The British who ruled parts of India from 1757 to 1947, brought new styles of art and architecture. Their influence was far-reaching. For example, when Governor General Lord Wellesley decided in 1798 to build a grand home in Calcutta, he chose a design based on Kedleston Hall, a mansion in Derbyshire, England. Other British officials in India also copied great houses in Britain. Some Indian princes and merchants followed their lead and built palaces and mansions in European styles.

Until the middle of the 1800's, most British government buildings in India were built in the classical style. Some historians argue that the British chose a style similar to that of ancient Rome to make the point that their empire was like the Rome empire and stood in the late 1800s and early 1900s, a style known as "Indo-Saracenic" came into use. The basic design was Western, but architects added Indian features such as domes, kiosks, and fine carved stonework. The two good examples are the Gateway of India in Bombay, designed by George Wittet in 1927, and the Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur (now known as the Central Museum) built by Samuel Swinton Jacob, from 1876 to 1887.

The British hired artists to paint pictures of their homes in India. They also collected sets of paintings of Indian rulers, plants, animals, and birds. Outstanding works of this type were produced in the 1770's and 1780's by Shaykh Zayn al-din for Lady Mary Impey, wife of the Supreme Court judge in Calcutta.

The British also established art schools in India. Traditionally, Indian artists had passed skills and techniques from father to son. Young artists had received their training in workshops. The new British-style art schools attracted many upper class students who were interested in Western techniques and styles.

Indian art students started copying Greek and Roman models. But by about the end of the nineteenth century, the movement for national awareness was also begining to take shape. And some of the most important liberal elements in India did a lot of heartsearching.

E.B. Havell and Abanindranath Tagore tried to recapture the great spiritual past of India by researching in the ancient Indian art traditions; specially the art found at Ajanta. Gagendranath Tagore and Nand Lal Bose are some of the other artists of this revivalism.

This was a period when Indians were fighting for political independance. At the same time Indian artists were also coming out of traditional mindsets. A new school of art called the Progressive Artists Group was set up in Bombay just after independence. The prominent artists of this group are Francis Newton Souza and Maqbool Fida Husain.

Indian painting has evolved much since then. Today Indian artists are using materials and techniques from all over the world to express Indian realities and experiences.