Types of Indian Art and its
evolution from the past to the present
India
is a land rich with art, tradition and culture. Most people, especially
those living in the rural sector of India, practically make a
livelihood by practicing various forms of arts and crafts. In fact,
glimpses of art and craft can be seen in every aspect of Indian life.
Rural India is most concentrated with small cottage industries. Here,
people create attractive artistic pieces from the most basic and
rudimentary materials that are available to them. This simplicity and
rawness of these creations is also what makes them it most appealing to
the general masses.
Indian folk paintings are veritably
India's pride. They truly reflect her ancient tradition and heritage.
Since time immemorial, these paintings that ornamented the walls, homes
and courtyards of the villagers and tribals, were generally ignored as
primitive forms of expression. These paintings lack refinement and
richness, so elitist groups who supposedly associated with
sophisticated pure art did not bother to give them much exposure. Only
in the start of the twentieth century did scholars begin their research
on the subject and begin to realize the true value of Indian folk
paintings.
There are many types of traditional Indian folk
painting, such as Madhubani paintings from Bihar, Patachitra paintings
from Orissa, Pithora paintings from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, Nirmal
painting from Andhra Pradesh, Warli art of Maharashtra, Phad painting
originating in Rajasthan and so on. What makes these paintings special
is that each of these types of paintings uniquely reflects the cultural
and socio-economic milieu in that particular territory of India, giving
us a clear idea about the life and work in that particular region.
The
treatment of each type of painting vastly differed in the different
states of India. So did the colors and combinations used and even the
general approach to the art itself. For instance, Warli art used clever
stick figures to depict everyday life in rural Maharashtra. Madhubani
paintings, on the other hand, mostly depicted mythological figures, the
different seasons and major events such as marriages and so on.
Indian
folk paintings are as vast and diverse as Indian culture itself. A
detailed study of this subject is very interesting and can take a
researcher a whole lifetime to understand and work on. We now bring you
some of the most important of Indian folk paintings and art.
Lord Ganesha Standing on Elephant - Madhubani Painting
Madhubani Paintings
The
art of
Madhubani painting, also referred to as Mithila painting, originated
from the Mithila region in the state of Bihar, India. The term 'madhu'
literally means 'honey' and 'ban' refers to 'forest'. So those living
in the hilly wooded terrains of Bihar gave birth to this wonderful art.
These paintings were originally made by the women of the
village, on the walls of their homes. Influenced by the tradition and
culture of those times, they painted popular mythological figures such
as Ram, Sita, Krishna, Radha, Durga, Shiva, Lakshmi and Saraswati;
pictures of nature such as the sun, moon, starry nights and religious
plants such as the Tulsi (sage); seasonal festivals and so on. The
techniques used in Madhubani painting were guarded by the women in the
family and were passed on from generation to generation from mothers to
their daughters.
The artisans who created Madhubani paintings
would invoke holy spirits, divine blessings and Mother Nature herself
before proceeding to create a work of art. Maybe that is one of the
reasons why their paintings mostly reveal the blissful creative side of
Nature, including flora and fauna, animals, fishes, birds, the natural
cycle of life and death and many other aspects of creation, many times,
even geometrical figures. Using bright, vibrant colors, Madhubani
paintings verily pulsate with life and verve!
Nag Kanya - Madhubani Painting
Though these women carried on
with their paintings for centuries, this art was known and acknowledged
only as late as the 1960s, when the area was affected by severe
drought. Looking for a different, non-agricultural way of earning
money, they began to bring their paintings out into the open in a bid
to sell them and earn a livelihood.
Originally depicted on
freshly plastered mud walls of huts and displayed during family
functions, sacred rituals, ceremonies and marriages, it is now also
done on hand-made paper, fabric and canvas.
Incidentally,
there is one version that talks about Madhubani paintings being as
ancient as the Mahabharata itself. It relates how King Janaka hired
artists to paint on the walls of the palace at the time of his
daughter, Sita's marriage to Lord Rama.
Madhubani paintings
use two-dimensional imagery and uses natural colors derived from
plants. Ochre and lampblack are also used to get reddish-brown and
black hues respectively. Because the art has been confined to a single
geographical region and has been passed down through generations of
families, the style and content of painting have mostly remained the
same.
