Author: Chanchani, Nachiket

Source: Art In Translation, Volume 2, Number 2, July 2010 , pp. 239-252(14)

Publisher: Berg Publishers

Abstract:

Chanchani challenges the assumption that Gandhi and other residents of the province of Gujarat in western India had little to contribute to the writing of art history in colonial India. It is argued that Gandhi's translation of John Ruskin's Unto This Last into Gujarati was a tool to negotiate colonial power relations and design a culture he desired. The second part of this article focuses on Sarabhai Manilal Nawab, Gandhi's younger contemporary. Nawab, through translations, transformed implements of Jain ritual into works of art, corroborated and confronted the canons that were being formulated by British and Bengali scholars, and succeeded in maintaining the close connections between wealth and renunciation that were valued by Gandhi and the Jains.

Keywords: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi; Gujarati; India; art history in India; Sarabhai Manilal Nawab; Jain art; Indian miniature painting; translation; John Ruskin; British colonialism

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/175613110X12706508989578

Publication date: 2010-07-01

More about this publication?

• Art in Translation has been awarded a Highly Commended Certificate in the 2009 ALPSP Award for Best New Journal.

  Global in scope and extensively illustrated, this unique and innovative new e-journal demonstrates the vitality of art historical and visual culture scholarship undertaken outside English-speaking territories and cultures. Offering high quality English language translations of seminal works presently available only in their source language, Art in Translation offers a fresh perspective on global art practices, history and theory. It covers all areas of the visual arts including painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, design, and electronic media.

  Supported by generous funding from The Getty Foundation.

• Subscribe to this Title
• ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Arts (General)
• By this author: Chanchani, Nachiket

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers