Mural Art in Architectural Engineering

In the course of his long service at the University of Roorkee the author was ruefully surprised it note a near absence of any serious study of art (i.e. drawing and painting) in the Deptt. of Architecture and Planning. This and the inspiring encouragement given by Late Prof. G.M. Mandalia, the then head of the Deptt. of Architecture of planning, the author took up the subject of mural paintings in post-independence India. Four metropolitan cities viz. Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Chandigarh were chosen for study the author did extensive touring and field work and visited famous art centres such as Sir J.J. College of Arts, Bombay, Kala Bhavan (Vishva Bharti), Shanti Niketan, Arts and Crafts College, Indian Museum, Calcutta, (WB) Faculty of Fine Arts (M.S. University, Baroda). He came in contact several renowned authorities in this field. They magnanimously supplied him very rich material on the topic under study. The present book is the result of seven long years’ dedicated work in this field. Carrying a learned foreword by Padam Sree Mr. Satish Gujral, an eminent Artist and Architect, who is equipped with rare expertise in the field of Mural Art and on account of year of his scholarly association with this branch of area studies. The author sincerely believes that art and architecture on complementary and supplementary to each other. An architect with-out a proper understanding of the fine points of art specially such branches of art as ‘Mural Painting’ is bound to feel handicapped. Hence the importance of this book of students and scholars in both disciplines i.e. art and architecture. The author humbly but sincerely believes that the present work will go a long way towards enriching the know-how of those engaged in the study of architecture and art