Rooftop – Where India Inspires Creativity

Indian Artists: Promoting Art For Social Change

Art is the most preferred way to express emotions, narrate tales, or exhibit history in a creative format. Speaking of which, Indian art has often been a metaphor or symbol to highlight relevant issues over time. As we know, Indian art in various forms, like sculptures, wall paintings, architecture and engraved scriptures, has captured historic tales, beliefs and traditions.

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What makes Indian traditional art Indian?

Why doesn’t 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, we’ve resorted to a stronger, visual representation of thoughts and data, to try and understand the bizarre world around us, from it’s 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.

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Art and Freedom: The First Indian Art Exhibition

India won independence in 1947. In the following year, it also held its first ever comprehensive art exhibition. Free India’s first Indian art exhibition took place in the halls of Government House in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

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The Growth Of Indian Art

The Indian word for culture is ‘Sanskriti’. For ages, Indians have described their culture as ‘Human Culture’. It has a universal appeal. People belonging to diverse communities and languages, having different diets, and performing different customs harmoniously coexist in India.

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Themes of Tragic Romance: The Miniature Paintings of Sohni and Mahiwal

Indian art and literature have always been interdependent. From the ancient treatise Chitrasutra dictates the themes of painting to the work of poets Keshavadas and Govindadas inspiring the miniature paintings of the Barahmasa theme. Indian folk tales and poems often served as inspiration for miniature artists, and the emotional and poetic beauty of prose and poetry came alive in portraits and paintings. Tragic love stories of forbidden love were painted through the deeds of Heer and Ranja, Sassi and Punnu, Laila and Majnu, Mirza and Sahiban, and Sohni and Mahiwal.

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The History and Evolution of Miniature Paintings of the Jaipur School

Rajasthani Miniature painting evolved in many different regions and gave rise to many different styles and schools of painting. But do you know how to differentiate between the paintings of different schools merely by observing them? While there are some similarities in the styles of the Rajasthani school, there are a lot of distinguishing differences as well. Let’s look at the history and evolution of the Miniature paintings of the Jaipur School.

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What Sets Kota Paintings Apart From the Bundi School of Painting

You may have heard of the Kota-Bundi School of Miniature Painting, but you may also have heard of Kota and Bundi paintings separately. So are they the same? Or are there noticeable differences? Actually, Kota paintings are an offshoot of the Bundi school. They are different in quite significant ways, and this is why, while earlier paintings may be called Kota-Bundi, the miniatures of later periods are referred to as either one or the other.

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Interpretations of Poetry in Malwa Miniature Paintings

Be it the sweet verses of Amir Khusrow, the brilliance of Tulsidas, the witty couplets of Kabir, or the ghazals of Mirza Ghalib, the poetry of India is as diverse, vibrant, and expressive as its paintings. The divergent schools of Indian miniature painting adopted different themes and styles and derived inspiration from varied sources. Just as Mughal Miniatures are well known for their depictions of royal life, Malwa Miniature paintings illustrate themes from popular poetic and literary works.

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