An ode to 18th century Bengal

In 1791 Flemish painter Francois Baltazard Solvyns arrived in Calcutta now Kolkata in the hopes of making his fortune Working initially as a journeyman artist for the upper middle classes Solvyns eventually embarked on an ambitious project to create a series of etchings depicting the lives manners customs and dresses of the people he encountered over the decade he lived in Bengal Between 1796 and 1799 he published his first collection of about 250 etchings in Calcutta and a second enlarged edition of 288 coloured plates in Paris during 180812 It is this complete series which Solvyns called Les Hindous that is being presented by DAG in an exhibition that opened on July 31 at Bikaner House New Delhi and will be on view until August 20 For those outside the city DAGrsquos website is offering a view of the selection on displayThe collection includes depictions of representatives of every profession and level of Indian society and documents festivals and various kinds of carriages and musical instruments that were in common use at the time Pics CourtesyDagWith his focus on ordinary people and sombre moods Solvynsrsquo portraits stood apart from the more picturesque and popular depictions of Indian landscapes and majestic structures by painters Thomas and William Daniell ldquoMost other European artists in India at the time sought to make their fortunes by painting portraits of wealthy nawabs or powerful East India Company officials or building their reputations by depicting Indiarsquos magnificent buildings and sceneryrdquo points out Dr Giles Tillotson curator of the exhibition and Senior Vice President Exhibitions and Publications at DAG ldquoBut Solvyns roamed the back lanes of Calcutta and explored the cityrsquos outlying districts to meet people of all kindsrdquoThe painter failed to secure permission from the board of the East India Company to live in Bengal and stayed on the margins of European society a fact that allowed him to engage more with different aspects of Indian life ldquoHe includes an extraordinarily detailed and intimate portrait of and representatives of every profession and every level of Indian society festivals and sacred rites shows us animals birds and insects trees and crops records all the various kinds of boats carriages and musical instruments that were then in common use From an historical and social perspective Solvynsrsquo work with its accompanying descriptions constitutes the first great ethnographic survey of life in Bengalrdquo observes Dr Tillotson The exhibition is also he notes ldquoan exercise in showing Indian audiences a view of the country as seen by and intended for Western eyesrdquoGiles TillotsonThe challenge of presenting such a large series he shares was in ensuring that it appeared accessible and digestible and not overwhelming The exhibition is also accompanied by a book The Hindus Baltazard Solvyns in Bengal authored by Dr Tillotson that introduces illustrates and contextualises this body of work and reproduces over 80 of the plates full page and the entire series as thumbnailsWHAT The Hindus Baltazard Solvyns in BengalWHERE httpsdagworldcomThe_Hindus