Subramaniyan with his consorts Valli and Devasena (detail), Ravi Varma Press, c. 1900–1915, Color lithograph, varnish. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Friends of Asian Art, 2021

Annual Distinguished Lecture on the Arts of South and Southeast Asia: Gods at the Gate of Modernity—Religious Arts in Colonial Calcutta
Friday, March 20, 2026, 6-7pm
Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

In Calcutta, the cosmopolitan colonial capital of 19th-century India, artists and artisans adapted new technologies of mechanical reproduction to render the Hindu gods more accessible and affordable. During this time, they pioneered the chromolithographic religious print, a form of popular devotional imagery that became ubiquitous in twentieth-century India. This lecture explores how this new genre emerged and proliferated into the pervasive visual language of modern India.

This lecture is made possible by the generous support of Jeff Soref and Paul Lombardi. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Household Gods: Hindu Devotional Prints, 1860–1930.

Free with Museum admission, though advance registration is required. Please note: Space is limited; first come, first served. Registration does not guarantee admission once the lecture hall reaches capacity.

To learn more and register, click here.