What did J. Swaminathan emphasize in the manifesto of Group 1890?
1) Strict adherence to traditional art forms
2) Being free from any ideology
3) Exclusive use of abstract elements
4) Promotion of religious themes in art

2

Answer: Being free from any ideology
In the manifesto for Group 1890, the artists claimed to be free from any ideology.

Since the time of the Bombay Progressive Artist’s Group, artists began to write their own manifestos or writings, in which they declared the main aims of their art and how it differed from others. In 1963, another group was formed under the leadership of J. Swaminathan, named Group 1890. Swaminathan also wrote a manifesto for the group, in which the artists claimed being free from any ideology. Rather than a set programme, they adopted a fresh look at the material used in painting, and wrote about the importance of rough texture and surface in their works as a new artistic language. It included artists, such as Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Jyoti Bhatt, Ambadas, Jeram Patel, and sculptors like Raghav Kaneria and Himmat Shah. It was a short lived movement but left an impact on the next generation of artists, especially, those associated with the Cholamandalam School near Madras.