Why did Indian artists begin using figures and stories in their paintings after Indian Rebellion?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → They were influenced by Ajanta paintings.
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. For this question, Option (3) could also be a possible answer, as explained below.
The question joins two different periods. After the Indian Revolt of 1857, nationalism grew, and in art it became cultural nationalism. The turn to figures and stories that are easy to recognise came much later, from the 1970s.
Option (1) Due to increasing demand for figurative work. — Incorrect. The change came from the artists’ own concerns. Buyers’ demand is not given as a reason in either period.
Option (2) Influence of European Realist Art. — Incorrect. The nationalist artists turned away from European taste. They looked to Indian traditions instead.
Option (3) To express their concern about social problems. — Should also be correct, though not the answer given by NTA. From the 1970s, artists began to use figures and stories that are easy to recognise. This was perhaps a way to express their concern towards social problems, after the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 and the birth of Bangladesh. Read with the words “figures and stories”, this is the reason.
Option (4) They were influenced by Ajanta paintings. — Correct. Read with the words “after Indian Rebellion”, the question points to the nationalism that followed 1857. Students of Abanindranath Tagore, such as Nandalal Bose and Asit Kumar Haldar, drew inspiration from the Ajanta frescoes and from miniature paintings.
NCERT (2026-27): “Tracing the Modern Indian Art …Nationalism was not only a political movement that arose following the Indian Revolt of 1857 but it gave rise to cultural nationalism.…” “Tracing the Modern Indian Art …Artists like Nandalal Bose and Asit Kumar Haldar, students of Abanindranath Tagore, were inclined to draw inspiration from past traditions like the Ajanta frescoes, and Mughal, Rajasthani and Pahari miniature paintings, among others.…” “The New Figurative Art and Modern Art from 1980s Since the 1970s, many artists began to move towards the use of figures and stories that are easy to recognise. Perhaps, this was a way to express their concern towards social problems, following the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971 and the birth of Bangladesh.…” |