Colonialism introduced art schools, galleries, magazines and art soci…

Colonialism introduced art schools, galleries, magazines and art societies. How did nationalist artists respond to these changes?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → They accepted these changes and continued to assert more Indian taste in art.

Option (1) They accepted these changes and took up the Japanese wash technique of painting. — Incorrect. Two Japanese artists who came with Kakuzo Okakura taught the wash technique at Shantiniketan as an alternative to western oil painting. This is not the response given for nationalist artists.
Option (2) They rejected these changes and called for a return to native art. — Incorrect. Nationalist artists accepted the new institutions. It was E. B. Havell, an Englishman, who was in favour of return to native art.
Option (3) They accepted these changes and continued to assert more Indian taste in art. — Correct. Nationalist artists accepted the new institutions but kept asserting more Indian taste in art.
Option (4) They rejected these changes and wrote about Swadeshi in art instead. — Incorrect. Nationalist artists accepted the new institutions. Ananda Coomaraswamy, an art historian, wrote about Swadeshi in art.

Note: This topic was not named in the CUET 2026 syllabus, but it was part of the NCERT chapter. In 2025 and 2026, NTA also asked questions on topics in NCERT that the CUET syllabus did not name. So our mocks have questions from every part of the NCERT chapter, to give you enough practice. Read the whole chapter, not only the sub-topics named in the syllabus.

NCERT (2026-27): “Different Concepts of Modernism: Western and Indian …On the other hand, it was E. B. Havell, an Englishman, who was in favour of return to native art to create a true modern Indian art. … Modern art in India can be best understood as a result of the conflict between colonialism and nationalism. Colonialism introduced new institutions of art like art schools, exhibition galleries, art magazines and art societies. Nationalist artists, while accepting these changes, continued to assert more Indian taste in art and even accepted a larger Asian identity for a while.…”

“Pan-Asianism and Modernism …Ananda Coomaraswamy, an important art historian, wrote about Swadeshi in art and joined hands with a Japanese nationalist, Kakuzo Okakura, who was visiting Rabindranath Tagore in Calcutta. … Two Japanese artists accompanied him to Calcutta, who went to Shantiniketan to teach wash technique of painting to Indian students as an alternative to western oil painting.”

Colonialism introduced art schools, galleries, magazines and art societies. How did nationalist artists respond to these changes?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → They accepted these changes and continued to assert more Indian taste in art.

Option (1) They accepted these changes and took up the Japanese wash technique of painting. — Incorrect. Two Japanese artists who came with Kakuzo Okakura taught the wash technique at Shantiniketan as an alternative to western oil painting. This is not the response given for nationalist artists.
Option (2) They rejected these changes and called for a return to native art. — Incorrect. Nationalist artists accepted the new institutions. It was E. B. Havell, an Englishman, who was in favour of return to native art.
Option (3) They accepted these changes and continued to assert more Indian taste in art. — Correct. Nationalist artists accepted the new institutions but kept asserting more Indian taste in art.
Option (4) They rejected these changes and wrote about Swadeshi in art instead. — Incorrect. Nationalist artists accepted the new institutions. Ananda Coomaraswamy, an art historian, wrote about Swadeshi in art.