Contributors to the evolution
of Madhubani paintings
Sita
Devi or Jitwarpur village, Ganga Devi and Baua Devi were the ones who
were first responsible to transform Mithila paintings from village
walls onto canvas and paper. Today, artists such as Pushpa Kumari,
Karpuri Devi, Jamuna Devi, Lalita Devi, Sarita Devi, Godawari Dutta and
Mahasundari Devi are among the foremost contributors of the art.
Kalamkari Art
Eight Handed Vishnu - Kalamkari Paintings
Kalamkari
or Qalamkari art, literally
means, "pen-art". The Persian term 'kalam' means 'pen' and 'kari' means
'craftsmanship'. This is a form of hand-painted or block-printed
painting on cotton fabric and is done in many different parts of India.
Kalamkari work in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, developed and evolved,
thanks to patronage of the Golconda sultanat during the Mughal era. It
had a lot of business ties in Persia, due to which the Kalamkari
industry came up in a big way in India.
It is said that
in the olden days, there used to be large groups of painters, singers
and musicians (popularly known as chitrakattis), who moved around each
village, telling people great stories from Hindu mythology. With time,
they started illustrating these stories with impromptu paintings made
on canvas sheets. This is how Kalamkari was born. It then went on to
evolve steadily through the centuries.
There are predominantly
two types of Kalamkari art in India. The first is the Srikalahasti
style and the other, the Machilipatnam style. The Srikalahasti style of
this art involves using the pen or kalam for freehand drawing and then
filling the colors inside. The piece here is developed entirely by
hand. This style of Kalamkari is woven around temples and deities and
depicts all religious objects, such as temple hangings, scrolls,
chariot banners and so on; and mythological scenes based on great epics
like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas and so on. Kalamkari paintings
incorporate only natural dyes taken from plants and require the artisan
to cross seventeen long steps to complete one work of art.
Goddess Saraswati - Kalamkari Painting
Smt. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
is mainly responsible to maintain and develop the art of Kalamkari, as
the first Chairperson of All India Handicrafts Board. At present, the
J. J. School of Art in Mumbai is experimenting the potential of
Kalamkari art on Silk Ikat (a form of tie-and-dye textile popular in
Pochampally, Andhra Pradesh.
The fabric used in Kalamkari
acquires a certain gloss due to being treated by various natural
mixtures and dyes. It is first immersed in a mixture of resin
(myrabalam) and cow's milk for about an hour. Then contours are marked
on it with a bamboo soaked in a mixture of fermented jagri and water.
Then come the vegetable dyes. The fabric is washed after each color
treatment, so each fabric undergoes about 15-20 washings. Tints and
shades are obtained with the help of plants, seeds, crushed flowers and
cow dung.
Even today, Kalamkari craft is practised in many
families in Andhra Pradesh and forms a major part of their livelihood.
Though Kalamkari art witnessed a slight, temporary decline in between,
it was revived in India and abroad and has been given tremendous
worldwide exposure since the 18th Century, especially by the English
during British Raj in India.
Jagannath, Balaram, Subhadra - Pata Painting on Patti
Patachitra Paintings
Patachitra
is a form of painting that is very distinct and is set apart from the
rest. Originated in Orissa, the themes of these paintings mainly
revolve around Lord Jagannath, the prime deity at the Jagannath Temple
of Puri, a beach town in the East Indian state of Orissa. Patachitras
are painted by artists of Orissa, called Chitrakars. They use bold,
vibrant and very Indian colors to depict their images.
Pata
Painting or Patachitra as it is known, originated in the 8th Century
and is supposed to have been the earliest form of indegenous art. It
thrived on the patronage of royalty and their kin. When the popular
Bhakti Movement evolved in the 16th Century, paintings of Radha and
Krishna were included in a riot of colors and shades of orange, yellow
and red. Important instances from Krishna's life and Krishna Leela,
especially, Raas Leela, were depicted through the medium of these
paintings. Additionally, aspects of nature, such as birds and animals,
flora and fauna, were also included in the paintings. Krishna would
invariably be depicted in blue, while the gopis would be shown attired
in bright shades of purple, pink and brown with a touch of gold and
silver colors. This color scheme is what makes the Patachitra stand out
from the rest of the folk art.
