Institutionalising Aesthetic Modernity: Between Style Formation, Cultural Unity, and the Imagination of the Nation in Indian Art

Abstract

This paper examines the formation of modern Indian art through the intersecting dynamics of institutional structures, cultural nationalism, and imaginative practice. Rather than treating modernism as a linear stylistic progression, it approaches it as a field shaped by negotiation between colonial epistemologies and indigenous aesthetic traditions. The emergence of the Bengal School is read as a response to Western academic realism, articulating a national visual identity while also revealing the limits of revivalist frameworks. The discussion then turns to Santiniketan, where a shift from stylistic definition to shared concerns, experiential learning, and relational practice becomes evident, aligning with the idea of contextual modernism. The paper further analyses the post-independence institutionalisation of art within the framework of nation-building, highlighting how cultural institutions and educational systems often prioritised representation and standardisation over experimentation. This results in a persistent tension between institutional regulation and imaginative freedom. By bringing these strands together, the study argues that modern Indian art is best understood as an ongoing process of negotiation rather than a fixed category. It concludes by suggesting the need to rethink institutions as enabling structures and to recognise imagination as a socially embedded practice central to the evolving discourse of art.