BN GOSWAMY THE LAST INTERVIEW

A pioneer who brought out the poetry in art, BN. Goswamy passed away last week. In this interview to Lounge, a few weeks after the publication of his last book and some weeks before his death, he reflected on his lifetime's work of putting names to Indian artists, and the role of the art historian

- Avantika Bhuyan

"May I call you by your first name?” asked B.N. Goswamy in his gentle voice during a phone conversation in late October this year. When I replied in the affirmative, he chuckled, “Given your name, you hail from Kalidasa’s period, don’t you?”

The conversation—like all his lectures and books—was revelatory not just about aspects of art history but also about the workings of his mind. Brijinder Nath Goswamy—born in Sargodha, now in Pakistan, in 1933, and based in Chandigarh till his death on 17 November at the age of 90—believed that his practice was shaped by happenstance and extraordinary moments that took place in the everyday, rather than a rigorous plan. His mind soaked up moments, conversations, poetry and visuals which had settled in his subconscious for years—often brewing quietly without him even realising it. Eventually, a trigger would bring those moments to the forefront, taking the form of a book, a catalogue or an exhibition.

Goswamy was best known for shining the spotlight on the figure of the painter, presenting him as a creative intellectual. Until the publication of his book Nainsukh Of Guler in 1997, miniature paintings had been viewed purely from the lens of the patron, often sifted into broad heads such as Pahari, Rajput or Kangra, essentially markers of geographies that the patrons belonged to. The painter remained in the shadows, a hazy, anonymous figure.