Priya Kapoor
Indian miniature paintings are a class of paintings that originated in India and are noted for their intricate details and the sensitivity with which human, divine, and natural forms are portrayed. After the Mughals, several schools or styles, known as gharanas, emerged, including the Lucknow gharana, Jaipur gharana, and Banaras gharana. The development of these gharanas allowed artists to take on new challenges and obtain individual mastery in their craft. The Lucknow style, for example, is known for its graceful expression of romantic feelings, while the Jaipur gharana is characterised by complicated pure dance patterns. The decline of Mughal rule and the subsequent shift in patronage led to the development of distinct styles such as the Rajput miniature style in Rajasthan, which focused on the love stories of Lord Krishna and the mythological literature of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
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What You'll Learn
Mughal miniature art influences
Indian miniature paintings are a form of art that originated in India. They are typically painted on small canvases only a few inches in length and width, but they encapsulate intricate details and portray human, divine, and natural forms with great sensitivity. Over time, Indian miniatures evolved from their origins in cave paintings to encompass diverse styles and themes, including the Mughal and Pahari schools.
The Mughal school of miniature painting emerged during the reign of the emperor Humāyūn in the 16th century. Humāyūn invited two Persian artists, Mīr Sayyid ʿAlī and Khwāja ʿAbd al-Ṣamad, to join him in India, marking the beginnings of the Mughal style. Initially, Mughal painting showed some influence from the Ṣafavid school of Persian painting but quickly developed its own distinct characteristics.
Mughal miniature paintings are known for their delicate brushwork, vibrant colours, and graceful forms. They often depicted royal life and were influenced by Western and European styles due to interactions with Europeans. The reign of Jahangir played a significant role in the development of Mughal miniature art. Jahangir had a keen artistic sensibility and encouraged his royal atelier to adopt the single-point perspective favoured by European artists. He also promoted paintings that depicted events from his life, individual portraits, and studies of birds, flowers, and animals. The influence of European styles can be seen in the paintings created during Jahangir's reign, with finer brushwork and lighter colours.
During the reign of Shah Jahan, portraiture and random depictions gained immense popularity. The miniatures produced during this period showcased a delicate softness that reflected Shah Jahan's romantic and poetic nature. However, under the rule of Aurangzeb, patronage of the arts declined, and many artists migrated to provincial courts or other regions. This dispersal of artists led to the development of new styles and schools of miniature painting, such as the Provincial Mughal Miniatures and the Deccani style.
The Deccani style of miniature art flourished in regions like Bijapur, Ahmednagar, Golkonda, and Hyderabad from the 16th to 19th centuries. Initially, this style was independent of Mughal influences and combined European, Iranian, and Turkish influences. Later, Deccani art incorporated indigenous art forms, romantic elements, and Mughal influences, creating a unique blend of styles.
Mughal miniature art also influenced the development of Rajput miniature painting in modern-day Rajasthan during the 17th and 18th centuries. Unlike Mughal miniatures, Rajput miniatures focused on the love stories of Lord Krishna and the mythological literature of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Rajput style is characterised by exaggerated features, such as long necks, almond-shaped eyes, and long fingers.
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Development of distinct Rajasthani schools
Indian miniature paintings are a class of paintings that originated in India. They are typically small in size and are drawn with watercolour on cloth or paper. The earliest miniature paintings in India can be traced back to the 7th century AD, when they flourished under the patronage of the Palas of Bengal. The earliest centre of painting in the Pahari region was Basohli, which was characterised by the vigorous use of primary colours and peculiar facial features. The style spread to neighbouring states and continued till the middle of the 18th century.
Miniature painting developed into distinct Rajasthani schools in the 17th and 18th centuries. This development occurred due to the decline in Mughal miniature art patronage during the reign of Aurangzeb, which caused artists to migrate to other princely courts. Rajasthani miniatures centred around the love stories of Lord Krishna and the mythological literature of Ramayana and Mahabharata. The principal centres of Rajasthani miniatures included Mewar, Bundi, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Jaipur, and over fifteen smaller states and thikanas.
The Mewar school is known for its portrayal of Hindu myths and legends, while the Kishangarh style is noted for its highly exaggerated features such as long necks, large almond-shaped eyes, and long fingers. Other distinct schools of Rajasthani miniature art include Malwa, Marwar, Bundi-Kota, and Amber.
In addition to the Rajasthani schools, there were also distinct styles of miniature painting that developed in other regions of India. For example, the Pahari miniature style developed in the lower Himalayan regions and Punjab hills, with major centres in Basohli, Guler, Chamba, Mandi, and Kangra. The Deccani style refers to the miniature art practised in Bijapur, Ahmednagar, Golkonda, and Hyderabad from the 16th to 19th centuries.
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Pahari miniature style
The Pahari miniature style of painting developed in the lower Himalayan regions and Punjab hills of India. The name 'Pahari' means 'of the hills' in Hindi. This style of miniature painting is characterised by its emotive quality, compositional details, rich symbolism, sensitive portrayals of humans, and natural landscapes. The central theme of Pahari paintings is the depiction of the eternal love of the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna.
The major centres of the Pahari style were Basohli, Guler, Chamba, Mandi, and Kangra, while the minor ones included Jammu, Bilaspur, Garhwal, and Punjab. The earliest centre of painting in the Pahari region was Basohli, which produced bold and intense miniatures with a distinct style marked by the indiscriminate use of the lotus symbol, human figures with large eyes, and broad foreheads. The Basohli style spread to various neighbouring states and continued until the middle of the 18th century.
