What is Indian Painting and its Aesthetics?

Indian Painting and its Aesthetics.

  

Indian miniature painting, Kangra style.

Indian Painting and its Aesthetics is an immensely great and unique art subject to discuss. The article is a critical appreciation of the important style of Indian painting from the ancient times to the present day.
As a human being we loves beauty, whether it's natural or created by himself. The works of Painting belong to the realm of beauty or Aesthetics. In the Indian context, the unique word 'Kala' (Art) is derived from 'Kal' , meaning 'Ananda' (Joy or pleasure). The joy has different layers of experience and one has to unfold Supreme joy (Paramananda), which is beyond the scope of senses. Without this end being achieved, the role of Art creation becomes insignificant. The word 'Kala' was used for the first time by Bharatmuni in his 'Natyasastra', Which meant skill dexterity or craftsmanship.

According to Shri RabindraNath Tagore, "Man expresses himself through the Art".Art is more of an expression in the inner feeling than of external experiences. The purpose of Art is a living creation of truth and beauty for the pleasure of Man.

 ShriAurovindo thinks ...' Indian Art is identical in its spiritual aim and principle with the rest of Indian culture. About the spiritual contents, he observes the divine aspect always remains the integral part of the Indian Art form.

The Indian Aesthetics does not confine itself to the visual form, but the inner expression and vission is more significant. At this point, we reach somewhere near divinity.

Ancient story of Indian painting

The documentation borne by the various Sanskrit shastra (book) like Vishnudharmottar Purana(Chitra-sutra),Shilpa-Shastram,  Ashtadhyayi, indicate that for some centuries previous to them, painting must have been a recognized art.
The Vishnudharmottara Purana ,part lll, is a very important source book for various matters regarding painting. Here the story of Narayana,who creating the Nymph Urvasi by drawing her portrait and then endowing the picture with life.The most important thing of this book is the connection it has shown between Sculpture,painting,music and dancing. In chapter ll , Markandeya Muni tells the King Vajra that the process of image making cannot be known unless the rules of Painting (Chitrakala) are known.
The book contains the directions in the technical theories such as colours to be used for different deities,persons and things etc. The rules regarding the Ksaya (decrease) ,Vriddhi (increase) and Pramana (proportion) , the classification of the pictures into Citra (simple) and vicitra (variegated); Uttama, Madhyama and Adhama , and various other important technical aspects are elaborate very carefully.
Four types of Painting mentioned here are....
1) Satya - (true to life ).
2) Vainika - (of the lute prayer).
3) Nagara -  (of the city or of common man)
4) Mishra -  (Mixed).

The influence of Natyasastra (By Bharatmuni) is also evident from the discussion regarding the devices for depicting the Rasa theory in the Indian painting.
In Indian painting,Another compilation of ancient data based on pre-Buddhistic tradition is the Chitralaksana. It  deals with pictorial art in its religious sense and connects the first use of painting with the images of the Gods employed in the sacrifices. The rules of Proportion for the drawing of figures - from the massive measurements of Gods and Kings to normal scales for the representation of ordinary people are elaborated.

Shadanga of Indian painting 

" Rupabheda Pramanani Bhava Lavanya Yojanam ,
Sadrishyam Varnikabhanga Iti Chitra Shadangakam ".

During the pre-Buddhistic period, the Shadanga- six limbs of Painting were evolved. Vatsayana who lived during third century AD discusses these six limbs in his Kamasutra and  says that he has extracted them from still more ancient works. It was revived by Pt. Yashodhar during 11th- 12th century A.D.in his commentary was known as 'Jai Mangala' .

The explanation of six limbs are:

Rupabheda   -     The knowledge of appearances.
                               Rupa means shape or form and
                               Bheda means mystery.

Pramanani.  -      Correct measure and structure
                               with perception.
                               The correct sense of Proportion
                                is known as Pramanani.

Bhava           -       Action of feelings on forms.

Lavanya Yojanam- Infusion of grace and artistic 

                               representation. 

Sadrishyam -       Similitude. Means the ascertain-
                               ment or determination of the
                               real form or resemblance in
                               the form and ideas.
Varnikabhanga - Artistic manner of utilising the
                                Brush and Colours.
In the 'Kamasutra' the word 'Shilpa' has been used for Painting that's why the word 'Shilpa shadanga' has been written therein. But the definition changed by the time and the word 'Kala' was substituted in place of 'Shilpa' under which come Sculpture,Architecture and Painting.

History of Indian painting

Indian Painting has a very long history and tradition in the Indian art.  Make a Drawing and painting is very natural for human beings. We come across the prehistoric drawings in the Bhimbetka rock shelters, the most ancient concrete example of Indian painting.

The Bhimbetka rock paintings are approximately 30000 years old. Another prehistoric painting regions are, the Kashmir range of central India,the hills in mirzapur district, the jogimara cave of the Ramgarh Hill, Panchmarhi, Hoshangabad etc.

