Visual possession: landscape painting in British Ceylon

Abstract

Cultural theorists consider landscape as a signifying system of great political and social importance. Hence, landscape offers enormous promise as an object of study, in relation to both structural political practices and individual intentions. The genre of landscape painting was introduced to Ceylon through European Colonialism, not only as an artistic endeavor but also as a tool of governance, as in the case of surveying and mapping. Hence, landscapes were closely associated with colonial power discourse. Through a visual analysis of 19th century landscape painting of Ceylon produced by visiting painters, engineers and military officers associated with the British imperialist regime, this paper attempts to investigate the ‘look’ that framed the painter’s power relationship to the land at a particular moment of history. It also reveals how compositional devices were invested in making colonialist claims and how social hierarchies between locals and rulers were built.