Gazing upon the delicate contours of the 1786 aquatint “A View of the Fort of Agra on the River Jumna,” one is immediately transported to a serene, almost mystical rendition of India’s storied landscape. William Hodges, with a precise yet dreamlike touch, captures the Taj Mahal as if emerging from a mist, an ephemeral silhouette against the opulent backdrop of the Agra Fort. In this work, he foregrounds the vivacity of daily life, with figures maneuvering boats along the Yamuna River, their activities etched vividly against a tableau of encroaching wilderness.
To the eyes of late 18th-century Britons, such imagery offered a first visual encounter with a land whose tales had been spun in words alone; a mythical realm brought to life through Hodges’ pioneering artistry. Despite the East India Company’s two-century-long presence on India’s shores, it was only with the arrival of artists like Hodges that Europe began to shed its “visual ignorance” of the Subcontinent.
Currently on display at DAG, Delhi, a landmark exhibition presents the entirety of Hodges’ remarkable set of 48 aquatints from “Select Views in India.” Under the curatorial eye of Giles Tillotson, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions, at DAG, this show—accompanied by a scholarly tome—painstakingly traces Hodges’ journey across the Indian heartland, capturing its essence in hues of earth and sky. Venturing through regions such as Bengal, Bihar, and the United Provinces, Hodges chronicled an India that was, in many ways, unseen by Western audiences.
An artist of considerable world experience, Hodges had journeyed with the famed explorer James Cook on his monumental Pacific voyage. The expedition instilled in him a nuanced understanding of atmospheric effects and foreign societies, enriching his subsequent artistic foray into the Indian realm. Upon arriving in Calcutta in 1780, during the tumult of the First Anglo-Maratha War, Hodges found protection under the aegis of the then Governor-General, Warren Hastings. Granting him safe passage amidst the political unrest, Hastings enabled Hodges’ ventures across the Indian landscape, from the broad currents of the Hooghly and Ganges Rivers, to the historic grandeur of Agra and poignant solitude of Gwalior.
Hodges’ vision of India was steeped in the aesthetic philosophy of the Picturesque—an approach that celebrated decay over symmetry, suggesting a civilization in the twilight of its past glory. Yet, rather than adorn his canvases with the trappings of imperial power, Hodges’ brush sought out the fading magnificence of Mughal-era towns and cities. In his artistic realm, British India’s symbols—the uniforms and flags—played second fiddle to his true muse: India’s own vibrant history and environment.
Within the gallery space, one encounters scenes of tranquil villages, dilapidated ruins, and placid riverscapes, all rendered in a sepia-tinged palette that evokes a sense of nostalgia, a fading memory of an India once resplendent. Hodges’ technique—aquatint supplemented with hand-applied watercolors—eschews vibrancy for a restrained chromatic harmony emblematic of Picturesque art. Yet, as Tillotson iterates, such a choice represents Hodges’ era, preceding the rich colorism that would later typify European artistic impressions of India.
One finds in Hodges’ “A View of Chinsura” a snapshot of colonial history, capturing edifices now lost to time, such as the Government House and Old Dutch Church. Similarly, his depiction of the Jungle Terry immortalizes the timeless beauty of Himalayan foothills’ forests. And, in bringing the Great Pagoda at Tanjore to the canvas, Hodges invites the viewer into the cultural heartbeat of Southern India.
Through these works, Hodges stands not merely as an artist but as a chronicler of India’s storied past—an India that contemporary viewers have the rare privilege of witnessing, even as it recedes into the annals of history.
The exclusive exhibition of William Hodges’ captivating works continues at DAG, located at 22 A, Janpath Road, Windsor Place, New Delhi. Visitors may immerse themselves in this rare display from 11 am to 7 pm, through January 25.