The special characteristics of the cave paintings are invariably centered round the interests of the cave man-the animals and the hunting of animals. The Sign and Symbol of worship are also found in these caves.
The patterns and tints on the painted jars from Indus valley civilization amply illustrate the colour sense of the earliest painters in India.
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 The main types of Indian Paintings divided into-
1)  Buddhist painting
2)  Rajasthan painting
3)  Mughal painting
4)  Pahari painting
5)  Modern painting- Bengal school and later.

Ajanta Painting, Unique Indian Art.

Indian Paintings are highly influenced by Buddhism,Jainism,Hinduism and Islam. The earliest evidence of the most important and vital traditions of painting are found in the caves of Ajanta ,Bagh , Sigiriya, Badami cave, Sittanvasal etc. Buddhism essentially graphic and the tales regarding the life of God Buddha and the jataka have acquired vigorous expression through brush rather than the pen. As the demand for religious information increased, the Buddhist missionaries employed art as a ready means of imparting the tenets of the creed to all mankind.
As birthplace of Buddhism, India was also the birthplace of Buddhist school of painting. Ajanta depicts both the early and mature stages of the Buddhist painting. These paintings refer to as combination of fresco and tempara with the linear beauty. The oldest paintings are found in cave nos. 9 and 10.  Cave no. 17 is most representative and the best example of the narrative style of paintings. The latest paintings found in cave nos. 1 and 2 . They prove a contact between India and Persia and the pictorial art of that country makes its appearance in some of the scenes.

The main characteristics of Ajanta paintings : 

There are so many characteristics of Ajanta paintings,  which makes  it the unique art style of the world.

Linear Beauty is the most important characteristics in Indian paintings. Expression of emotions  through the line is the speciality of the Ajanta paintings.

Expression of Sentiments is another characteristics of Ajanta paintings.

The use of limited Colours in creating different tone is the Uniqueness of Ajanta paintings.

The Art of Ornamentation is highly successful in Ajanta paintings.

The Shadangas  of  Kamasutra seem to have been followed in the Ajanta paintings.

Pictorial composition was one of the main characteristics of Ajanta paintings.

Symbolism in Jataka stories was painted successfully. It is believed that Lord Buddha was an Elephant in one of his past lives as described in Jataka stories .
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The Sigiriya (Ceylon) paintings probably belong to the period of 497 AD (approx.) . They are portraits in three quarter length figures of twenty females, presumably the queens of King Kasyapa. The poses are very graceful and indicate artists skill in figure making and brush handling.  But yet they are no match for Ajanta paintings.

The  time period of Bagh cave paintings are approximately  6th -7th century AD. Majority of these works are found to be a secular interest even though they are associated with Buddha's life. One can feel the feminine grace in the depiction of woman . In comparison to Ajanta the woman of Bagh is a little more healthy. The expression of emotions resemble with the Ajanta paintings.

The Sittanvasal caves are situated in Chennai near Puddukota at Tanjore. These caves are related to Jainism and built  by King Mahendra verman  and his son King Narsingh verman in 7th century AD. The painting of these caves very much resemble the Ajanta and Bagh style .

The Ellora cave related to Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. Mostly the paintings of Ellora have been destroyed which are lower standard than Ajanta paintings. There are some beautiful wall paintings in the Kailash temple which was constructed in the 8th century AD by Rastrakuta King Krishna. There are two types of Paintings found in Ellora. One resembles with that of Ajanta and other type shows deterioration in standard with started the Apabhransha  style of painting.

In Medieval period of Indian painting, there are some  other style of Paintings like Chola Art, Pal school of Art, Jain school, Apabhransha school , Deccan school ,etc. established by their own characteristics . As works of art, these styles of Paintings are low merit and there is no exaggeration in saying that they are counted as not great pictures of the Indian art .

Rajasthani painting 

Rajasthani painting, Indian miniature painting.

15 th century is supposed to be the time of revival of hindi literature and painting. In the beginning of this time the style of Indian Paintings  inspired by religion as the followers like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , Surdas, Tulsidas, Meera bai had taken the expansion and publicity of Hindu Vaishnava religion to climax. It was the refined and purified form of the same, which originated in Gujarat and Mewar as a new school. This was called Rajasthani school of Paintings, which was totally inspired by Hinduism .
There was a controversy among the scholars over the name of Rajasthani painting. Dr Coomarswami and Percy Brown have called it Rajput style of Painting. They have taken Pahari school also under the Rajput school. But Pahari style of Painting came into being after the end of Mughal school at the places like kangra, Basholi, guler ,chamba etc.with the combination of Mughal and Rajasthani style. The critics of the Modern world of art consider 'Rajasthani school of Painting' is the appropriate name of this style.

