Reflections on the chords and discords inherent in the relationship between tradition and modernism.
 
Written between the early 1960s and the mid-1970s, the articles and lectures collected in Moving Focus reflect on some of the major concerns of the practicing artist and scholar of modern Indian art: tradition and modernism, the question of the image, and the use of art criticism. The collection also includes essays on the work of Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Binodebehari Mukherjee, Ramkinker Baij, and Amrita Sher-Gil. Together, they deal with the focal changes taking place in the contemporary art situation—a period of great significance in terms of cultural development, just about a decade and a half after India’s hard-won Independence—and seek to put them in perspective. The analytical essays of K. G. Subramanyan, one of India's most celebrated artists, remain as relevant and useful today as they were when this collection first appeared decades ago, and are perfectly suited to introducing the non-specialist to Indian modernism and its global concerns.
 
Subramanyan played a pivotal role in shaping India’s artistic identity after Independence. Mani-da, as he was fondly called, seamlessly blended elements of modernism with folk expression in his works, spanning paintings, murals, sculptures, prints, set designs, and toys. Beyond his visual artistry, his writings have laid a solid foundation for understanding the demands of art on the individual. In the year of his centenary, Seagull is proud to publish his writings in special new editions.
 

K. G. Subramanyan (1924–2016) was one of India’s most respected artists. He worked with diverse media and materials, exhibiting extensively both within and outside the country. He was part of the arts faculty at M. S. University, Baroda, and was professor emeritus at the Kala Bhavan Center at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, India. In 2012, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, for his outstanding contribution to the arts. His other books include Magic of Making: Essays on Art and Culture and Living Tradition: Perspectives on Modern Indian Art, both also published by Seagull Books.

List of Illustrations
Foreword
Preface
Sources
Art and Change
Modern Art in India and the West
Modern Indian Art in the last Three Decades
The Struggle for Image in Contemporary Art
The Indian Artist and the Socio-cultural Context
The Uses of Art Criticism
The 'Phenomenon' of Abanindranath Tagore
The Paintings of Rabindranath
Benodebehari Mukherjee
Ramkinker Baij
Amrita Sher-Gil and the East-West Dilemma
The Image of the Indian Art Traditon
Religion and Art in India
A Dialogue
Index