Evolution and Influence of Contemporary Art in India

Contemporary Art in India, a perspective attempts to trace the history that brought about an awareness of contemporaneity or modernity in art in our country, and the directions it has taken during the last 150 years or so.Historically speaking, we have been exposed to western influences since 1600, the year the British East India Company was set up.But we became very dependent on the achievements in European art since 1900.The influence spread with increasing British political power, particularly when Schools of Art were established in Madras, Calcutta and Bombay during 1850s to impart training in western techniques in an organized manner.