Art and Culture Book by Nitin Singhania -Chapter 2

•           Books illustrated paintings. In Mughal and Rajput courts miniature style dominated.

•           With the coming of the Europeans, the art of painting and engraving took a western turn.

•           Modern painters experimented with styles, colours and designs.

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Jogimara caves (Ramgarh hills, Surguja, Chhattisgarh)-1000 BCE- depicts the human figurines, animals, palm prints, bullock carts, etc. which show a higher and sedentary type of living.

Ghodsar and Kohabaur rock art sites in the district of Koriya.

Chitwa Dongri (Durg district) — depict chinese figure riding a donkey, pictures of dragons and agricultural sceneries.

•          Limdariha- in Bastar district and Oogdi, Sitalekhni in Sarguja district.

•           Rock shelters – more than 500 rock paintings

•           UNESCO World Heritage Site (2003).

•           Marked continuity in occupancy of the caves from 100,000 BC to 1000 AD.

•           Paintings here belong to Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Chalcolithic, early historic and medieval period. But mostly Mesolithic age.

•           Generally portray every-day life of pre-historic men.

•           Various animals like elephant, bison, deer, peacock and snake, hunting scenes and war scenes, simple geometric designs and symbols.

•           Other themes – dancing, playing music, animal fighting, honey collection, etc.

•           Social life is well-depicted

•           Colours like red ochre, purple, brown, white, yellow and green are used & were obtained from natural resources like red from Haematite ores.

2.        Miniature Paintings

3.        Folk Paintings

Works on the walls or a solid structure.

Dated between 10th century BC and 10th century AD.

Found in Ajanta, Armamalai Cave, Ravan Chhaya Rock shelter, Bagh cave.s, Sittanavasal caves and Kailasanatha temple (Ellora).

Mostly found in natural caves or in rock-cut chambers.

–          Follow a theme, mostly- Hindu, Buddhist and Jain.

–          Sometimes made to adorn a mundane premise as the ancient theatre room in Jogimara Cave.

–           Unique because of sheer size & usually found on caves or temple walls.

•           Carved in 4th century AD out of volcanic rocks.

•           Has a set of 29 caves, carved in a horse-shoe shape.

•           Took four to five centuries to complete under the reign of Mauryan Empire.

•           Murals in cave no. 9 and 10 – Sunga period, while the rest – Gupta period.

•           The paintings in cave no. 1 and 2 are the most recent of the caves in Ajanta.

•           Walls of Ajanta have both- murals and fresco paintings (painted on wet plaster).

•           Use teinpera style, i.e. use of pigments.

•           Portray human values and social fabric along with styles, costumes and ornaments of that period.

•           Emotions are expressed through hand gestures.

•           Unique feature of paintings- each I’emale figure has a unique hairstyle.

•          Graceful poses of humans and animals adorn the walls of the caves.

•           Medium of painting was vegetable and mineral dyes.

•          The outline of the figures is red ochre, with contours of brown, black or deep red. Some important paintings of Aianta–

•          Scenes from the Jataka stories of the Buddha’s former lives as a bodhisattva, the life of the Gautama Buddha, etc.

•           Paintings of various Bodhisattvas in tribhanga pose in Cave

Vajrapani (protector and guide, a symbol of Buddha’s power), Manjusri (manifestation of Buddha’s wisdom) and Padmapani (Avalokitesvara) (symbol of Buddha’s compassion).

•          The Dying Princess in Cave no. 16.

•           Scene of Shibi Jataka, where King Shibi offered his own flesh to save the pigeon.

•           Scene of Matri-Poshaka Jataka where the ungrateful person saved by an elephant, gives out his whereabouts to the king.

JATAKA STORIES

•          They relate to previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form.

•          Famous Jataka tales include:

The Ass in the Lion’s Skin (Sihacamma Jätaka) The Cock and the Cat (Kukkuta Jataka)

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit (Daddabha Jataka) The Jackal the Crow (Jambu-Khadaka Jataka)

The Lion and the Woodpecker (Javasakuna Jataka) The Ox Who Envied the Pig (Muqika-Jataka)

The Swan with Golden Feathers (Suvannaharpsa Jataka) King Shibi (Shibi-Jataka)

The Turtle Who Couldn’t Stop Talking (Kacchapa Jataka)

Paintings

•           Murals done in two Phases.