How Pata paintings came into
existence
Nauka Vihar of Radha Krishna - Pata Painting
Each
and every year, the painted wooden
images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra, the deities of the Puri
Jagannath temple, are offered the traditional abhishek (holy bath
ritual). This invariably leads to the discoloration of the images, due
to which they have to be removed from the garbha griha (sanctum
sanctorum) and taken for repainting. It is at this time that the temple
substitutes three paintings for the images. In Sanskrit, the word
'Pata' means 'Cloth' and 'Chitra' means 'Painting'.
To make a
Pata painting, artists use a fine brush made from the hair of a
mongoose or rat. They also sometimes use coarse brushes made from a
buffalo's neck. The Keya plant is used to draw thick, bold lines. The
painting is done on a piece of cloth, which is initially given a
coating of gum. The front of the cloth is brushed with a mixture of
soap, stone powder and tamarind paste. Then it is burnished by rubbing
rough grain and polished stone, so that it acquires a sheen. The cloth
is then smoothened out and cut to the desired shape and then painted
using vegetable and mineral dyes. Once done, the cloth is given a
protective coating of a lacquer glaze, called jausala. The whole
process is extremely painstaking and takes at least 5 days to complete.
Lord Ganesha - Patachitra on Palm Leaf
Pata paintings are very
popular with tourists, especially foreign visitors, who take them back
as a souvenir. Patachitras depicting the utsava image of Puri Jagannath
are considered to be extremely special. These can also be found at
several ethnic stores and handricraft expos across the country.
Patachitra
Art is traditionally practised by a certain family of artists living
around the Jagannath temple area at Puri. Starting off as a ritual,
Patachitra Art is now considered to be one of the most cherished
collectors' items.
Along with these cloth paintings, the
Chitrakars also often etched images of the deities on dried palm
leaves. This art is known as Talapatachitra. Rectangular pieces of palm
leaves are dried and stitched together by means of thin black thread.
The desired designs are then etched on the leaves with a needle. In
spite of the limited space, each figure is etched to great detail and
the final result is an absolutely stunning masterpiece! Needless to
say, the entire process is onerous and very time-consuming. The art of
Patachitra thrives even today and has attained international status as
one of the finest of art forms.
Kalighat Paintings
Goddess Durga - Kalighat Painting
Kailghat
paintings first came into
being during the 19th Century at Kolkata, Bengal, in the market area
close to the Kalighat temple there. It first appeared as a souvenir
associated with the Kali temple at Kalighat. In the beginning, Kalighat
temples only treated Hindu mythological themes, but by and by, it
included everyday themes, secular, social and the current political
themes as well. So the art that had till then been within the boundary
of religion alone, stepped outside it and commented on contemporary
issues affecting the then social, cultural and societal milieu.
These
paintings started reflecting the new values and new ethics of a modern
society. Some artists even painted Imam Husain's horse, Duldul, and
aspects of Islam, in order to please their Muslim clients. This art
thus emerged as a dynamic form of expression, cleverly combining
traditional techniques to form modern images, opinions and concepts.
With
time, Hindu artisans from several parts of Bengal migrated into
Kalighat and established their profession there. That entire area
around the temple soon came to be known as Pata-Para or the Artists'
Locality. Many artists who started off with these paintings as a mere
hobby soon got to it full-time. The demand for these paintings was fast
rising, so the supply for these had to be met accordingly. Such was the
popularity of these paintings, that very soon, they even adorned the
houses of not-so-wealthy residents of the area.
The artists
who created Kalighat paintings came from several areas of rural Bengal.
Their paintings, hence, were an impression of their own perception of
urban life and society in their times. They would, for instance, show
their derision towards the "Babu" culture which raised its hood then,
the rise of feminism and liberal attitudes, religious hypocrisy, social
debauchery and so on. The paintings here would not stop with being mute
works of art - they actually portrayed a dynamic society, evolving each
and every day.
An artist could sell about 16-20 paintings for
as little as a rupee. This is how even low-income households could
easily afford to purchase them without too much trouble. The Indian
elite at that time were so taken in by the glamour of the British Raj
that they looked down upon anything that was not Victorian. Rudyard
Kipling was the one to note the raw beauty of these paintings. He
bought many, many paintings, many of which were later donated to the
Victoria and Albert Museum in London in the year 1917. These and the
collection of paintings at the Prague Museum are some the best
specimens of Kalighat paintings.
