The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : British artists’ aquatint prints on display

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Sunday, Apr 13, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

British artists’ aquatint prints on display

Special Correspondent

Rare collections of landscapes, monuments of South India

— Photo: K. Pichumani

Former Secretary to President P. Murari having a look at the aquatint prints of two British artists, after inaugurating the “Prints Gallery” at Fort Museum on Friday.

CHENNAI: Over 35 aquatint prints of landscapes and monuments of South India by two British artists – Thomas Daniell and his nephew, William, – are on display at the ‘Print Gallery’ section that was opened at the Fort Museum on Friday.

Among many artists who came to India from Britain in the last quarter of the 18th century, Thomas Daniell (1749-1840) and his nephew, William (1769-1837) have etched their name in the history of Indo-British Art.

In 1784, Thomas and William sought permission from the East India Company to sail to India.

The rare collections of different landscapes of the then Madras, the Thanjavur Big Temple and the other tourist attractions of Tamil Nadu are a visual treat especially for those interested in history.

Sathyabama Badrinath, Superintending Archaeologist of the Archaeological Survey of India, Chennai Circle, said it was interesting to note how the British artists without the facility of any camera remembered even the minute details and reproduced the finer details of the Indian landscape and monuments.

Inaugurating the “Prints Gallery,” P. Murari, former Secretary to the President, appreciated the painstaking efforts on the part of the ASI to create an exclusive gallery highlighting the Indo-British artistic view of the numerous Indian landscapes and monuments.

He appealed to the ASI to mobilise the support of big industrial houses and the corporate sector to help set up a museum which could house under one roof all rare collections, photographs, artefacts of the Madras Presidency.

P.R. Srinivasan, Chief Epigraphist and senior archaeologist and V.N. Srinivasa Desikan, former Assistant Director, ASI, were honoured for their signal contribution to the field of archaeology.

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