Lucknow in Paris

Maybe it is not just a coincidence that the city Lucknow in India has been known for centuries as the Golden City of the East and the Constantinople of India, located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the first bank of ADN Asia is found. Not in vain do the above mentioned credits refer to the splendid multicultural past of this city, whose legacy is still remembered as something legendary and whose power of inspiration continues though there was a rapid decline of the so extraordinary and fabulous city after the Rebellion of 1857 and the establishment of the imperial power of the British over this Asian country.

Its aura, halo and charisma live on despite the controversies in regards to the national identity, moving constantly in a territory of ambiguity and contradictions. Therefore it is difficult to define the place that occupies the myth of Lucknow in culture. Its position varies in the collective unconscious – also in historical records that are so special in the culture of this Asian country. It keeps moving between places where we find sources of great national pride and those where it is impossible to speak of the golden eras that disappeared to never return again.

We can inform ourselves through the splendid exposition at the Guimet Museum for Asian Art with the title Une cour royale en Inde: Lucknow (XVIIIe – XIX ème siècle). Through more than 200 pieces of art that include paintings, water color paintings, sketches, jewelry, decorative art and fotos (not just an art in itself but an excellent medium for propaganda with the purpose to create a political vision of Lucknow) that blossomed in this city in the north of India in the 18^th and 19^th century. A fascinating society characterized by its multicultural nature where a creative activity with a high level of sophistication and elegance developed, whose roots were mainly a mix of previous contributions by individuals from different villages that shared the same space.

This is the first time that an international exposition takes up this topic – it was originally put together and presented in the city of Los Angeles by the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) of this fascinating half Indian half European culture of Lucknow that even took a little bit off the glamour of Dehli. This is how this city turned out to be a magnet for artists, poets, writers, diplomats and travellers, that were seduced by the stories that were told about Lucknow.

 

Paul Oilzum

A trip to the Guimet Museum is not to be missed out on if you rent apartments in Paris

Translated by: Maria