•          1″ Phase- during carving of the caves and show Vishnu with his consort Lakshmi borne through the clouds by Garuda, the celestial bird.

•           2″‘ Phase- many centuries after the first, made in Gujrati style and depict procession of Shaiva holy men.

•           Paintings related to three religions (Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism).

•           Prominent in Ellora Caves-

–     Images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu Images of Lord Shiva with his followers.

Beautiful and gracious Apsaras.

•          Extension of the Ajanta School & rank quite close to actual Ajanta caves in terms of design, execution and decoration.

•          The main differences between two-figures are more tightly modelled, have stronger outline, and are more earthly and human.

•          Cave no. 4, known as Rang Mahal, has murals depicting Buddhist and Jataka tales, like in Ajanta.

•          Are scanty and decayed now.

•           Depict religious themes in the light of the contemporary lifestyle of people, thus are more secular in nature.

•          Other depictions – Chalukyan kings, Jain saints giving up worldly life, Shiva and Parvati, Puranic events and deities.

•          Cave 3 —ancient mural of four-armed Brahma on his swan.

MINIATURE PAINTINGS

•          This paint- used in illuminated manuscripts during the Renaissance period.

•          Were painted for either books or albums, on perishable material including paper, palm leaves and cloth.

•          Indian subcontinent has long traditions of miniature paintings and many schools developed that have differences in composition and perspective.

•          Miniatures – small and detailed paintings.

a.        Shouldn’t be larger than 25 square inch.

b.       Subject of the painting – painted in not more than 1/6th of actual size.

•           In Indian miniature paintings- human figurine is seen with side profile , bulging eyes, pointed nose and slim waist.

•           In Rajasthani miniatures- skin colour is brown, whereas in Mughal paintings it’s fairer.

•          Colour of divine beings – Lord Krishna (blue).

•           Women figurines – long hair & colour of eyes and hair -black.

•          Men – wear traditional clothes and have a turban.

MINIATURE

•          These paintings – attributed to eastern & western regions.

•          Two prominent schools are:

1.       Pala School of Art

2.        Apabhramsa School of Art.

•          These paintings–

Generally found as a part of manuscripts Executed on palm leaf or vellum paper.

Were used by Buddhist monks, who practiced non-violence against all living beings, there was a stipulation to only banana or coconut tree leaves.

Are characterised by sinuous lines and subdued tones of the background imagery. Have lonely single figures in and one rarely finds group paintings.

Have simple compositions and were patronized by rulers promoting Buddhism.

Were also patronized by the proponents of the Vajrayana school of Buddhism also used and patronized these paintings.

•           Prominent painters- Dhimman and Vitapala.

•   Predominant school of painting in western India during 11th to 15th century.

•   Most common themes- Jain and in the later period the Vaishnava School appropriated them too.

•   Brought the concept of Gita Govinda and secular love into paintings that were otherwise dominated by the Jain iconography.

•   Early Jain phase- paintings made on Palm leaf but in later phase they were made on paper.

•   Were made as illustrations for books but didn’t develop a different style; were mural paintings in a reduced dimension.

•   Colours- had symbolic meaning.

•   Red, yellow and ochre & in the later phase, they used bright and gold colours were used.

•   Human figures- fish-shaped bulging eyes; a pointed nose and a double chin. They tried making angular faces in third and fourth profile. Figures are usually stil‘f with careful ornamentation.

•   Female figurines- enlarged hips and breasts.

•          Most famous example Kalpasutra & Kalakacharya Katha (15th century).

•           Islamic styles didn’t take over the traditional styles of paintings instead a cultural synthesis took place.

•           In the southern states of Vijaynagara, a different style that was closer to the Deccan style of painting, was emerging.

•           Colours- applied in a flat manner & dress and human outlines- black.

•           View of faces- is from a three quarter angle & gives a detached appearance. The landscapes are full of trees, rocks and other designs that do not try to replicate the natural appearance of the subject.

•           Preferred illustrated manuscripts like Niiiiffiffamo (a book on cookery) during the reign of Nasir Shah who ruled over Mandu.

