Introduction
Painting is an expression of the man's deepest instincts and emotions reconciled and integrated with his social experience and social heritage. It is a visual art, which is connected with the power of imagination, ideal and energy and finds expression through colors on a canvas or a wall.
The tradition of Indian painting lays in antiquity. The legends and folklores attribute the art of painting to Narayana. It believed that Narayana taught the art of painting to Visvakarma and spread its knowledge to the world.
There are several treatises known as Shilpashastras, which discuss the techniques of producing a masterful painting. Mostly natural colors, derived from the pigments of minerals, vegetables, animal products and lampblack were employed in the paintings.
The themes varied from secular to religious.
The cave paintings in Mirzapur district, in Uttar Pradesh, Adamgarh quarry at Hoshangabad, and Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, depicting hunting scenes and figures of animals like stag, elephant, and hare are the earliest examples of paintings.The deftness in execution and all pervasive freshness and vitality of these paintings provide insight into the life and times of that period.
The murals at Ajanta and Bagh, which made appearance in the beginning of the Christian era are till date considered as great centers of Buddhist art. Besides these murals, several wall paintings embellished the walls of the royal palaces.
The illustrated Buddhist and Jain manuscripts and miniatures from the Mughal, Rajput, Deccan and Company schools of the medieval period, are noted for their liveliness, finesse and sophistication to the paintings.
The Bengal Renaissance brought the phase of modern art, which was nourished by the likes of Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, and Raja Ravi Verma.
There was interaction, fusion and the harmony in the styles, which developed and defined the tradition of Indian painting.
Paintings reflected the philosophy, culture and thought of India where the painter often referred as 'yogi' rendered immense devotion and reverence to the art.
We at Ethnicpaintings attempt to take you the informative journey of the vibrant world of Indian paintings, its forms, styles, and artists where you will explore, and experience the energy that shaped Indian art.
Paintings are a special buy and many Indian homes patronize Rajasthani painters. Pichwais are the least expensive, unless they are painted by a master artist and finished in gold. Miniature paintings re-enact historical episodes or mythical tales in Schools that have come to be identified with the different kingdoms that merged in Rajasthan. Udaipur and Jaipur miniatures can be recognized by their fine brush strokes, the Bundi and Kotah kalams are known for their scenes of battle and of shikar (hunts) while the Kishangarh School does portraits with Radha-Krishna as the principal characters. Nathdwara, a place of pilgrimage close to Udaipur, furnishes paintings of Krishna in a characteristic style.
Udaipur with its Shilpgram has a wealth of terracotta panels and figures. Barmer is known for the quality of its mirror-embossed embroidery. From Jaisalmer come the warm though coarse shawls and blankets woven with geometrical motifs and patterns.
Indians knew the art of painting since prehistoric times. The earliest paintings in India can be found on the walls of Bhimbetka caves in Madhya Pradesh. Painted geometric designs and symbols have also been found on pottery items belonging to the Indus valley civilization. The high point of painting in the ancient period can be seen in the frescoes from Ajanta, which depicts the life and style of that period realistically.
While the medieval period is remembered for the Persian styled miniature paintings introduced by the Mughals. Not only were Mughal miniatures great masterpieces, they also influenced local miniature schools in Rajasthan, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
The handicraft buyers from India acknowledge the presence of a large international clientele looking for Indian paintings like Miniatures, Thangka and Madhubani. Thus, paintings form a large part of handicraft exports from India.
Painting Crafts
The prehistoric evidence of Indian painting available is in the form of cave paintings in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Highly stylized painted pottery and seals have also been found at the Mohanjo Daro and Harappan sites. The Buddhist frescoes at Ajanta and the elaborate wall painting at the Alchi monastery in Ladakh show the sophisticated evolution of technique and style that was reached from the first century BC to the 11th century A.D. In Egypt, fragments of Indian hand-painted cloth have been unearthed, indicating the outreach of Indian painting traditions to far-off places.
The Mughal era was a major period for the development of Indian painting. Various schools of miniature painting flourished during this period. The painting of designs on objects, called naqash was also introduced in the Indian artwork. During he reign of Akbar the Indian miniature painting flourished through a blending of the Persian and Indian streams. A number of artists come to the Mughal court from various parts of the country and on their return to their respective places, established their own schools of painting in Rajasthan, Himachal and other parts of country. Miniature painting took their inspiration from the magnificent court life of their times.
The court and temple paintings have evolved from a more formal tradition. The work in temple paintings has been based on the mythology and the iconography of the region in question. The court paintings developed as part of glorification of the royalty who sponsored the art in a big way. Both these traditions flourished under liberal patronage of the rich. With such a support to their artistic pursuits the painters perfected their art through a continued process of innovations in achieving precision and scope in depiction. The technological base of the art was also strengthened through innovations in colours, canvas materials and brushes.
Folk and tribal paintings have continued since ancient times as part of the activities of local indigenous cultures, without any patronage and support from outside. These paintings generate their own iconography and a vocabulary of strong local forms. Indirectly, it expressed the tribe's response to its surroundings, its social customs and its culture in simple forms and colours.
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