Mayo School of Art
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. Readers will be able to edit existing articles and post new articles directly |
Mayo School of Art
Chronicles of an art school
By Moniza Inam
The Official Chronicle of Mayo School of Art is the labour of love of the National College of Arts (NCA) Archives Department. The project was launched in 2000, and funds were drawn from the NCA-Endowment Fund Trust to start the process of preservation and cataloguing of the records. The idea of preserving the records came to the minds of the concerned officials when the old records of the College were salvaged from neglect. There were heaps of files and papers which were stacked in an obscure corner of the building and exposed to the elements. It is a miracle that they survived more than a century of neglect and apathy. There were also rumours that some of the files had been burnt to ashes.
The purpose of this volume is an attempt to put together written visual material on the history of Mayo School of Art, which is otherwise not accessible to students, cultural historians and scholars of the nineteenth century colonial Punjab. The Chronicle has been compiled, edited and reprinted from official reports, correspondences, proceedings and the visual records of the British Indian government in the province which were meant for official use only. The book is a record of written statements on the official working of the institution.
Coming to the purpose of establishing an art school by the colonial government, it becomes clear that the market economy or capitalist motives were at play besides the so-called lofty aims to preserve Oriental art and assimilate it with the European art of that time. As it is stated in the book, “The fluctuating emphasis from industry to art, implied in the various names for the school as — Mayo Memorial School of Industrial Arts, Industrial School of Art and Design, Lahore School of Arts, and Mayo School of Art —- reflected the differences in the conception proposed for a school of art.”
The Anglicist-Orientalist controversy of the nineteenth century had divided colonial bureaucracy and British scholars. They were afraid that the introduction of machine in the mass production of design would destroy aesthetics and material basis and degrade the social conditions of ‘handicraftsmen’ of India.
Mayo School of Art, though called a school, soon acquired the status of a college and its principal was equivalent to the principles of the Government College Lahore, and Central Training College Lahore. Its curriculum was adopted form the School of Design at South Kensington to suit the needs of Indian students. The course was broadly grouped into Elementary and Advanced studies.
In its formative years, the school attracted students from two social and economic groups: the artisans and the salaried classes. The founder principal, Lockwood Kipling, had a strong belief that the training of the artisan students in the ‘principles of their own trade’ would make them more ‘skilled than their fathers’. However, there are many factors that hinders their development, e.g. low economic status of artisan castes, the level of general literacy, a set of mental and linguistic skills, etc. In comparison, the students belonging to salaried class were well educated and enjoyed high position in society but they reflected a prejudice against manual labour.
Coming back to historical chronicle section of the book (1874-94) in which a year-wise report was given it is really mind boggling how the English principals were meticulous in keeping their records (the Paksitani bureaucracy should take a leaf out of their book and learn a lesson or two from their colonial predecessors). They monitored each and every student, their progress, inclination, aptitude and supported and guided them accordingly. The promising students were given stipends and their timing were flexible so that the students from the artisan class can work, too.
By the end of 1888-89, the number of students rose to 100 and many students found lucrative and meaning full employment in different capacities. The school had made remarkable progress and its work had been highly appreciated. It had supplied drawing masters and teachers of carpentry and wood craving to technical schools in various parts of the country.
The second part of the book, named as Visual Chronicle, contains an account of the Calcutta International Exhibition 1883 and had been written by J.L. Kipling as Secretary and officer in charge of the court. Punjab was allotted the larger space than any other space or presidency excepting Calcutta.
The items that were sent to the exhibition were carpets; musical instruments; painting and drawing; books; furniture and upholstery; glass; metal ware; cutlery –Bhera; basket work; lacquered wood; ivory craving; paper-mache and printed wood; Kashmir work; woolen fabrics and shawls to name a few. The Chronicle contains fabulous photographs of these artefacts as well.
The third part of the book is list of Appendices which deals with the need of establishing an art school in Punjab; its objectives; curriculum, entry requirements and other technical aspects.
This is an interesting book, which gives us a rare insight in the working of colonial rulers, their meticulous record keeping, and their foresightedness. The founding fathers would be astonished by the fact that the institution they had established became the premier art institution of the country and trained generations of artists in the country.