•           Shows the synthesis of the indigenous and Persian styles.

•           Another style called the Lodi Kliuladar was followed in many of the Sultanate dominated regions between Delhi and Jaunpur.

•           This also became the basis of the sultanate formulae.

•           Later, three major styles emerged that dominated the medieval landscape — Mughal, Rajput and Deccan.

•           They took from the sultanate precedents but developed their own individuality.

•           Change in colour palette, themes and forms.

•           focus shifted- from depicting god to glorifying the ruler

•           Focused on hunting scenes, historical events and other court related paintings.

•           Brought Persian naturalistic style with opulence of a great dynasty.

•           Unique- because used brilliant colours.

•           painters concentrated on accuracy of line drawing.

•           Mughals – known for diverse themes except religious paintings,

•           They made only miniature paintings, but the illustration in paintings are considered -most unique in the world.

•           brought technique of foreshortening to the India, under which ,“objects were drawn in a way that they look closer and smaller than they really are.” The styles of paintings under the successive rulers are as follows:

EARLY MUGHAL PAINTERS-

•           Established the Mughal dynasty

•           Did not have much time to commission paintings

•          Patronised the Persian artist, Bihzad who made illustrations of Mughal family tree.

•           Great patron of arts

•           Interested in paintings and building beautiful monuments

•           But he lost the throne to Sher Shah Suri and was exiled to Persia.

•          At Shah Abbas’s (Persia), he acquired the services of two painters called Abdus Samad and Mtr SayyidAIi who came back with him after he won his throne back.

•           These painters brought Persian influence in the Mughal paintings.

•           During Akbar’s reign, they created an illustrated manuscript- Tutinama (Tale of a parrot).

•          Established entire department devoted to paintings and scribing of his documents.

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•           Looked upon paintings as a means of study and amusement.

•           Gave awards to painters who created lifelike images.

•           Invited Indian artists who had worked for previous rulers to work in his tasvir khana- this brought ‘Indian influence’ in Mughal paintings.

•           Defining features of paintings during his reign Use of 3 dimensional figures and foreshortening. Calligraphy

Transformation of popular art to the court art, i.e. depicting scenes of court life than the life of the masses.

•           Famous painters- Dasivant, Basawan and Kesu.

•           Prominent illustrated manuscripts-Tutinama, Hamzanama, Anvar-i-Suhaili and Gulistan of Sadi.

•           Mughal paintings- reached its zenith in his period.

•           Naturalist by nature and preferred the paintings of flora and fauna

•           Emphasised bringing naturalism to portrait painting.

•           Unique in this period — decorated margins around paintings

•           Was himself a good artist and had his own private workshop although no major work by him survives.

•           His atelier mostly created miniature paintings and the most famous of which was naturalistic paintings of the Zebra, the turkey and the cock.

•           Most famous artist- Ustad Mansoor (expert in drawing the features of the most complex faces).

•           Animal fable- Ayar-i-Danish (Touchstone of Knowledge) was illustrated during his reign.

•          Tenor of the Mughal paintings- changed rapidly in his period.

•           Inspired by the European influence, he tried to reduce the liveliness of the paintings and bring in unnatural stillness

•           Brought a change in the technique of drawing and painting

•           Eschewed the use of charcoal to draw and encouraged the artists to draw and sketch using a pencil.

•           Ordered increased use of gold and silver in paintings.

•           Liked brighter colour palettes as compared to his predecessors.

•           Hence, Mughal atelier was enlarged during his reign but changed a lot in style and technique.

•           Did not encourage painting

•           So Mughal court painters started migrating to the provincial courts in Rajasthan, etc.

•           Sharp decline in the activities of paintings.

•           But sub- imperial Schools developed a space for them by developing their own styles like their Indian roots and a penchant for colourful paintings as opposed to naturalistic Mughal style.

•           The different schools and styles that developed in this period were:

1.        Rajasthani Schools of Painting

2.        Pahari Styles of Painting

3.        Miniatures in South India

4.        Modern Paintings

5.        Bengal School of Art

5.     Marwar School of Painting

•          most extensive schools of painting as it includes Jodhpur and Bikaner (both ruled by the  Rathods) and Jaisalmer (ruled by Bhatis).

