Introduction :
Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art.
The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times,
the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka rock shelters, some of the Stone Age rock
paintings found among the Bhimbetka rock shelters are approximately 30,000 years old.
Some of which are believed to be from even before 5500 BC and were rock paintings.
Currently , there are various types of painting styles and genres in Indian culture.
Genres of Indian painting
Indian paintings can be broadly classified as murals and miniatures.
Murals are large works executed on the walls of solid structures, as in
the Ajanta Caves and the Kailashnath temple.
Miniature paintings are executed on a very small scale for books or albums
on perishable material such as paper and cloth.
Here are some of the types which are hand-crafted and painted by some of the talented
artists, artisan and painters.
Mughal paintings Modern paintings
Mural paintings Tanjore paintings
Rajput paintings Mysore paintings
Traditional paintings Kalighat paintings
MUGHAL PAINTINGS
Mughal painting is a particular style of painting in South Asia or especially in
India which emerges from Persian miniature painting, with Indian Hindu,
Jain and Buddhist influences.
Mughal paintings were a unique blend of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles.
Because the Mughal kings wanted visual records of their deeds as hunters
and conquerors, their artists accompanied them on military expeditions or
missions of state, or recorded their prowess as animal slayers, or depicted them
in the great dynastic ceremonies of marriages.
Mural Paintings
Mural paintings is an artwork painted or applied
directly on a wall , ceiling or other large
surfaces. It can be of different styles and are
important as they bring into the public sphere.
Rajput paintings
Rajput painting, a style of Indian painting, evolved and flourished, during the
18th century, in the royal courts of Rajputana
Rajput paintings depict a number of themes, events of epics like
the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Krishna's life, beautiful landscapes, and
humans.
The colours extracted from certain minerals, plant sources, conch shells, and
were even derived by processing precious stones, gold and silver were used.
The preparation of desired colours was a lengthy process, sometimes taking
weeks.
Traditional paintings
Indian traditional painting is a collection of
Rajasthani paintings , Mysore paintings ,
Tanjore paintings , Madhubani paintings ,
Pattachitra paintings , Kalamkari paintings and
Mughal paintings.
Modern Paintings
Modern paintings is painting style and philosophy which includes artistic works
produced during the period extending roughly from the 18th century to the
current era.
Raja Ravi Varma was a pioneer of modern Indian painting.
He drew on Western traditions and techniques including oil paint and easel
painting, with his subjects being purely Indian, such as Hindu deities and
episodes from the epics and Puranas.
Some other prominent Indian painters born in the 19th century.
Tanjore paintings
Tanjore painting is a classical South Indian painting style. The
subjects of most painting are Hindu Gods , Goddess and saints.
These paintings are known for their elegance, rich colours, and
attention to detail.
Mysore paintings
Mysore painting is an important form of classical South
Indian painting that originated in the town of Mysore in Karnataka.
These paintings are known for their elegance, muted colours and
attention to detail. The themes for most of these paintings
are Hindu Gods and Goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology.
In modern times, these paintings have become a much sought-after
souvenir during festive occasions in South India.
Kalighat paintings
Kalighat painting is a painting style which was
originatd in Bengaal , India.
The main theme of the painting is to depict Hindu
Gods , Goddess and other mythological characters.
Some other types of paintings are:
Madhubani painting
Madhubani (Madhu means honey & Ban means forest of woods) means forest of Honey.
This painting also called as Mithila painting.
Womens have real intense desire for Madhubani art.
Womens of Brahman, Dusadh & Kayastha communities painted Madhubani paintings in
Mithila region of Nepal & India.
It was said that the time of Ramayana when Lord Rama wedding to the king Janaka’s
daughter Sita,king Janaka called artists for decorating his palace.
This art is accepted by many religions women including Sikh, Muslims.
5 types of Madhubani art are Bharmi, Katchni, Tantrik, Godha & Gobar.
Chola paintings
The Chola dynastry responsible for taking Indian art & architecture
to its heights.
The 1st Chola temple with wall paintings in it is in Vijaya
Cholishwaram. The temple covered entirely with wall paintings.
Human anatomy, Shiva & dark face of Goddess Bhawani can be
seen in these paintings.
The Cholas were great devotes to lord Shiva.
Kangra paintings
Kangra paintings is a pictorial art of Kangra.
It became when Basohli School of painting became hazy during 18th century.
Kangra paintings main centres were Basohli, Chamba, Bilaspur, Guler, Nurpur
and Kangra.
Kangra paintings colors made from vegetables, leaves & minerals which provide
real, fresh & cool colors.
Theme of Kangra painting is Shringar (erotic sentiment) based on Radha &
Krishna love story.
Pattachitra paintings
Pattachitra is an Orissa word but in Sanskrit “patta means canvas or cloth and
Chitra means picture”
It is a traditional paintings of Orissa
These paintings featuring the old paintings of Kalinga region dating back to the
5th century BC mainly found on religious areas that are Puri, Konark &
Bhubaneshwar Region.
The themes of paintings are based in scenes from religious epics like Radha
Krishna, Lord Jagannath, Vishnu based on ‘Gita Govinda’ of jayadev,
Ramayana, Mahabharata.
Kalamkari paintings
• ‘Kalam’ means pen and ‘Kari’ means work , literally pen work.
• Hand paintings as well as block painting.
• Kalamkari art primarily use earthy colors like indigo, mustard, rust, black and
green. Natural dyes used to paint colors in Kalamkari art is extracted for natural
sources with no use of chemicals and artificial matter. For instance,
craftsmen extract black color by blending jaggery, water and iron fillings
which they essentially use for outlining the sketches.
• There are two identifiable styles of Kalamkari art in India – Srikalahasti style
and Machilipatnam style. In the Machilipatnam style of Kalamkari, motifs are
essentially printed with hand-carved traditional blocks with intricate detailing
painted by hands. On the other hand, Srikalahasti style of painting draws
inspiration from the Hindu mythology describing scenes from the epics and
folklore.
