‘Wrong approach to art scholarship’ | In conversation with art historian, curator and editor Saryu V. Doshi

Saryu V. Doshi has been a force in the art world since the 60s. At the time, as a newly independent country, India was finding ways to express its civilisational inheritance in a universal language. Doshi, in 1956, accompanied her husband to the University of Michigan and ended up pursuing art history. Once back in Mumbai’s intellectual scene, she never looked back.

This Padma Shri and octogenarian is known as a premier scholar of Jain art and architecture, but it is quite difficult to draw a perimeter on the spheres of her influence. She has worked in an honorary capacity as editor of Marg magazine, and also as the founder director of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, in addition to serving as pro tem chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi. In the 70s, she was a visiting faculty at the University of Michigan and University of California, Berkeley. She is an honorary fellow at the Bombay Asiatic Society and is the editor of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya’s (CSMVS) research journal. Her peers speak of her warmth, enthusiasm, and always, of her meticulousness. This week, Doshi was in Chennai to deliver a lecture series on Jain art and spirituality, organised by Prakriti Foundation and INTACH (Chennai Chapter). Edited excerpts from an interview:

You are currently writing, travelling, speaking, planning, curating, mentoring, advocating and advising a range of institutions and individuals. How has this love been sustained?

I have been on a film script writing committee, was on the tourism board, even on a committee that allotted telephone connections. I wondered, why me, and concluded that these institutions needed a representative from the field of art. I am interested in everything. I attend talks, lectures, exhibitions, art shows, theatrical and music events, and dance performances in particular. I enjoy meeting people from different disciplines. My home was a meeting place for artists, actors, directors. My in-laws supported Marathi theatre and classical music. It was an exciting time in the field of art and a new energy enlivened artistic endeavours. Perhaps because of all the engagement with art in my family, I even did costumes for a Marathi adaptation of the play Tughlaq.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, director of Mumbai’s CSMVS, says you have a ‘nazariya’, a way of seeing.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

That is most kind of him. Maybe because of my intense curiosity as to what the artwork is conveying apart from what is visible. I am also particular about methodology and a disciplined approach. Thinking about it, the difference between an art historian and an artist is that while the former tends to be interpretative the latter is intuitive.

India has multiple artistic strands. How did you choose to explore Jain paintings and become a specialist in this area?

It was a curious chance and a coincidence. Jain paintings were not really studied, primarily because their subject matter tended to be repetitive. Art historian Moti Chandra advised me to explore artworks stored for centuries in the Jain temple bhandars. And truly, I did come across some unique works of art.

In a Digambara Jain temple near Nagpur, around 50 years ago, I came across a beautiful painted scroll. My study led to the discovery of an interesting confluence of Rajasthani-Mughal-Deccani elements and I was able to ascribe the source to Aurangabad. There had never been any association with the Deccan before. My research revealed that the Mughal armies that came to the Deccan had Rajasthani military generals, and since their stay lasted years, they formed little settlements near the military camps. Sometimes they brought artists as well, which led to a confluence of regional Deccani stylistic elements with those from Rajasthan, as also the adoption of Mughal motifs.

You have a six-decade-long association with CSMVS. It has left an imprint on its research and publications.

CSMVS has an extensive library, and in the early days, it was one of the places we could meet and great scholars. I visit the library regularly to write and edit. I enjoy sharing what I know.

While there is a rise in the number of new museums, biennales and art fairs, is there worry of dwindling attendance?

Visitors flock an exhibition as part of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, in April 2023.
| Photo Credit:
Thulasi Kakkat

I don’t agree that there is dwindling attendance. A lot of young people have started coming in, showing that the demographic shift is in favour of these places. There is also a surge of interest in art history. This indicates an interest in the field now, which was not there earlier.

The new museums, both government and private, have magnified the demand for passionate and well-trained staff. But I think there is no systematic approach to prepare them for this field in India as yet.

What are some of the misgivings about art scholarship in India?

In my opinion, we tend to document more than we analyse. We need to ask ‘what is the evidence indicating’. Although many have begun to employ it, students are yet to master it.

What is exciting to you today?

Just all the things that are going on — the art fairs, biennales, the new Bihar Museum that has opened, and so many more. You see, we looked at historical trajectories in curating art. Now, they are taking a civilisational approach to themes and also debating whether an object should remain in situ or in a museum with all the attendant infrastructure. Both are valid approaches.

Then there are the changes introduced to museums — the architecture of the building with innovative displays that reflect a more imaginative approach than merely tracing trajectories of style or effects of historical developments.

The writer is Director-Culture at DakshinaChitra Museum.