Expert stresses need to decolonise art history

Anshita Mehra

New Delhi, October 6

In a lecture at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Parul Dave Mukherji from the School of Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) shed light on redefining Indian art history through the lens of mimesis (representation of the real world or naturalism) and decolonisation.

Delivering the second Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy memorial lecture, instituted by the IGNCA under the Culture Ministry, Mukherji began with a compelling example from the Ajanta Caves, showcasing an overlooked painting of circa 5th century CE and the depiction of the mouth and teeth.

This unexplored detail symbolised, for her, the inherent blindness within the discipline of art history and the urgent need for decolonisation by way of active attention to long neglected indigenous works.

While acknowledging the ubiquity of the term “decolonisation”, Mukherji urged a more precise understanding of what it truly entails and what it should exclude. She emphasised that it should not be assumed that all disciplines prevalent in Europe originated from some original matrix in ancient India, nor should it suggest that ancient Indian art history could be traced back to Vedic science.

To comprehend the decolonisation of art history, Mukherji highlighted its Western origins and the circumstances of its arrival in India, underscoring the connection between Indian art history and colonialism.

Mukherji’s exploration led her to the theory of Anukarana Vada, or performative mimesis, drawing from the Silpasastras. While there is no direct translation for “mimesis,” terms like “satya” (truthful), “sadrsya” (similar) and “pratibimba” (reflection) resonate with its essence.

Challenging the notion that naturalism is a Western domain, Mukherji cited Stella Kramrisch, an Austria-born art historian who brought forward Indian naturalism, emphasising that each culture possesses a unique mode of representing the world.