It was a British colonial officer, William G. Archer, who ‘discovered’ Mithila or Madhubani art and brought it to the attention of the outside world. Following a massive earthquake in Bihar, India, Archer, then the district magistrate, saw the traditional murals on exposed, broken interior mud walls. In focus: Mahasundari Devi at work, 2006.

Conrad Pinto’s practice places him within a long history of Indian artists that have documented Goa. AA Raiba, for example, includes Goan beaches, villas, and coastal scenes, often rendered in his signature ochres, reds, and deep yellows, shown as a quiet, almost nostalgic landscape. Pinto, in contrast, documents traditional Goan occupations and skills that now stand on the brink of disappearance due to rapid urbanisation. In focus: AA Raiba, Baga Beach (1994), Oil on jute, 9 x 14 inches. Courtesy DAG.

Some of the earliest visual representations of animals from the Indian subcontinent comes from the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters. From bison and deer to boars and tigers, they appear with striking movement and detail, often dominating human figures. These images reflect not just survival and hunting, but a deeper observation, suggesting animals were vital to early human understanding of nature, memory, and possibly even belief systems.