Goddess Kali - Kalighat Painting
The Kalighat paintings actually
reflected the painters' own orthodoxy and fear of the rapid social
changes taking place at the time. Popular themes portrayed then would
be of the Rani of Jhansi on horseback, babus wooing their concubines,
cats bearing Hindu holy marks on the forehead as allusion to
debauchery, good-for-nothing-dandies and so on. There was a general
wave of resentment against the British Raj, so they would try to
portray the victory of good over evil, symbolizing the ultimate victory
of India over the British rule.
The most important and
attractive aspect of the Kalighat paintings was that they were simple
drawings and paintings, which could easily be reproduced by
lithography. Such prints were hand-coloured, giving the entire picture
a beautiful, raw look. This trend continued up to the early part of the
twentieth century and these paintings ended up in museums and private
collections. Kalighat paintings verily captured the essence of daily
life and they influence modern artistes like the late Jamini Roy even
to this day.
Kalighat paintings got hugely popular in the
twentieth century, when Parsi-based families vied with each other to
acquire them. The main aim of Kalighat was to create a dynamic picture
that would intuitively apprehend the subject rather than simply
represent it. The general treatment of figures and planes forged the
two-dimensional quality of the pictorial space. The broad planes, the
bold lines, the linear tensions, the vibrant colors used and the
symmetrical curves smoothly blend in together to create a visual poetry
of sorts. Sadly, though, the painters left their portraits unsigned, so
vital information about them has gone off into oblivion.
Jamini Roy Paintings
Jamini
Roy is a very famous name in Indian history. Born in a traditional and
culturally rich family in Bankura, West Bengal, in the year 1887,
Jamini Roy had naturally, constantly been exposed to the tradition of
Bengali Folk Art from a very tender age. This is why his works had the
unmistakable influence of the Folk Tradition and remained this way
throughout his career as well. Strict adherence to tradition was one of
the hallmarks of his entire painting career. Jamini Roy's wealth of
paintings went on to make him one of the most influential of modern
Indian painters.
Jamini Roy was just 16 when he left for
Calcutta. He sought his father's blessings and left to the metro in
order to pursue his dream, to study his most loved subject, Art. Having
enrolled himself into the Government School of Art, he found a mentor
in Abanindranath Tagore, who was one of the most important contributors
to the genre of Modern Indian Art.
Mother and Child - Jamini Roy Painting
Jamini
Roy did not start off his
brilliant career in a very nice way, initially. His academic career lay
the solid foundation for his early works - they clearly bore
resemblance to the Bengal School of Mannerism. His landscape and
portrait painting clearly had a postimpressionist stamp. But his early
works at that point of time lacked the character that his later work
was filled with, in each and every stroke. That might have been
because, in his earlier life, he was afflicted by tremendous poverty
and hardships, which naturally showed up in his work then.
In
the initial stages, Jamini Roy's works went unrecognized, causing him
much torment and frustration. He was disappointed with the step
motherly treatment he was dished out and, in a bid to survive, took up
all odd jobs that came his way.
With time, Jamini Roy
rediscovered himself and his work showed a sudden improvement and
maturity. He decided to go totally back to his roots and completely
concentrated on his work. This is where he studied the Kalighat
paintings in great detail. During the 1930s, his work took on a new
avatar and revealed all aspects of the then Bengal, including the
Vishnupur terracotta tradition in his works. He used simple bold lines
and refreshingly new color schemes and patterns that later on went to
become his hallmark. Going further, he abandoned the traditional canvas
and experimented with many other new surfaces as well, to give that
unique ethnic touch one associates with his paintings. He used wood,
cloth and even mats coated with lime. Keeping with the tradition, he
also used only natural vegetable dyes for his paintings. Thus he
brought back the nostalgia of the bygone folk tradition, which had all
but completely faded away from the Bengal psyche.
Some of
Jamini Roy's greatest and most popular works include 'Santal Boy with
Drum' (1935), 'St. Ann and the Blessed Virgin' (1945), 'Makara' (1945),
'Seated woman in Sari' (1947) and the 'Krishna and Radha series' of
paintings. Jamini Roy's paintings became so famous that he soon had a
vast number of admirers, including both the Bengali middle class and
the elitist European clientele. His work was exhibited several times
over in New York and London, besides many Indian cities. He was also
awarded the highest State Award of India, the Padma Bhushan, in 1955.
He died in 1972 in the city of Calcutta.
Batik
Lady Writing a Letter - Batik Painting
Batik
is a wax-resist dyeing technique
used on fabric. Batik is an important aspect of Indonesia and is
actually considered as national art there. Interestingly, similar
patterns of the Batik art is also found in several countries such as
Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia,
Sri Lanka, Iran, Bangladesh and India.
