Miniature Paintings of India

Miniature Paintings of India
An Indian Miniature, a canvas in inches, is a timeless world where tiny creatures- men, animals, nature, are seen translating into their forms legends of ages, yearning of love, pain and pleasure, sublimation of temporal aspiration and dimensions of man’s emotional and spiritual life. Creativity in man first revealed itself in painting. The primitive nomad was the earliest to discover himself and his world in colors on the surface of his sheltering rock, the Harappan potter on his pots and the characters of epics- the Ramayan and Mahabharata, on the face of their walls. The hands of monks, dwelling in Ajanta like monasteries, rose not so much in prayer as to brush the images and life event of their Masters on their walls. The early trader, when on his business tours to Central Asian lands and in the far most corners of India, stood in need of carrying images of Buddha, Mahavira and others he adorned, and palm-leaf and cloth-strips were his chosen vehicles. It was a shift from macro to
micro. The 10th century illustrated Buddhist text, Prajnaparamita, is the earliest known example of painting where a canvas of micro, or miniature size made its debut. Indian miniature enacts on its canvas Buddha’s life-events, Mahavira’s birth and Trishala’s dream, enthronement of Rama’s padukas declaration of the Great war, birth of Bhagvata-Gita, Dushyanta’s dalliance of Shakuntala, Majnun’s love for Laila, Sassi-Punnu’s union and the like. A miniature often echoes with verses of Rasamanjari, Gita-Govinda, Sursagar, Tulsi’s Manasa, Krishna- Lila, Rasikpriya, Bihari Satsai, Matiram Rasaraj and other. It stretches alike its wings to classics of all lands- Persian Shahnama, Tutinama, Hamzanama, Baburnama, Akbarnama, Padshanama, events from the life of Christ and Mother Mary from Christian world and Indian texts, traditions and legends like Baz Bahadur-Roopmati and Dhola-Maru. It implants personality into abstract ragas, barahmasa, tantra, mantra, yantra and all kinds of feeling of love, joy, joy, submission or devotion and discovers man’s emotional world nature. Calligraphy in miniatures has its own eminence and often rises to a picture’s beauty. Man has craved, universally and always, to see his likeness painted, hence larger bulk of paintings and in India too, consisted of portraits. Mughals led portraits to wider dimensions, greater thrust and to all time perfection. Akbar favored masculine portraiture, Jahangir as much the female, his queen Noor Jahan being the first authentic model. With realism as their core the Indian portraits did a camera’s job. Family albums came into being when artists recreated on canvas dynastic lines. Patrons, the Mughal emperors, Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjahan, Rajput chiefs, Ranas of Mewar, Sawai Jai Singh, Pahari rulers, Siddha Sen and Sansar Chand, Sikh Ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh and hundreds of others seem to have been to a painter rendering portraits both, his choice and his essentiality. 14th century revolutionized the entire art scenario. Paper was replaced by palm-leaf and aesthetic fancy for casual art objects by multiplied demand for deity images which devotional cult had made felt. This made painting a profit-oriented profession attracting numerous artisans to join and each to show his talent. This occasioned several schools of panting, each with its own distinction. Pala and Jain were early painting styles, and Rajasthani, Mughal, Pahari and Deccani late. In Malwa and at Raghogarh and Datia prevailed sub-schools of Rajasthan, in Mughal subas, the provincial Mughal style, and at Lahore, Patiala, Jammu, Srinagar, Garhwal and in Punjab-plains the Pahari sub-schools. Pala, the paintings from Bengal’s Pala dynasty, depicted Buddha’s life. Jain, mostly Kalpa-sutras, rendered lives of Mahavira and other Thirtankaras. Profusion of gold, bright colors, rhythm in movement and angularity of active lines, short statured human figures with angular faces, extra protruding eyes, pointed noses, rich costumes and lavish ornaments characterize Pala Jain miniatures. Rajasthani miniatures flourished mainly at Marwar, Bundi, Kota, Kishangarh, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaipur and many smaller thikanas. Mewar miniatures, illustrating Hindu mythological themes, which incidentally a Muslim artist Sahibdin initiated, mark the beginning of art schools in