Who wrote two books named 'Indian Painting in the Punjab Hills' and 'Kangra Paintings'?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:
William George Archer (W. G. Archer) was the highly influential British art historian and scholar whose life's work centered on Indian art, specifically the miniature paintings from the Pahari or Punjab Hills region. He is the author of both these seminal texts. *Indian Painting in the Punjab Hills* (published in its monumental two-volume survey form in 1973) is considered his magisterial and comprehensive history of the Pahari miniature schools. Similarly, his book *Kangra Painting* (part of the Faber Gallery of Oriental Art) is a widely recognized monograph dedicated specifically to one of the most refined styles of the Pahari region. Archer's meticulous research and his system of distinguishing different court styles like Basohli, Guler, and Kangra cemented his reputation as the foremost Western authority on this subject.

The incorrect option is 1:
O. C. Ganguly (O. C. Gangoly) was a prominent Indian art historian active in the early 20th century, known for his work on Rajput and Mughal painting, including his significant book *Ragas and Raginis*. While he made valuable contributions to the study of Indian art, his body of work does not include the definitive and specific titles mentioned in the question. His focus was more on the aesthetic and musical interpretations of the paintings, rather than the extensive historical and geographical surveys of the Punjab Hills region for which W. G. Archer is celebrated.

The incorrect option is 2:
B. N. Goswami is a highly respected contemporary Indian art historian who came after Archer and focused his research primarily on identifying the specific artists of the Pahari schools, such as the master painter Nainsukh of Guler. His work often relies on local records and archival material to establish the genealogy of artistic families. This critical and biographical approach, distinguishing his specific scholarly contribution, means he did not author the major survey and history of the entire region or the specific Kangra monograph mentioned.

The incorrect option is 3:
Anand Coomaraswamy was the towering pioneer of modern Indian art history, responsible for the vital initial distinction between Rajput and Mughal painting schools in the early 20th century, notably in his 1916 work *Rajput Painting*. While he laid the essential groundwork and defined the genre, his classification of the Pahari schools was an early, broad framework. He did not produce the later, detailed, state-by-state analysis and survey that forms the core of W. G. Archer's key publications.