Company School Paintings | Image Resource : Osianama.com

A new genre of painting that evolved in the 18th and 19th century in India was the ‘Company School’. The name is indicative of the era when the British rule prevailed over the country. The East India Company played a major role in the introduction of this form of art in the Indian society. 

Mainly the British officials were interested in developing a way of capturing the picturesque beauty of India and also the exotic and unique way of living of people in various communities in India. As in the Company Period there was a decline in traditional patronage the artists readily took up the task of producing paintings which were high I demand. 

The evolution of Company School Paintings

The British era unfolded several masterpieces in Company School Paintings which dealt with a variety of themes such as landscapes, flora and fauna, scenes related to trade and occupations, durbar scenes, historical monuments, dance, ceremonies, and portraits etc. 

So if you wish to trace the Indian history these paintings definitely offer a window into the past.The naturalistic representations of the surroundings in the Company School Paintings make them a documentation of the rich history and the social customs and conditions that were prevalent during British rule in India.  

The uniqueness of the Indian Company School Paintings lies in their characteristic that this form of art hasconsiderable influence from the Indian miniature paintings. Hence although the Company School does not have the accuracy of a photograph and nor does these paintings enjoy the freedom of miniature art yet they are exotic and aesthetically appealing. 

The artists who produced these form of paintings modified there style to cater to the demand of the British authorities. The British had a taste for academic realism i.e. the art should hold hold close representation of the visual reality in the perspective, shading and volume. 

The evolution of the Company School Painting also marked a deviation from the traditional methods of paintings. Now instead of the gouache artists were predominantly using pencil and watercolour on European paper. 

The very first paintings of this style were produced by artists in the Madras Presidency located in South India. soon this new style of painting disseminated to other regions such as Kolkata, Patna, Murshidabad, Varanasi, Agra, Lucknow, Delhi, Punjab and various other centres in Western part of India. The introduction of this style gave a new dimension to traditional style painting in India.