Od europejskiej fantazji do indyjskiej ikony narodowej Wizerunki kobiet w sztuce Raviego Varmy

Ravi Varma (1848–1906) was an artist who has had a huge impact on Indian art. Criticised by some, adored by most in India and considered the precursor of modern art, he is the indisputable father of popular aesthetics in India. First of all, conscious, systematic Europeanisation in conjunction with the creation of modern mythological iconography and representations of women secured him a permanent place in the history of art. No artist before him could so creatively exploit new opportunities that opened wider relations with European art. The magnitude of Varma’s art lied in the fact that he did not copy European paintings, but adapted them to suit the needs of academic painting. The Indian woman ideal created by him is to this day the most widespread standard of beauty, especially in popular art. His construct of femininity has become the ideal for Indian women, goddesses and even embodies the nation in the form of Mother India (Bharat Mata).Ravi Varma (1848–1906) był artystą, który wywarł ogromny wpływ na sztukę indyjską; uważany jest za prekursora sztuki nowoczesnej oraz twórcę estetyki popularnej w Indiach. Przede wszystkim świadoma, systematyczna europeizacja w połączeniu ze stworzeniem współczesnej ikonografii mitologicznej oraz przedstawień kobiet zapewniła mu trwałe miejsce w historii sztuki. Żaden artysta przed nim nie potrafił tak twórczo wyzyskać nowych możliwości, które otworzył szeroki kontakt ze sztuką europejską. Wielkość Varmy polegała bowiem nie na kopiowaniu, ale dostosowywaniu do własnych potrzeb malarstwa akademickiego. Stworzony przez niego ideał kobiety indyjskiej do dziś  stanowi najbardziej rozpowszechniony standard urody, szczególnie we wszechobecnej sztuce popularnej. Jego kobieta stała się idealną Induską, boginią, a nawet ucieleśnieniem narodu w postaci Matki-Indii (Bharat Mata)

Kobiecość przekształcona. Indyzacja i europeizacja kobiety w strefach kontaktu na przykładzie malarstwa miniaturowego XVI–XIX w.

The subject of the article is an analysis of how images of European women were adapted in Indian miniature painting created under the patronage of Muslim and Hindu rulers during the period from the 16th to the 19th century. The term contact zone was used to identify areas where two cultures – in this case, Indian and European – met and the interactions between them. This would seem relevant for a analysis of these complex multicultural relations and this article will focus on two issues – art and gender. The analysed works bring together some fundamental issues – they were created for a local recipient, not the coloniser. Therefore, they reveal the reactions of a local artist created for a local patron. By analysing the representations of European women, or those modelled on them, one may observe the following process of their assimilation into an Indian form: familiarsing themselves with a foreign femininity and technique by copying and then adapting it to an Indian theme and then the Indianisation of European women and the creation on this basis of a new type of Indian woman Images of European women also affected how Indian women were portrayed. So this contact had two main dimensions – European ladies were subjected to Indianisation, while the Indians underwent a kind of Europeanisation.The subject of the article is an analysis of how images of European women were adapted in Indian miniature painting created under the patronage of Muslim and Hindu rulers during the period from the 16th to the 19th century. The term contact zone was used to identify areas where two cultures – in this case, Indian and European – met and the interactions between them. This would seem relevant for a analysis of these complex multicultural relations and this article will focus on two issues – art and gender. The analysed works bring together some fundamental issues – they were created for a local recipient, not the coloniser. Therefore, they reveal the reactions of a local artist created for a local patron. By analysing the representations of European women, or those modelled on them, one may observe the following process of their assimilation into an Indian form: familiarsing themselves with a foreign femininity and technique by copying and then adapting it to an Indian theme and then the Indianisation of European women and the creation on this basis of a new type of Indian woman Images of European women also affected how Indian women were portrayed. So this contact had two main dimensions – European ladies were subjected to Indianisation, while the Indians underwent a kind of Europeanisation

Tradition at the Threshold of Modernity. Women in Kalighat Painting

The term Kalighat is defined as paintings created in the nineteenth and early twentieth century in Calcutta, produced mainly for pilgrims visiting the local temple dedicated to the goddess Kali. Religious representations were dominant while secular subjects were given a minor role. Given the extent of such topics, however, it is much more interesting. Within this group of works women are unquestionably the dominating force. Given the iconography, these images can be divided into two main groups - traditional and innovative. Traditional depictions might include a mother and child, a woman during her toilet, or with an instrument, a flower, a water pipe or a bird. The second group consists primarily of paintings representing contemporary mores and events (eg the murder of Elokeshi). The first group is dominated by independent representations, while the second – more developed presentations. Sometimes it is hard work but the data clearly falls into one of these types. Often an image showing a woman in a traditional manner at the same time carries with it a new message. These images reflect the social life of Calcutta, which at the time was changing rapidly under the influence of British social mores. Women were divided on the one hand between traditional norms and, on the other, the new European reality. This division is visible in the art of Kalighat. Artists often preceived the changing mores in the lives of women as a threat to traditional law and order. Stylistically, the images of women originate from earlier paintings depicting these goddesses and similarly they are less diversified and undifferentiated