Indian Painting

The tradition of Indian painting is inspired by religion, legends and folklore. From being essentially religious in purpose in the beginning.

Their paintings have evolved over the years to become a fusion of various traditions which influenced them

Cave and Rock art depicting hunting scenes and figures of animals like stag, elephant, and hare are the earliest examples of paintings however rock art continued as can been seen in Buddha Representations?

Very few works prior to the start of Buddhism have survived so little is known of its content and history Traditional painting falls in two categories: miniature and murals

Murals range from the spectacular in the Ajanta and Ellora caves to the decorations in homes and temples.

The murals in the caves tell the stories of the Buddha’s incarnations. The figures are graceful and realistic with lots of detail of their clothing and headdresses.

Houses are painted to prevent evil from entering and to keep the people safe, often walls are painted to celebrate festivals. Designs range from simple hand prints to elaborate patterns

Miniatures started with Buddhist text illustrations on palm leaves and about the same time the Jian, who worshipped many Gods, began illustrating sacred texts with lively scenes and vivid colours.

From 1500 the Mughal rulers advanced this art and although Muslims, encouraged the Hindus

The Mysore styles are emblems of beauty originating from the classical painting town of Mysore, Karnataka.

These paintings are renowned for their sophistication, subdued colours, and attention to detail. The subjects for most of these paintings are Hindu Gods and Goddesses and legends.

Tanjore style promotes devotion to love and beauty of the godhead. The divine stories of ancient time are foretold by the Folk art.

The premise of Tanjore painting is essentially religion and spirituality and the art is renowned for its artistic portrayal of legendary characters and themes and are a very important form of classical art.

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