Art and Gender in the Contact Zone – European Women and Indian Miniature Painting

Abstract

he term ‘contact zone’ was introduced by Mary Louise Pratt in her important book Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation in order to define the point where two cultures meet, the space in which geographically and historically distinct populations interact with each other and establish relationships. It further claims to evoke the space and time in which previously separate entities now coexist, and where their trajectories intersect. Pratt relates her thoughts to texts from the period of colonisation. In my opinion, the concept of the contact zone also offers great opportunities in the field of art history as well as gender relations and perception. As Pratt stated, the contact zone angle highlights how people subjected to it are shaped by their mutual relations; it also examines the relationship between the two civilisations not in terms of distinctiveness or separation but instead looks at co-presence and interaction, resulting in understanding and action. Following this path, one may wonder how the artist shaped his creations while in contact with a completely alien tradition, how he understands,