different styles of indian artwork and paintings

Different Styles of Indian Artwork and Paintings

IntroductionHistory of Indian art is as old the country itself. A lot of foreign rulers came and went, various dynasties reached their pinnacle and turned to dust, and they all left something behind in the form of cultural, religious and social heritage. Indian art is the reflection of the country’s progress as a nation.

OriginsThe inception of Indian artwork can be traced back to the origin of Indus valley civilization around 3300 BCE. People used to paint huge murals and cave paintings, with the themes of such artwork being very basic.

Evolution through the AgesIndian artwork has evolved a lot through the ages. Different techniques of various Indian art forms originating from different parts of the country are known for the beautiful depiction of subjects. Themes of such paintings are often religious, devotional, spiritual and sometimes personal.

Different styles of Indian artwork

When we talk about Indian artwork today, we usually refer to the Indian miniature paintings. There are a lot of styles of Indian miniature paintings and technique of each style is different from the other. Let us now learn a little about some of the famous Indian miniature paintings.

Madhubani PaintingsOriginating from the Mithali region of Bihar, Madhubani paintings are known for the beautiful depiction of social occasions and festivals such as birth, marriage, Holi etc. Natural paints and very basic tools are used to paint Madhubani art and till date they are very famous worldwide.

Mysore paintings

The classical paintings of South India known as Mysore paintings date back to the 2nd century BC and at a point in time they were at their pinnacle, made famous by various Mysore rulers. This form of Indian art basically deals with intricate and very detailed paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses.

Tanjore paintingsJust like Mysore paintings, this style also originated from South India but much later, sometime around 1600 AD. Tanjore paintings are known for the use of metals (gold and silver), alloys (brass), and pearls to decorate the paintings after they are done. The subjects of Tanjore paintings range from depiction of gods and goddesses to the portraits of the members of the royal family.

Kalamkari paintingsKalamkari translates to “pen work” in Hindi. This Indian art form is a type of handmade design done on surfaces such as canvas or cotton textile, produced in various parts of India. It takes a great deal of patience and time to fabricate one kalamkari painting but modern form of this art technique involves block prints for commercial production.

PattachitraPattachitra is a very unique Indian art form done on palm leaves using very fine brushes and natural paintings, charcoal and chalk. It originated in parts of Orissa and till date it is practiced there. In addition to depicting paintings, pattachitra art also depicts texts and verses from religious books.

Mughal paintingsMughal miniatures are very famous all across the globe for its unique blend of Indo-Persian styles. Made famous by Akbar, it was carried forward by Jahangir and Shahjahan and India has a wealth of Mughal paintings. The subject of Mughal art was basically depiction of the kings as portraits or scenes form their day to day lives.

ConclusionIndian artwork narrates a fable of nation that has witnessed a lot of internal and external turmoil and yet how, it has retained its uniqueness. To understand the country’s ethical and cultural values, one can always learn about its artistic history.

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