The Guler style is known for its delicate paintings similar to the Mughal miniatures, but distinct in the feelings and emotions they evoke. Guler paintings feature refined lines and delicate shades of colours, with a focus on the feminine world and landscapes. Chamba is another sub-school of Pahari painting, known for its unique technique of mixing colours and representation of women.
The Kangra style is considered the pinnacle of Pahari miniatures and Himalayan art, with its mature technical finesse and portraiture. Kangra paintings are characterised by their delicate and lyrical style, inspired by the Vaishnav cult of Hinduism and the love of Radha and Krishna. This style developed in the late 18th century, replacing the transitional pre-Kangra style.
The development of Pahari miniature painting is closely tied to the decline of Mughal patronage during the reign of Aurangzeb, which caused many artists to seek new patrons in the provincial courts. The Pahari style thus emerged as a distinct form of Indian miniature painting, with its own unique characteristics and themes.
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Deccani style
Deccani painting, or Deccan painting, is a style of Indian miniature painting that flourished in the Deccan region of Central India from the late 16th century to the mid-17th century, with a revival in the mid-18th century centred on Hyderabad. The style emerged in the various Muslim capitals of the Deccan sultanates that arose from the break-up of the Bahmani Sultanate by 1520: Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmadnagar (or Ahmednagar), Bidar, and Berar.
Deccani painting is characterised by a blend of indigenous and foreign art forms, reflecting the diverse cultural influences in the Deccan region. The elongated human figures in Deccani miniatures are influenced by Vijayanagar wall paintings, while the floral-sprigged backgrounds, high horizons, and landscape elements reveal Persian influence. The colours used in Deccani paintings are rich and luminous, with frequent use of gold and white, and the compositions are highly charged and rhythmic, creating a sense of depth and distance.
The early development of Deccani painting was independent of Mughal influences, instead drawing on Islamic, European, Iranian, and Turkish artistic traditions. During this early period, Deccani art focused on text illumination and the decoration of the Holy Quran and the Surahs. Over time, Deccani painting incorporated more indigenous art forms, romantic elements, and, eventually, Mughal influences.
The high quality and sophistication of Deccani miniatures suggest that there was already a well-established local artistic tradition in the Deccan region, possibly including murals, which influenced the development of the miniature style. The earliest dated Deccani manuscript is the Nujūm-ul-ʿulūm of 1570 ("The Stars of the Sciences"), which was produced in Bijapur under the patronage of Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580-1627).
From the 17th century onwards, the Deccani and Mughal schools of painting began to influence each other. The decline of the Mughal court after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 led many Mughal artists to migrate to Hyderabad, where they synthesised Mughal elements with the existing Deccani style. This period saw the development of distinct styles in Hyderabad, blending the former Golkonda school with Mughal artistic influences.
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Jain and Buddhist influences
The earliest examples of miniature painting in India are illustrations of religious texts on Buddhism and Jainism. These miniature paintings flourished under the patronage of the Palas of Bengal in the east and the Kings of the Chalukya Dynasty in Western India, respectively.
Buddhist Influences
The Palas, who ruled from the 7th to the 12th centuries, were patrons of Buddhist art. During this period, Buddhist monasteries (mahaviharas) in Nalanda, Odantapuri, Vikramsila, and Somarupa were centres of Buddhist learning and art. Illustrations of Buddhist texts and scriptures were done on 3-inch-wide palm leaf manuscripts, with images of Buddhist deities. This art was defined by subdued colours and sinuous lines, similar to the murals in Ajanta.
Jain Influences
In Western India, Jainism inspired the miniature artistic movement from the 12th to the 16th centuries. This style prevailed in the regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Malwa. Jain temples and monasteries had mural paintings dating back thousands of years, though pre-medieval survivals are rare. Jain manuscripts were lavishly illustrated using exaggerated physical traits, vigorous lines, and bold colours. The Kalpasutra and the Kalakacharya-Katha were popular Jain texts that were frequently illustrated. The Mughal ruler Akbar also recruited some Jaina painters, who illustrated manuscripts with "wiry drawings" and "jewel-like colours."
The development of miniature painting in India was influenced by both Jain and Buddhist traditions, with the former particularly influencing the Western Indian style and the latter influencing the art of the east. These miniature paintings served as important records of religious texts and played a significant role in the artistic expression of these faiths.
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Frequently asked questions
The two gharanas of miniature painting are the Rajasthan gharanas and Lucknow gharanas. Other sources also cite the existence of the Jaipur gharana and the Banaras gharana.
The Rajasthan gharana of miniature painting is centred around the love stories of Lord Krishna and the mythological literature of Ramayana and Mahabharata. The paintings were created as manuscripts and decorations on the walls of havelis and forts. The Kishangarh style, a type of Rajasthan gharana, is known for its highly exaggerated features such as long necks, large almond-shaped eyes, and long fingers.
The Lucknow gharana is famous for the graceful expression of romantic feelings. It is characterised by precise, fine detailed movements and an emphasis on the exposition of thumri, a semi-classical style of love song.
Both the Rajasthan and Lucknow gharanas are characterised by intricate details, delicate brushwork, and a mélange of colours. They also encapsulate a wide range of topics such as legends, human passions, and physicality.
