India, April 26 -- Sandeep Dahisarkar's monograph on M. V. Dhurandhar (1867 - 1944) stands out as a thoroughly researched and methodologically rich contribution to the historiography of Indian art, especially in relation to the Bombay School. What is particularly striking is that the book does not remain confined to a conventional artist biography. Instead, it reconstructs an entire artistic environment, bringing together pedagogy, print culture, patronage networks, and familial continuities into a coherent narrative.

One of the most compelling aspects of the work is the depth of primary research. Even a glance at the prefatory sections, acknowledgements, and table of contents reveals the extent of Dahisarkar's sustained archival engagem...