Amidst laughter and festivities, bright lights and vivid hues, a child sits next to their mother and takes in the mesmerising process of creating a Rangoli floor painting. The mother, an expert, deftly creates patterns of coloured powder by manipulating it between her forefinger and thumb. Seldom do men gather around a rangoli; the process is traditionally reserved for the wives and daughters of the Hindu household.
As a child, many of us heard the story of the thirsty crow. As we grew older, we came across many stories from Aesopās fables or the Panchatantra. Not only are such stories entertaining, but they often include a moral at the end. Children are fascinated by animal characters behaving in human ways, so these tales make them more receptive to picking up good values.
Why doesnāt Indian traditional art use the realistic oil-painting approach, commonly used in international paintings and what are the influences of our great art forms? Since the beginning of time, words have not been enough in communicating ideas, imparting wisdom or depicting tales. As a race, weāve resorted to a stronger, visual representation of thoughts and data, to try and understand the bizarre world around us, from itās overwhelming information, to the simplicity of forms, to the nuances of day to day life in this existence, be it of the royalty or the common people, or the animals or the supernatural.
India won independence in 1947. In the following year, it also held its first ever comprehensive art exhibition. Free Indiaās first Indian art exhibition took place in the halls of Government House in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
Emperor Jahangir, the fourth ruler of the Mughal Empire, left an indelible mark not only on the political and cultural landscape of his time but also on the realm of art. Jahangir’s deep fascination for the natural world, coupled with his scientific curiosity, led to an unmistakable naturalistic influence on Mughal Miniature painting.
The diverse schools of Miniature painting all have certain characteristics that define their distinctive styles.
Some love stories transcend the boundaries of time. They are immortalised through the memory of other people and become legends. While stories like Sohni-Mahiwal and Heer-Ranjha originated as folk tales, others, like the tale of Nala-Damayanti, find a basis in mythology.
The picturesque blue city of Jodhpur emerged as one of the most prominent centres of Rajasthani Miniature painting. A new style of court painting developed here. This school was active during the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, and its style was heavily inspired by Mughal Miniature painting.
It is a well-known fact that Indian art owes its evolution to the Gupta period. A broad outlook reveals that Indian art in Central Asia had a more Graeco-Buddhist background. This is due to the multi-cultural influence of the silk trade route.
India is home to so many different forms and styles of art that thereās so much we havenāt explored yet. Today, letās take a look at one of the oldest forms of art to ever exist: mural paintings. Mural paintings are directly connected to ancient cave paintings, and we are able to trace the evolution of Indian art over the ages by studying them.