Rajasthani painting,Udaipur,Indian painting.

The important places like Mewar, Jaipur,Kishangarh, Udaipur, Bikaner, Bundi etc.are the main centre of Rajasthani paintings. Traces of Fresco paintings are found in the Medieval palaces of these sites,belonging to the Rajput kings.They are mainly decorative and betray Chinese and Persian influences.

Another style of Painting is the Rajasthani Miniature painting, prepared as an illustrated manuscript of different subjects like the Ragmala, Ramayana,Mahabharata,Barah Masa,  Nayika bhed, Geet Govind , Panchtantra, Behari satsai etc. Different types of another Paintings like large Painting, murals, cloth paintings were done successfully.
The Rajput paintings, essentially hindu in expression flourished during the period of 1550-1900 . The main characteristics of Rajasthani paintings are depiction of women, symbolism, linear beauty, depiction of nature,depiction of seasons, devotion and romance , use of border etc.
The famous Rajasthani painters are Nihalchand,
Sahib ram, Dondia , Suraj mal, Ali raza, Hasan raza, Dal chand, Moti ram, etc.

Mughal painting

Mughal miniature painting.

During the period of 1550-1800 AD, the Mughal school of Painting came into existence,reached its highest glory in the period of Jehangir and Shahjahan . In the Mughal period, a secular school of Painting derived originally from Persia arose in India. The origin of the secularism was the rigid of prohibition by the Muslim law of the representation of animate nature in Art. The Indian traditions carried into China and naturalized there, reached Persia and returned to India with the Mughals.

It took some years for the Calligraphists to become regular painters and achieve ease and perfection in their paintings. Portraits and brilliant court ceremonial become the most famous subjects of the Mughal miniature paintings.

The  Mughal artists are temperamentally realists. They saw life as the materialists see it and not as poets or mystics . They sincerely depicted whatever found in nature without idealising it . This marks a sharp distinction between the Ajanta Painters and the Mughal painters.

Mostly Mughal Painting was done in a miniature formation which were executed on paper and cloth. Famous artists are Bihzad, Mir sayed Ali,
Khwaja abdursamad, Daswant, Basawan, Abul Hasan, Mansur, Gobardhan,Manohar,Vichittar etc.

Mughal miniature painting.

The main characteristics of the Mughal miniature paintings are  -

1) Where the figure is full or half but the faces are Ek-Chashma (profile view). This is the contribution of Rajasthani paintings to the Mughal paintings almost all portraits are single eyed view.
2) we find Ornamentation of border in every Mughal miniature paintings. This is the main effect of Persian art on Mughal paintings.
3) Lively depiction of nature, animals,birds are most important characteristics of Mughal paintings.
4) Beautiful line drawing depicted the artists     craftsmanship very well.
5)  Gold and Silver Colours have been  used very Aesthetically  in the paintings.
Besides,desired atmosphere,attractive Colour,  soulful expression , perspective etc. were the other characteristics of Mughal paintings.

Pahari painting

Kangra painting,Indian miniature painting.

In 19th and 20th centuries in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, some such beautiful paintings were discovered which further added some beautiful pages to the History of Indian painting . The natural beauty and pleasant weather of this area

added further charm to grown up the style. 

In Aurangzeb era -the Mughal artists also reach here and got freedom to express their artistic skills.

When we consider as to who gave the maximum support in the uplift of the Pahari painting, the name of Raja Sansar Chand will always be remembered in this context. The main centres of Pahari paintings are Kangra, Basholi, Guler,Chamba,Kulu ,Mandi ,Garhwal etc.

The best example of Pahari paintings coming from Kangra. These paintings are considered the most beautiful miniature paintings in the World.The lively expression of line,colour,shape and atmosphere etc., that we find in these paintings is unprecedented.

Modern paintings in India

The story of Modern Indian Art is the story of a nation's soul in search of its own identity. The Mughal brought his own attenuation and deviation, but these were adumberations that fell within the scope of adaptation by its value pattern and integrating gestalt.

Indian society has been ever open-minded. It never closed its mind to outside influence, became impervious to new styles, thoughts and trends .  By 1890 , the British rule had been firmly established. As far as the trends are concerned, we get a true picture from various Art exhibitions which were held before 1947, and also from the limited list of picture of the period 1900 and later. During this early period,there were artist like J.A. Lalkaka ,Atul Bose, Raja Ravi verma, who were inspired by the western art.They painted in the Academic style. Along with their effort and contemporaneous with them emerged the new Indian style of Bengal school led by Abanindranath Tagore and E.B. Havell.
There were artists who didn't belong to either of the two groups - those who introduced us to the Modern period of Painting. They include Gaganendranath Tagore, Amrita Shergil,Jamini Roy and Rabindranath Tagore .

                     TO BE CONTINUED........Modern painting..

Also read....Fine arts career.

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