In Batik, a piece
of cloth is decorated by covering part of it with a coat of wax and
then dyeing the cloth. The waxed portions retain their original color
and when the wax is taken out, the contrast between the dyed and
non-dyed portions is what gives the cloth its pattern. One of the most
important aspects of this art is that it is very easy and can be done
by just about anyone. Batik can be used to grace any part of your home
to add beauty and an ethnic touch to it. Apart from that, you also have
Batik bags, wall paintings, murals and linens. Batik apparels such as
Kurtis, Saris and wrappers have always been a rage with Indians. This
wonderful art has been given a lot of exposure and is immensely popular
in India and abroad.
The history of Indian Batik is ancient
and can be traced right back to 2000 years ago. In fact, Indians knew
this resist dyeing method of printing designs on cotton fabrics much
prior to any other country in the world. Indian dyes on cotton fabric
were very popular even then. The indigo blue color was one of the first
dyes ever to be used. But the huge amount of trouble one had to take to
make Batik was what discouraged people from studying it and entering
the profession, thereby leading to a temporary decline of the art in
this country.
In the present, Batik has evolved, changing with
the present styles and tastes. Modern Batik is simple in design, yet
captivating to the beholder's eye, because it is dynamic and constantly
keeps experimenting with newer colors and patterns. Of course, this new
demand for modernization in Batik does not, in any way, lessen the
existing craze for popular traditional designs and fabrics as
well.
Batik-making techniques
Mahishasuramardini Durga - Batik Painting
Batik
art, like any other traditional
art, is painstaking and goes through a long making process. Batik art
goes through three stages, namely, waxing, dyeing and dewaxing. Before
that, there are also several sub-stages, such as preparing the cloth,
making a trace of the designs, stretching the cloth well on the frame,
putting wax on the area of the cloth that the artist does not want
dyed, preparing the dye itself and then dipping the cloth in the dye,
boiling the cloth in order to dewax and finally, thoroughly wash the
cloth in soap.
Fine wax lines are drawn with a canting needle
(or a tjanting tool), a wooden-handled tool with a small metal cup with
a spout, which the wax seeps out of. Other methods of applying wax onto
the fabric include pouring liquid wax, painting the wax on the fabric
with a brush, applying hot wax to pre-carved wooden or metal wire block
and stamping the fabric and so on.
The fine cracks that appear
in the wax are the characteristic effects of the batik. These
allow tiny measures of the dye to seep in. Batik wax plays a vital role
in the process of batik printing. The right usage of this wax, in the
proper measure, results into an impeccable batik work. 30 per cent
beeswax and 70 per cent paraffin wax is the measure that is generally
used. During application, care should be taken to see that the wax is
not overheated; else it might catch fire. The commonest batik fabrics
used to excellent batik prints are poplin, cambric, voiles, and pure
silk are used. Natural colors derived from barks of trees, leaves,
flowers and minerals were used for Batik printing.
Various new
methods of Batik printing are being tried out today, such as tiaping
with a copper block, using screen-printing and splash methods,
hand-painting with a Kalamkari pen and so on. With the increase in
demand for Batik art, newer methods are being tried out almost each
day.
Once the last dyeing is done, the fabric is hung up to
dry. Then it is either dipped in a type of solvent, which helps
dissolve the wax, or ironed between newspaper sheets or paper towels to
help it absorb the wax and reveal the deep rich colors and the fine
crinkle lines that give batik its character. This traditional method of
batik making is called Batik Tulis, which literally means, "Written
Batik".
Batik art in India is actively propagated and promoted
mainly by the University of Shantiniketan in Calcutta and Chola
Mandalam in Chennai.
Miniature Painting
Ragini Vasanta - Miniature Painting on Silk
Miniatures
paintings are wonderful and
very special works of art because they are delicate handmade paintings,
much smaller in size than a normal painting. This is indeed the
hallmark of these paintings - the intricate and delicate brushwork,
which lends them their unique identity, requires much patience and
skill on the part of the artist making them. It is indeed difficult
even to create a normal painting or portrait, so one can imagine just
how much more difficult it would be to create a miniature painting.
