 Paintings on rocks
were the first manifestation of civilization. The origin of this art is however still
debated. A prominent school of thought believes, rather interestingly, that man started to
paint animals on the walls of caves because he felt that it helped him capture the spirit
of the animal and hence the hunt became easy as well as successful.India is one of the
oldest civilisation of the world. From the very beginning, both art and craft has played
an important role in the evolution of its culture. Paintings amongst them has had a unique
role with a close association to religion. All the early depictions related to gods and
goddesses. Various cultural pockets developed their own styles, influenced each other and
churned out a rich heritage of unique styles across the length and breadth of the country.
Thanjavur painting of south India, miniature paintings of Chamba (Himachal) and Nathdwara
(Rajasthan) - all these schools have made a place of their own in the world history of
paintings.
Nature is not very kind in Rajasthan. Life here is often an endless struggle and
perhaps to offset these travails the Rajasthani people express their feelings in bold
colours and lifting rhythms. Paintings are nowhere more vibrant and colorful than in this
desert state.Just like the rest of India, the painting tradition in Rajasthan goes back to
the dawn of civilization. Traces of earth colour drawings have been discovered on the
walls and ceilings of rock-shelters along the Chambal and Banas rivers in eastern
Rajasthan. Intricate motifs of geometrical and natural designs on clay vessels and
potteries have been unearthed in the Harappan sites of Kalibanga and Peelibanga in
northwestern Rajasthan. Amazingly, both these traditions are still alive - the Rajasthanis
still love to decorate their dwellings and articles of everyday life are still painted
with beautiful designs.
 From 11th
Century onwards pictorial art was recorded on palm leaf and in subsequent centuries, on
paper. Common themes enjoyed centrestage, including mythology, especially those concerning
Krishna and Radha, romance and interpretations of poems written about a musical mode or
melody. With the advent of Moghuls came the Persian influence. The themes too shifted from
mythology to the lives of Moghul kings and queens. Under the patronage of the Moghul
rulers, the art touched it zenith.
Unlike much of Western painting these Indian works are
usually not from the brush of one artist but a collective effort from a number of artists
working under the guidance of a master painter. One artist "might draw the outline,
another the background colors, a third the clothing of the figures, and a fourth the eyes
and hands." |