•          Bikaner, Jodhpur – prospered through its close links with Mughals.

•          In 15th and 16th century paintings- men & women wore colourful clothing.

•          In this period, Mughal patterns were followed but after l8 t’ century, the Rajput element became predominant.

•          influx of paintings that contained linear rhythm coupled with bright colours.

•          Jodhpur atelier – brilliant paintings but focus has always been on the extraordinary paintings in the time of Man Singh (1803-1843) and after.

•          Paintings commissioned by him – Shiva Purana, Natacharitra, Durgacharitra, Panchtantra, etc.

Painting

•          Many schools ateliers in the court of around 22 princely states stretching from  Jammu  to  Almora, came under the blanket of ‘Pahari Paintings’.

•          Can be divided into two groups-

1.                 Jammu or Dogra School: Northern Series

2.                  Basholi and Kangra School: Southern Series

1.     Jammu or Dogra School

•          Themes ranged from mythology to literature.

•          Introduced new techniques.

•          A typical Pahari painting- brought several figures into canvas and they would all be full of movement.

•          Each figure- different in composition, colour and pigmentation.

•          Two greatest painters- Nainsukh and Manaku.

2.     Basholi School

•           Includes paintings created in 17th century

•          Was the early phase.

•          Characteristics of these paintings-

–           Expressive faces with a receding hairline and big eyes that are shaped like lotus petals.

–          use of primary colours, i.e. red, yellow and green. – -Mughal technique of painting on clothing, but they developed their own as well.

used contrast of colours which was borrowed from the Malwa paintings.

•          First patron- Raja Kirpal Singh (ordered illustration of Bhanudatta’s Rasamajari, Gita Govinda and Ramayana drawings).

3.     Kangra School

•          After decline of the Mughal empire, artists (trained in Mughal style) migrated to Kangra under patronage of Raja Govardlian Singh in 1774.

•           Led to the birth of Guler- Kangra School of paintings.

•           Evolved in Guler then came to Kangra.

•           Reached its zenith under -Raja Sansar Chand, whose paintings were marked with sensuality and intelligence that other schools lack.

•           Popular subjects -Gita Govinda, Bhagwata Purana, Satsai of Biharilal and Nal Damyanti.

•          Very prominent theme- Love scenes of Krishna.

•           Paintings had another worldly feel

•          ‘Twelve months’- very famous group of paintings- brought forth the effect of twelve months on the emotions of human beings.

•           This emotive style- popular till the l9th century.

•           This school became the parent to other ateliers Kullu, Chamba and Mandi.

RAGAMALA PAINTINGS

Series of illustrative paintings from medieval India

Based on Ragamala i.e. ‘Garland of Ragas’, depicting various Indian musical Ragas. Classical example of the amalgamation of art, poetry and classical music

Were created in most Indian schools of painting, starting in 16th and 17th centuries

Named as Pahari Ragamala, Rajasthan or Rajput Ragamala,_Deccan Ragamala, and Mughal Ragamala.

Each raga – personified by a colour describing the story of a hero and heroine (nayaka and nayika) in a particular mood.

Elucidates season and time of day and night in which a raga is to be sung.

Often demarcate specific  Hindu deities attached with raga,  like_Bhairava  or  Bhairavi  to  Shiva, Sri to Devi etc.

Six princi|nal ragas in the Ragamala are Bhairava, Deepak, Sri, Malkaush, Megha and Hindola.

South India

•           Different from the north Indian schools because of heavy use of gold.

•           Painting divine creatures, unlike north which painted rulers.

•           Some of the major schools are:

1.     Tanjore Paintings

•           Thanjavur or Tanjore School

•           Famous for special style of decorative paintings, patronized by Maratha rulers(18″ century)

•           Unique  – created  on  glass  and  board  instead  of cloth  and  vellum(as  in  north  India) and use

brilliant colour patterns and gold leaf.

•           Used gemstones and cut glasses for embellishments

•           Mostly depicted smiling Krishna.

•           Reached zenith under Sarfoji Maharaj ,a great patron of arts.

•           This school- still operational but they have now included diverse subjects like birds, animals, buildings etc.

