Besides the Government Art School in Calcutta, colonial art schools were also established in Lahore, Bombay and Madras. What was the primary focus of these schools?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Crafts like metalwork, furniture and curios
Option (1) Wash technique of painting taught by Japanese artists — Incorrect. Two Japanese artists taught the wash technique at Shantiniketan, as an alternative to western oil painting.
Option (2) Crafts like metalwork, furniture and curios — Correct. The schools in Lahore, Bombay and Madras focused on crafts. The one in Calcutta leaned more towards fine arts.
Option (3) Folk art forms seen around Shantiniketan — Incorrect. Nandalal Bose paid attention to these folk forms at Kala Bhavana, Shantiniketan.
Option (4) Woodcuts for illustrating primers in Bengali — Incorrect. Nandalal Bose illustrated primers in Bengali with woodcuts. This was not the focus of these schools.
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): “Abanindranath Tagore and E. B. Havell The year 1896 was important in the Indian history of visual arts. E. B. Havell and Abanindranath Tagore saw a need to Indianise art education in the country. This began in the Government Art School, Calcutta, now, Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata. Similar art schools were established in Lahore, Bombay and Madras but their primary focus was on crafts like metalwork, furniture and curios. However, the one in Calcutta was more inclined towards fine arts.” |