BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PREVIOUS CLASS (1: 06 PM)

INDIAN PAINTING (1:08 PM)

• Prehistoric paintings of India:
• Upper- palaeolithic painting (15000BC - 10000 BC)
• In this period, on the side of Bhimbetka and Narsinghgarh near Mirzapur rock-cut engraved paintings were created. 
• These were line diagrams known as 'Petroglyph'. 
• They created themes related to hunting, gathering and fighting scenes. 
• Naturally obtained colours like red, ochre, green, brown and yellow were used. 
• Mesolithic paintings (10000BC - 6000BC)
• The characteristic tool of the Mesolithic period i.e. microlith facilitated the creation of good quality rock-cut engraving on the walls of the cave.
• Mesolithic paintings were also petroglyphs but finer in detail. 
• They mainly used naturally obtained colours which are red, green, yellow, brown and ochre.
• The red was the dominating colour and it was mainly sourced from animal blood.
• Moreover to increase the longevity of the painting egg yoke was mixed in the colours.
• The theme of painting depicted not only the fine painting sense but also the socio-cultural practices of that time which are as follows:
• Hunting, gathering, fighting, animal riding, household chores,  group celebration, sexual union, Phallus worship, yoni worship etc.
• These themes indicate the sexual division of labour, domestication of animals, development of community sense, Coordination etc, Primitive concept of marriage and primitive idea of worship. 
• Bhimbetka is known for the best-preserved Mesolithic paintings

MURAL PAINTING TRADITION OF INDIA (1:33 PM)

MINIATURE PAINTING (1:49 PM)

• The miniature paintings are small-scale paintings but highly detailed.
• They were created on perishable materials like palm leaves, paper and cloth. 
• Initially, two rules were played down for the creation of a miniature painting:
• 1. The size of the painting must not be larger than 25 square inches.
• 2. The object to be painted must not be bigger than 1/6th of the original size. 
• Later these rules were diluted to create bigger paintings.
• Early miniature of India:
• 1. Pala miniature painting:
• It was patronised by the Pala rulers of eastern India. 
• It was created on Palm leaf.
• It is a type of manuscript painting in which the image is often accompanied by a written record.
• The theme of the painting was based on Buddhism. 
• 2. Western miniature :
• It was mainly practised in Gujarat and South Rajasthan.
• It was patronised by Jain traders of this area. 
• Initially, the painting was created on palm leaf in the beginning but later paper was also used for painting. 
• It is also a manuscript painting where an image is accompanied by a written text. 
• The theme of the painting was mainly based on Jainism, one of the very popular themes based on the life of Jain monk 'Kalakacharya'.

MUGHAL MINIATURE PAINTING (2:06 PM)

• When Humayun returned from Iran, he brought two famous Persian painters i.e., 'Mir Sayyid Ali' and 'Abdus Samad'.
• With the arrival of these two painters, the Persian Safavid style of painting started in India.
• Painting during Akbar's period:
• Akbar created many Karkhana paintings in which not only aesthetic paintings were produced but also textiles and pottery were painted. 
• Akbar opened the gateways of Mughal painting to fellow Indian painters which generated some employment. 
• He also started a system of rewards to encourage paintings.
• Realism was the keynote of Akbar's period painting.
• Tasveerkhana: It was the studio of painting in which the best of the painted works were displayed. 
• At this point, Mir Sayyid Ali and Abdus Samad created one of the most famous paintings of that time known as the Hamzanama series. 
• Hamzanama was based on the life of Amir Hamza uncle of the prophet, impressed by this painting, Akbar ordered to paint Indian literature in similar traditions such as Razmanama (Mahabharat) and Tutinama (Tales of Parrot). 
• Jahangir period of painting :
• This period was the climax of Mughal painting,  Jahangir himself was a great painter. 
• He was a naturalist who painted on various flora and fauna.
• The biggest achievement of this period was the creation of portraiture painting in which a single object was to be highlighted and the rest of the things were kept blurred in the background. 
• He also started the tradition of decorated margins in the painting. 
• Shahjahan period of painting :
• Though the patronage of painting and realism of Mughal painting was diluted it was mainly because of the over-usage of gold and silver colour. 
• The European influence in Mughal painting can be clearly seen from this period in the form of the light and shadow method of painting. 
• Moreover, pencil sketching and charcoal sketching were also introduced
• With the arrival of Aurangazeb, all art forms were discouraged including painting at this time, Mughal painters started to seek employment in the regional kingdom of Rajasthan and Pahari areas which led to the development of regional miniature traditions. 

