India, April 4 -- The record-setting price paid for Raja Ravi Varma's Yashoda and Krishna brings into focus the evolution of Indian art during colonial times, Varma's oeuvre belongs to this period. This is marked by the colonists' introduction of Western thought and techniques, their adaptation to the Indian canvass and the gradual emergence of tensions. Against this backdrop, we recommend acclaimed art historian Partha Mitter's Art and Nationalism in Colonial India 1850-1922: Occidental Orientations. The book traces the Raj's injections of Western principles through art schools, and the initial, passive absorption of the latter until various contradictions surface between Indian art as practised before the colonists embarked on their culture-moulding project. It also examines the rise of the "gentleman artist" as opposed to the traditional artisan/painting communities. The final piece delves into the rise of "swadeshi art" and how resistance tocolonial thought became embedded in modern Indian art....