2.     Mvsore Paintings

•           Were patronized by the rulers of Mysore province and continued in the British period too.

•           Major theme- Hindu gods and goddesses.

•           Unique part- had two or more figures in each painting & one ligure predominates all others in  size and colour.

•           Their technique is very different from north Indian as ‘gesso paste’(mixture of zinc oxide and Arabic gum), is used.

•           This gives a particular base to painting that develops sheen on the background.

•          Counter it with muted colours (not so bright) – to counteract  the background.

1.     Company Paintings

•          Emerged in colonial period,

•           Evolved when British Company officers employed painters, trained in Indian styles.

•           Hence, mixed European tastes with Indian Training, so called the ‘Company Paintings’.

•           Distinct because – use of water colour and appearance of linear perspective & shading.

•           Originated in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Patna, Varanasi and Thanjavur.

•           Lord Impey and Marquess Wellesley- patronised the painters.

•           Painters painted ‘exotic’ flora and fauna of India.

•           Most famous painters- Sewak Ram, Ishwari Prasad and Ghulam Ali Khan.

•           This genre- prevalent till the 20th century.

2.   Bazaar Paintings

•           Influenced by European encounter

•           Different from Company paintings because it did not take any Indian influence but took the Roman and Greek influence.

•           Made the painters to copy Greek and Roman statues.

•           Prevalent in Bengal & Bihar region.

•           Made paintings on everyday bazaar (Indian bazaars with European background).

•           Most famous genre- depicting Indian courtesans

•           Dancing before British officials.

•           Also painted religious themes.

•           But didn’t allow figures of Indian Gods and Goddesses with more than two axes & elephant faces(Lord Ganesha) as they deviated from European notion of natural human figurine.

Raja Ravi Verma

•           One of India’s greatest painters.

•           Originator- of school of modern painting.

•           Called ‘modern’ because of the heavy influence of western techniques and themes.

•           Brought together elements of South Indian painting with the western techniques.

•           Belonged to Kerala and was dubbed as the ‘Raphael of the East’ because of his brilliant brush strokes and almost lifelike paintings.

•           His very famous works- Lady in the Moonlight, Mother India, etc.

•           Gained nationwide recognition for his paintings from Ramayana especially the one titled ’Ravana Kidnapping Sita’.

•         “Rang Rasiya”- film made on him

Art

•          Unique- use of simple colours. Abhanindranath Tagore (early 20th century). Idea of this school came with his works.

His Arabian night series- made a mark globally- for being different from previous schools. Incorporated Swadeshi values in India art & reduced influence of Western art.

Made ‘Bharat Mata’ and various Mughal themed paintings.

Nandlal Bose

Important painter

Further developed modern Indian art Associated with Santiniketan

–          Made iconic white-on-black Gandhi sketch in 1930s

–          Was given the task of illuminating the original document of the Constitution of India.

Rabindranath Tagore One of the most famous painters of this school. Made small sized paintings

Unique feature – used dominant black lines to make the subject prominent.

Wrote very evocative poems and same sense of rhythm could be detected in paintings. Was very spiritual person and his paintings portray that.

His students- become famous painters of Bengal school.

Other famous painters – Asit Kumar Haldar, Manishi Dey, Mukul Dey, Hemen Majumdar Sunayani Devi etc.

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•          Inspired from European Cubist movement, under which the objects were broken, analysed and then reassembled.

•          Artists reconstructed this process through the use of abstract art forms & tried to achieve the perfect balance between line and colour.

•          Most popular cubist artists in India- M.F Hussain,

•          Made a series of paintings called ’Personification ofRomance’.

•          He used motif of a horse frequently- to depict fluidity of motion, instead of abstract connotations.

2.     Progressive Artists Group

•           Came up in 1947

•           Used progressive and bold themes.

•           Amalgamated these themes with softer & more abstract themes.

•           Lacked uniformity among themselves

•           Inspired by European Modernism.

•           Founder —Francis  Newton Soiiza.

•           But more famous members- S.H Raza, H.A Gade, Ara etc.

•           M.F Hussain- also a member.

•           Their first art exhibition- 1948

•           Patronised by- Mulk Raj Anand.

