Indian Sculpture and Painting, Illustrated by Typical Masterpieces, with an Explanation of their Motives and Ideals c12.173

c12.173

We certainly do, as a rule, take a more sincere interest in Indian art than most "educated" Indians, but it is always a purely academic and superficial interest; and it is quite natural, and almost inevitable, that it should be so. Many English and Anglo-Indian drawing-rooms have more or less unpractical Indian furniture, and various useless ornaments which we call Indian curiosities. At times we make spasmodic and ill-considered attempts to encourage Indian art by holding exhibitions for work of the same class. These things simply show how far we are from appreciating the vital points of the question, how little we understand the Indian mind ourselves.