The
colors used in miniature painting are handmade, acquired from
vegetables, minerals, indigo, conch shells, precious stones, pure gold
and silver. The most common theme of Indian miniature painting
comprises the Ragas i.e., the melodies of Indian classical music.
Miniature painting is an ancient art in India and there were many
schools of the same, including those of the Rajputs, Deccans and the
Mughals.
Evolution of miniature painting
in India
The
art of Indian Miniatures painting started in the Western Himalayas,
round about the 17th century. These paintings were very much influenced
by the mural paintings that originated during the later half of the
18th century. This art further flourished during the Mughal rule.
Muslim kings of the Deccan and Malwa as also the Hindu Rajas of
Rajasthan, were patrons of this great tradition. In fact, the Mughals
were even responsible for introducing the unique Persian flavor in the
miniature paintings of India.
Radha Krishna - Miniature Painting
The concept of
illustrated palm leaf manuscripts came into being during the 11th and
12th centuries. Since the manuscripts were diminutive in size, the
painting done on it had to be much smaller. This in itself could have
given rise to the concept of miniature painting.
Miniature
paintings are also done on wooden tables, ivory panels, paper, marble,
leather, on walls and even on cloth. Some of the special miniature
paintings show the flourishing of the Mughal period, illustrated
manuscripts of Jains and Buddhists, scenes from the Rajput history and
also Deccan miniatures. Additionally, miniature paintings also included
themes from Indian epics such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagvata
Purana, Rasikpriya, Rasamanjiri and the ragas of Indian classical music.
Methods used in miniature
painting
Miniature
paintings require a high degree of expertise and complete dedication on
the part of the artist. Very thin brushes are used, with which
intricate, colorful and rational impressions are drawn on the medium of
painting.
Miniature paper painting art are done on old
or new hand made paper of very fine quality. They depict animals and
birds, butterflies, Mughal themes and so on. Miniature paintings made
of pure marble slabs thematically feature birds and animals, scenes
from Indian mythology, beautifully attired women, turbaned men and
Mughal themes.
Schools of miniature painting
Royal Elephant - Miniature Painting
The
schools of Indian miniature
painting include the Orissa School, the Pala School, the Mughal School,
the Jain School, the Rajasthani School and the Nepali School.
- The
earliest specimens of the Indian Miniature painting are those attached
to the Pala School and date back as early as the 11th century. This
school was characterized by its symbolic use of color in the paintings,
which took its inspiration from the age-old tantric rituals in vogue
then. Yet other characteristics of the Pala School included the use of
graceful lines, modeling forms with the delicate manipulation of
variation of pressure, use of natural colors and so on.
-
The
Jain School of Miniature paintings
mainly concentrated on style. This school used strong pure colors,
heavy gold outlines, stylish figures of ladies, diminution of dress to
angular segments, square-shaped hands and enlarged eyes. One can get to
see the influence of Jain miniature paintings on Rajasthani and Mughal
paintings as well.
- The
very
essence of miniature painting are found in Rajasthan and can be traced
back to its schools of Jodhpur, Jaipur, Mughal, Kangra and Mewar. The
Jodhpur School of Miniature paintings depict legendary lovers such as
Dholu and Maru on camel back. They also depict hunting scenes with
elephants and horses. This school of miniature painting mostly uses
gold and stone colors.
- The
Mughal School of miniature painting mostly depicts amorous scenes,
Mughal Royal courts and the battlefields, using gold and stone colors.
Mughal paintings feature stylized imagery in rich draped figures with a
blend of Indian and Persian styles.
- The
primary difference between the Rajput and the Mughal miniature
paintings lay in the use of colors. The Mughal School used muted
colours, giving its paintings a shadow and depth, while the Rajasthan
School uses bold primary colours, which ended up giving the painting a
more abstract look.
- Yet
other
schools of Miniature Painting include the Malwa School, Bandhelkhand
School, Raghogarh School, Bani Thani and Bundhelkhand School. Folk
miniature paintings evolved in two varying styles known as Phads and
Pichwais. The artisans and peasants developed these very attractive and
vibrant paintings.
Ganesha with Riddhi and Siddhi - Miniature Painting
This article was written by:
Priya Viswanathan, a teacher/performer of Bharata Natyam, Classical Music and Classical Instrumental Veena. A recipient of several awards for both music and dance, Priya is also a freelance writer online. She currently writes for About.com, a subsidiary of IAC - the parent company of Ask.com. (http://mobiledevices.about.com)