•           Opened many galleries in Delhi and Mumbai.

•           Also given opportunities to many talented young painters- Balraj Khanna, V.S Gaitonde, Biren De, Akbar Padamsee and Tyeb Mehta.

FOLK PAINTINGS

•           Also called Mithila paintings.

•           Extends to adjoining parts of Terai region in Nepal.

•           Have a common theme.

•           Are ususally drawn from religious motifs of Hindus, including Krishna, Rama, Durga, Lakshmi and Shiva.

•           Figures in the painting are symbolic (fish depicts good luck and fertility).

•           Also depict auspicious occasions like birth, marriage and festivals.

•           Flowers, trees, animals- used to filI any gaps in the painting.

•           Traditionally, painted on walls using rice paste and vegetable colours on a base of cow dung and mud.

•           Later, base changed- to handmade paper, clothes and canvas, still the natural colours were used.

•           Since there is No shadings, paintings are two-dimensional.

•           Common features- double line border, bold use of colours, ornate floral patterns and exaggerated facial features.

•           Origin- during the period of Ramayana, when king of Mithila told people of his

•           kingdom to paint walls and floors of their houses on the marriage of Sita and Rama. Mostly women are skilled in this.

•           1970- it got recognition, when President  of  India  honoured  Jagdamba  Devi  of  Jitbarpur  village with an award.

•           Famous painters- Bua Devi, Bhati Dayal, Ganga Devi and Sita Devi.

•           It has been given GI (geographical indication) status- remained confined to a specific geographical area,

•           Pattachitra comes from Sanskrit word patta (canvas/cloth) and chitra (picture). show a mix of classical and folk elements, with a bias towards the latter.

•           Base of painting- treated cloth.

•           colours used- from natural sources (like burnt coconut shells, Hingula, Ramaraja and lamp black).

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•          Background- decorated with foliage and flowers and paintings have a intricately worked frame.

•          After finishing- coating of lacquer given for a glossy finish.

•          Raghurajpur in Odisha is famous of this.

•           Depict images similar to old murals of the state, especially the ones in Puri and Konark.

•          Pattachitra on palm leaf is known as talapattachitra.

•          Dried leaves of palm trees are sewn together as a canvas & images are drawn using white or black ink. Many superimposing layers are glued together and some areas are left to make a small window like opening that reveal second images under first layer of the leaf.

•          Art of Bengal (Patua art) dates back around a thousand years.

•          It started as a village tradition by painters telling Mangal Kavyas or auspicious stories of Gods and Goddesses. These paintings are done on pats or scrolls and for generations, the scroll painters or patuas have been going to different villages to sing their stories in lieu of food or money.

•          Traditionally — were painted on cloth & told religious stories; Today – painted on paper- and comment on political and social issues.

•          Patuas mostly come from Midnapur district of the state, while those who are called chitrakar are from North and South 24 Parganas and Birbhum districts.

•          done by rural migrants who settled around the Kalighat temple in the then British capital (Calcutta).

•           Watercolours used on mill paper with brushes made of calf and squirrel hair.

•          The painted figures has a plaque-like effect on neutral background given the shaded contours and articulated movements.

•          Originally, depicted religious note (especially Hindu)

•          Over time, paintings started to express social sentiments.

•          Were first of its kind in the country to express subaltern sentiments and address customers directly.

•          More ore recent depict- changing roles of women and men, romantic depictions of women and satirical paintings.

•          Some believe — they have been influenced by the British, while the others say that social context and local technique have played a major role.

•          This style- was long ignored

•          lt gained importance and appreciation in 20th century.

•          Also called scroll paintings.

•          Considered one of the ancient schools of painting in the country.

•           Has cultural association with Ma Mansa, one of the most popular goddesses in tribal household.

•           Linked to the social & religious customs including giving alms and holding yajnas.

•          Common theme – ‘What happens to human life post death’.

•          It is on the verge of extinction given the rate of its decline.

Painting

•          The pen – made of sharp pointed bamboo, used to regulate the flow of colours.

•           Base is cotton fabric while the colours are of vegetable dyes.

•          Pen- soaked in a mixture of fermented jaggery and water; one by one these are applied and then the vegetable dyes.