Rajasthan. Influencedby Vaishnava renaissance effected by Mira’s songs and installation of Sri Nathji at Nathdwara, Marwar spontaneously inclined to Krishna theme. Bundi and Kota miniatures excel in compositional compactness. Hunting scenes are Kota’s specialty. Here nature is more vibrant and real. In Bundi the nature and background are just notional. Bikaner excels in portraiture. Durbar and hunting scenes, delicate female and robust male figures, Mughalia touch and costumes, technical execution and typical clouds of Indian red and yellow characterize Bikaner art. Bikaner has been more enthusiastic in portraying Mughal emperors. Kishangarh, under the inspiration of Raja Savant Singh, himself a painter and poet writing as Nagari Das, created timeless master miniatures sublimating common object and adding to them unique lyricism, rhythm, elegance and beauty. Its Bani-Thani painting portrays the model of an ideally perfect, modest and elegant woman. Tall figures elongated eyes, Rajasthani costumes with Mughal elements define Jodhpur style and average features, formal nature and architecture that of Jaipur. Painted horses, and deep maroon borders characterize Raghogarh miniatures, balanced and intense composition those of Malwa and dominance of Ramayana and folk those of Datia. Akbar was the first to seek for the art painting recognition in Islamic way of life. A regular studio at his court and a factory for manufacturing paper underline his art priorities. Under him warring elements compromised. Indian and Persian classics were translated vice versa and illustrated. A kind of masculinity characterized Akbar’s art. Jahangir’s eye was more sensitive to beauty. Unique poetic fervor, precision, warmth, beauty of lines, colors delicacy and fine imagery and animals, birds, nature, et al. dominate the art of his era. His interaction with European world immigrated Indian art European effects and elements. Gorgeous borders, decorative formalism and female portraiture were his landmarks. Romances like Laila-Mahjun, Dara Shikoh-Ranadil, or Baz Bahadur-Roopmati, portraits and random visualizations like durbar scenes, processions, festivals and prevalence and lavish use of gold define Shahjahan’s art and romantic personality. Aurangzeb almost banned painting at his court forcing Mughal artists to migrate to various subas, where the Mughal art adopted provincial idiom to get for it a new name, the provincial Mughal style. Deccani art was a fusion of Islamic idiom with indigenous art styles and of local classical traditions with elements of Persian and European Renaissance. Initially the Persian and Turkish elements were just superimposed on Deccani tradition, later the synthesis was absolute. Blending with Golkonda art tradition the elements of Mughal art, the artists migrating to Deccan from Mughal court, created at Hyderabad court several timeless masterpieces known as Hyderabad paintings. Pahari schools flourished mainly at Basohli, Chamba, Guler and Kangra and its off-shoots at Mandi, Jammu, Garhwal, Srinagar, and in plain of Punjab. Serenity, picturesqueness, compactness, great emotionality, figures with cute round faces and sharp features are features common to all pahari schools. Square format, multifloor structures, decorative elements mark Basohli art. Guler explored mystery and beauty of feminine world in its portraits. Chamba excelled in female portraiture and colour mixing. Kangra art vibrates with Himalayan perspective, rich nature, landscape and natural female beauty, its lines and forms with emotions and its colors with the softness of music. In portraitural quality, technical maturity and depictional vividness they are unique. Mandi is devoted to tantrika form of Devi and her worship, and Jammu to her devotional form. Kashmir paintings incline to be illustrative and Garhwal to excel only in features commonly shared by most of Pahari schools. Paintings of Lahore and Punjab Plains reflect in them Sikh life-way. The National museum, New Delhi, with18000 paintings in its collection, is the home of Indian miniatures. These paintings manifest India’s great creative genius and are witness to her great aesthetic journey across six hundred years. These tiny creatures, though without tongue or eyes, better speak of her colors, character of her soil, essence of her thought and the apex of her creative endeavor. Courtesy: National Museum Images sourced from Google Search Engine with the term "Miniature Paintings of India"