RAJASTHANI PAINTING (3:00 PM)

• Rajasthani painting started to develop in the early 17th century in the form of 'mural' traditions mainly depicted on the walls of Rajput forts and palaces. 
• Later, in the latter half of the 17th century, the miniature tradition started to become popular in Rajasthan. 
• The common attribute of Rajasthani painting is as follows:
• 1. Popularity of theme associated with lord Krishna. 
• 2. Painting based on Gita-Govind of Jayadev and Chaurapanchashika of Bilhana. 
• 3. The lord Krishna was often depicted in blue colour to highlight his Shyam Varna. 
• 4. Many local popular themes were also depicted like 'Dhola-Maru'
• Marwar painting:
• In the Marwar area, themes related to lord Krishna were very popular. 
• The speciality of this area was the creation of Ragamala painting which was a unique fusion of musical ragas and paintings.
• Though, it is unique in concept but inferior in quality.
• Hadoti painting:
• It is also known as 'Kota-Bundi' painting. 
• It was practised mainly in the area of Kota and Bundi. 
• This area is noted for its lush green vegetation and the presence of a large number of wild animals which is widely depicted in their paintings. 
• Kishangarh Painting:
• It is the climax of Rajasthani Painting which mainly developed in the court of Raja Sanchar Chand. 
• This type of painting is noted for the depiction of exaggerated features in the body.
• For example- sharp nose, sharp chin, almond-shaped eyes, slender curves in the body and eyes exuding margin of face 
• The most famous painting of Kishangarh was the image of 'Bani Thani' painted by 'Nihal Chand'.
• This painting is regarded as the fashion lady of India depicting traditional Indian jewellery. 

PAHARI PAINTING (3:26 PM)

• Kangra is regarded as an extension of Kishangarh Painting but with unique attributes in the themes. 
• They used glittery colours which were sourced from an insect bettle. 
• The most famous theme in Kangra is a depiction of 8 heroines known as 'Astanayika'

SOUTH INDIAN PAINTING (3:33 PM)

• Thanjavur painting:
• It was patronised by the Nayak rulers of Thanjavur and Madurai. 
• The painting was created on wooden panels, in the very first step a cotton cloth was pasted on a wooden panel with the help of tamarind and jaggery paste 
• In the next step, embossing is done on the canvas and finally, it is painted. 
• The theme of Thanjavur's paintings was mainly based on Hindu gods and goddesses. 
• The special attribute of Thanjavur's painting is the use of real gold and ornament in the painting. 
• Mysore painting:
• It mainly developed under Krishna Raja Wodeyar of Mysore. 
• It is also similar to Thanjavur but embossing in Mysore is thin.
• Another speciality of Mysore's painting is the application of gesso paste in painting. 
• Gesso is a mixture of lead, gambose and glue. 
• Gesso increases the longevity of the painting and further provides lustre. 
• The theme was generally based on Hindu mythology and Mysore Dasera.
• Kalamkari:
• Kalamkari as a painting was practised in Andhra on cotton cloth but later it became very popular in the textile sector. 
• There are two popular versions of kalamkari:
• 1. Shrikalahasti: It is based on a Hindu religious theme
• 2. Masulipatnam: It is based on the secular theme and generally textiles with floral motifs were created in this traditions

THE TOPIC FOR THE NEXT CLASS: IS PAINTING (CONTINUATION).