•           Main centers – Srikalahasti & Machilipatnam, in Andhra Pradesh.

•          In Srikalahasti- Artists make beautiful wall hangings.

images drawn free hand and inspired from hindu mythology. Textiles with handwork also produced.

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Artists, use different designs including cartwheel, lotus flower, animals and interlacing patterns of flowers and leaves among other things.

•           They carried the painting tradition back from 2500-3000 BC.

•           Have close resemblance to murals of Bhimbetka (MP) which belong to pre-historic period.

•           Ritualistic paintings- have a central motif of a chaukat or chauk, which is surrounded by scenes portraying fishing, hunting, farming, dances, animals, trees and festivals.

•           Palaghata (goddess of fertility) is drawn & male gods, whose spirits have taken human form are represented.

•           Traditionally, done on the walls using basic graphic vocabulary, like a triangle, a circle and a square, which are inspired from nature, i.e. circle from sun or moon, triangle from conical shaped trees or mountains and square from sacred enclosure or piece of land.

•           Human or animal- represented by two triangles joined at the tip, with circles acting like their head.

•           Base- made of a mixture of mud, branches and cow dung that gives it a red ochre colour.

•           For painting only white pigment is used, which is made of a mixture of gum and rice powder.

•           Wall paintings- done for auspicious occasions like harvests and weddings.

•           Popularity of Warli painting, increased & so are now painted on a cloth on a base of red or black background using white poster colour.

•           Were originally used as a medium of reverence that evoked the highest ideals of Buddhism.

•           Traditionally made by Buddhist monks and particular ethnic group, but now passed on from one generation to the other.

•           Has now has spread a lot and also been commercialised.

•           Earnings from paintings- used to keep the art alive and donate to the monasteries.

•           Painted on a base of cotton canvas (white background) with paints made from natural vegetable dyes or mineral dyes.

•           colours used- have their own significance. Example (Red- intensity of passion, golden- life or birth, white- serenity, black- anger, green- consciousness and yellow- compassion).

•           After completion, painting is framed in colourful silk brocade.

•           These can be divided into three types according to their depiction and meaning. First kind– life of Buddha from his birth to enlightenment.

Second kind– abstract; represents Buddhist beliefs of life and death including ‘Wheel of Life’. Third kind– are paintings used for offerings to the deities or meditation.

Paintings

•          Also called Angika art, where ‘ang’ refers to one of the Mahajan Pada.

•          Also called snake painting, since snake motifs are always present.

•          Executed on boxes of jute and paper

•           Is scroll-type art.

•           Religious in nature and comprises of drawings of local deities (Pabuji and Devnarayan).

•           Use vegetable colours on a long piece of cloth called phad, which are 15 feet or 30 feet long.

•           Subjects have large eyes and round faces; are of pompous and joyful narrative and scenes of procession are common.

Paintings

•           Type of Nakashi art.

•           Depicted as a continuous story like comics or ballad by Balladeer community.

•           Common themes- Hindu Epics and Puranic stories.

•           The artists use the scroll painting to narrate stories along with music.

•          Attained a Geographical Indication status- 2007.

•           Serve religious and spiritual purpose. T

•          Painted in the walls of the houses to bring peace and prosperity.

•           Drawn on special family-occasions as a ritual.

•          Depiction of animals are common especially horses.

Orissa

•           Similar to Warli paintings.

•           Is essentially a wall mural painting and is ritualistic.

•          Saura wall paintings- are called italons or ikons- and are dedicated to Idital, the main deity of the Sauras.

•          Painting is done, mostly in white, while backdrop is red or yellow.

•          Colours- extracted from minerals and plants.

•           Human shapes are geometrical and stick like.

•          Female clothing featuring Saura style designs, have gained fashion recently.

•          There are various schools, some even overlap, and the artists involved are skilled beings.

•         Some arts have a larger scope of survival- because of their demand in the market, but others forms do not.

•          Art- polarised & has become a commodity of either intellectuals and academicians or rich people but very few middle-class Indians want to invest in good quality art.

•          Government & various centers for the arts need to step up and make arts and paintings a matter of cultural heritage to be disseminated amongst people.