Another mode of painting influenced Calcutta to a great extent in the second half of the 18th century. The artistes of this mode of painting came from Murshidabad and Patna. They were the followers of the Moghul school of paintings which was on the wane. When the Moghul dynasty was shattered into shambles by the middle of the 18th century, these artistes took refuge in the royal courts of Ayodhya and Murshidabad. After the decline of Murshidabad, Calcutta flourished as a city in all spheres. Then these artistes came to Calcutta. Many of these painters learnt the art of European Painting from the artistes of the company.
Hence, the paintings of these artistes revealed an elegant fusion of Moghul and European art forms. This came to be known as the Company Art and its artistes made several paintings of contemporary life and society. However, these paintings lacked imagination and subtlety in many respects.