175 years of history: The enduring legacy of Chennai’s Government College of Fine Arts
The Government College of Fine Arts in Chennai is celebrating its 175th anniversary, reflecting on its history from an industrial craft school to a premier fine arts institution. The article traces the influence of key figures like Devi Prasad Roy Choudhury in shaping the college's curriculum.
Why it matters
It documents the cultural and educational heritage of one of India's oldest art institutions.
As I step into the Government College of Fine Arts , Egmore, on a bright morning this October, it is not the college’s familiar red facade that catches my eye, but the sculptures scattered across its sprawling campus. Many of these that take the intriguing form of human bodies, have stood here for decades, perhaps as long as the institution itself, and its generations of students.
Today, they have become reminders of the young artists who once walked these corridors, worked in the studios, and eventually left their mark on the world’s infinitely large art landscape.
A crafts workshop at Madras School of Arts 1902 | Photo Credit: GOVERNMENT COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
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