hermann Goetz. Others who were early involved with the new faculty were N. S. Bendre and K.G. Subramanyan
.
Over the decades artists from the Faculty of Fine Arts went on to participate in exhibitions worldwide, such as the Paris Biennale, the Sao Paulo Biennale, and the Tokyo Biennale. Many of India’s best known and historically respected artists have their roots in the Faculty of Fine Arts.
The Faculty of Fine Arts recently experienced a restructuring after the fallout of the controversy involving an exhibition of allegedly vulgar artworks by Srilamanthula Chandramohan
.
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, commonly referred as M. S. University , is a university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India...
is one of the top three art colleges in India. It has a reputation for promoting a creative and individualist approach among its students, and has historically adhered to secularist, humanist, and modernist ideals.
Early history
In 1881 the famous Indian painter Raja Ravi VarmaRaja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter from the princely state of Travancore who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana...
was invited to the princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Baroda
Baroda State
Baroda State was an Indian princely state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty from its formation in 1721 until 1947 when it succeed to newly formed, India. With the city of Baroda as its capital, during the British Raj it was part of the Baroda Residency...
by the Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
165454565Sayajirao Gaekwad III was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is notably remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule....
. Varma was treated with great respect by the Gaekwad court. Besides commissioned portraits of Maharaja Gaekwad III, he produced several other fine canvases during his stay. His visit is generally credited as a motivating force in the creation of The Baroda Museum under the patronage of Maharaja Sayajirao, which began construction in 1887 and was completed in 1894. During the years 1903 and 1904, the Maharajah and the new director of this museum, Mr. A.M. Masani, toured the museums and galleries of Europe and purchased in excess of twenty rare paintings plus numerous other art objects.
The Baroda College of Science was established in 1881 by the Maharajah, and developed into a full-fledged degree institution in 1889. The idea of establishing a separate university for Baroda was first advanced as early as 1927 by Sir Sayajirao himself. It came into existence on April 30, 1949, at the time of the merger of the Baroda State with the State of Bombay. Necessary changes were incorporated into the constitution of the Baroda College with a view to establishing separate Faculties in the University. Thus, the Baroda College, one of the oldest Centers of learning in western India, came to include the Faculty of Fine Arts.
The enlightened and liberal vice-chancellor of the new university, Hansa Mehta, believed in a liberal, literate, academic climate, where constructive engagement
Constructive engagement
Constructive engagement was the name given to the policy of the Reagan Administration towards the apartheid regime in South Africa in the early 1980s...
and open dialogue would ensure full intellectual discourse and intellectual growth. She used her own resources to solicit the help of Markand Bhatt from the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia to help in the initial setting up of the Faculty of Fine Arts. Major figures in Indian art were invited to join the new project. They included K.K. Hebbar, V.P. Karmarkar and the eminent Indianologist Hermann Goetz. Others who were early involved with the new faculty were N. S. Bendre and K.G. Subramanyan
K.G. Subramanyan
K.G. Subramanyan is a contemporary Indian painter. One of most revered of living painters in India, often drawing comparison with Tyeb Mehta and M.F. Husain, he is celebrated as much for his wide-ranging scholarship as for his visual satires.-Life:...
.
Achievements
Over the years the Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU Baroda, became synonymous with modernist art practices and experimentation in India. In 1956 "The Baroda Group", which included artists such as N.S. Bendre, Jyoti Bhatt, Prafull Dave, Shanti Dave, and K.G. Subramanyan, held their first exhibition in Bombay. The Baroda Group continued with exhibitions that received attention throughout India and also in the west. Soon the Faculty of Fine Arts was to attract the likes of artists such as Laxma Goud and Nasreen Mohammedi. Senior artists of Baroda, such as Sankho Chaudhuri, continued to live there and teach.Over the decades artists from the Faculty of Fine Arts went on to participate in exhibitions worldwide, such as the Paris Biennale, the Sao Paulo Biennale, and the Tokyo Biennale. Many of India’s best known and historically respected artists have their roots in the Faculty of Fine Arts.
The Faculty of Fine Arts recently experienced a restructuring after the fallout of the controversy involving an exhibition of allegedly vulgar artworks by Srilamanthula Chandramohan
Srilamanthula Chandramohan
Srilamanthula Chandramohan is an artist who was born in Madanapally, a village in Andra Pradesh in southern India.- Education :In 2004 he completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad and pursued a Master of Fine Arts degree...
.
Noted Faculty and Alumni
- Sumakshi Singh
- Haku ShahHaku ShahHaku Shah is a Gandhian, an eminent Indian painter belonging to the Baroda School, he is also a cultural anthropologist, an author of international repute on folk and tribal art and culture...
- Jyoti BhattJyoti BhattJyotindra Manshankar Bhatt , is an Indian artist best known for his modernist work in painting and printmaking and also his photographic documentation of rural Indian culture. He studied painting under N. S. Bendre and K.G. Subramanyan at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao Universtity ,...
- N.N. RimzonN.N. RimzonN. N. Rimzon is an Indian artist known primarily for his highly symbolic and enigmatic sculpture.The fragmentation of society, individual alienation, and archetypal depictions of the human experience predominate his work...
- K.G. SubramanyanK.G. SubramanyanK.G. Subramanyan is a contemporary Indian painter. One of most revered of living painters in India, often drawing comparison with Tyeb Mehta and M.F. Husain, he is celebrated as much for his wide-ranging scholarship as for his visual satires.-Life:...
- Laxma GoudLaxma GoudKalal Laxma Goud was born on August 21, 1940, and is an Indian painter, printmaker and draughtsman. He works in variety of mediums including etching, gouache, pastel, sculpture, and glass painting...
- Bhupen KhakharBhupen KhakharBhupen Khakhar Bhupen Khakhar was a leading artist in Indian contemporary art. He worked in Baroda, and gained international recognition for his work.-Works:...
- Dhruva MistryDhruva MistryDhruva Mistry CBE RA is a sculptor, born in Kanjari, Gujarat, India in b 1957.-Early life and education:Dhruva Mistry , having worked in Great Britain between 1981 and 1997, returned to Vadodara...
- Jeram Patel
- Gulammohammed Sheikh
- Pushpamala N.Pushpamala N.Pushpamala N. is an artist based in Bangalore, India.Pushpamala N. was born in Bangalore. Her work has been described as performance photography, as she frequently uses herself as model in her own work...
- Shanti Dave
- Nasreen Mohamedi
- Vivan SundaramVivan SundaramVivan Sundaram is an Indian contemporary artist. His wife is eminent art historian and critic Geeta Kapur.-Training:Vivan Sundaram was educated at The Doon School, the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S...
- Sankho ChaudhuriSankho ChaudhuriSankho Chaudhuri was an Indian sculptor, a noted figure in the art scene of India....
- Devraj Dakoji
- Nagji Patel
- Mrinalini Mukherjee
- Vijay Bagodi
- Rekha Rodwittya
- N. S. Bendre
- Srilamanthula ChandramohanSrilamanthula ChandramohanSrilamanthula Chandramohan is an artist who was born in Madanapally, a village in Andra Pradesh in southern India.- Education :In 2004 he completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad and pursued a Master of Fine Arts degree...
- Sosa JosephSosa JosephSosa Joseph is an Indian contemporary artist living in Kochi, Kerala. She is considered an important exponent of the contemporary female art in Kerala, India.-Biography:...
- Deepak Mahakul