The correct option is B. N. Goswamy.
Explanation
The historiography of Pahari painting involves a significant debate regarding the origins of the transition from the bold Basohli style to the refined, naturalistic Guler-Kangra style in the mid-18th century. A long-standing hypothesis attributed this sudden change to the migration of artists from the Mughal court to the Hill states following political instability in Delhi (specifically Nadir Shah's invasion in 1739).Scholarly Perspectives:
- W. G. Archer: He was a leading proponent of the "migration hypothesis." He argued that the sudden appearance of the refined Guler style was due to the influx of Mughal-trained artists fleeing Delhi around 1739.
- B. N. Goswamy: He explicitly disputed the hypothesis that the change was caused primarily by the migration of artists from the Mughal atelier. In his seminal work, "Pahari Painting: The Family as the Basis of Style," Goswamy used pilgrimage records and genealogies to demonstrate that the stylistic evolution was driven by specific artist families (such as the family of Pandit Seu and his sons Nainsukh and Manaku) rather than distinct court schools. He argued that the shift towards naturalism began internally within these families before the alleged mass migration.
- M. S. Randhawa: A prominent scholar who documented Kangra painting extensively, he generally supported the view that the Guler-Kangra style emerged from a synthesis of the local folk tradition and the Mughal technique introduced by migrating artists.
- Ananda Coomaraswamy: He was the pioneer who first distinguished Rajput painting (which includes Pahari) from Mughal painting in 1916, categorizing them as distinct traditions. However, the specific debate regarding the 1739 migration and the "family basis of style" belongs to the later scholarship of Archer and Goswamy.
Key Takeaway:
B. N. Goswamy challenged the court-centric classification of Indian miniatures and the Mughal migration theory, establishing that artist lineages (families) were the primary carriers and developers of style in Pahari painting.