This exhibition brings together a compelling group of artists spanning over a century, offering a unique dialogue between the meticulous craft of 19th-century British engravers and the visionary spirit of 20th-century European Modernism.
The majority of works feature the exceptional skill of reproductive engravers—including Jeavons, Kernot, Starling, Le Petit, Adlard, Heath, and Floyd—who played a crucial role in disseminating art and topography to the wider public. Often working after famous painters like J.M.W. Turner or Thomas Allom, their precise line and stipple work documented the landscapes of Britain and the expanding vistas of the British Empire, from the Mediterranean to China, shaping the visual literacy of their era.
Within this framework of detailed documentation and topographical tradition, the exhibition highlights two powerful counterpoints: Alfred Crowdy Lovett's military illustrations, which visually codified the presence of the British Army in India, and the landscape and figure paintings of Joseph Rolph and William S. Taylor, who represent the transition from traditional academic painting towards more expressive, impressionistic, and Neo-Romantic styles.
Finally, the presence of Walter Langhammer, a Jewish Austrian artist who fled the Nazis to become a pivotal figure in the development of the Progressive Art Movement in Bombay (Mumbai), anchors the exhibition in the modern age. His story and art reflect the profound influence of European exiles on South Asian modernism and offer a vibrant connection to a global contemporary context.
The collection thus invites viewers to consider the power of the image—whether meticulously engraved, topographically rendered, or expressively painted—in documenting history, shaping national identity, and defining the trajectory of modern art across continents.