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Arts in Rajasthan |
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Rajasthan is among the richest
states in the country as far as the field of art and craft is
concerned. Today, various varieties and artistry can be seen in
the various forms of paintings. The two main forms of paintings
are the formal school of miniature paintings that flourished in
courts all over India and Deccan and the folk traditions that
resulted in a unique style of the painting of Rajasthan. The
history of Rajasthan also revealed that the kings and their
nobles were patrons of art and crafts and they encouraged their
craftsmen in activities ranging from wood and marble carving to
weaving, pottery and painting. May be it was the result of the
war which sharpened the creative senses, artistic skills which
inspired the craftsmen of Rajasthan to create the most opulent
and richest of treasures. Stone, clay, leather, wood, ivory, lac,
glass, brass, silver, gold and textiles were given the most
brilliant forms. For women there was infinite variety - tie and
dye fabrics, embroidered garments, enamel jewellery inlayed with
precious and semi-precious stones, leather jootis etc.
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Paintings in Rajasthan |
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Various Muslim artists worked in the Rajput courts, and Hindu
artists worked in the Mughal court. The Chittorgarh court also
offered employment to the Muslim painter and had a seminal
school in the 16th century from where a collection of Gita
Govinda paintings may have originated. Due to this, the Mewar
school become one of the most important schools in the state.
The Mughal artists of Delhi were welcomed by the rulers of
Rajasthan due to the decline of their patronage in the Mughal
court. As a result of it the Rajasthani school of paintings,
murals and miniatures came into existence in the 16th century.
In Rajasthan, from 16th to the 18th century, about seven styles
of painting developed over a period of time, and in different
kingdoms. The miniature paintings also flourished before the
establishment of the 16th century Mughal studios, particularly
as illustrations for manuscripts, and Akbar also hired various
court painters from Hindu kingdoms in North India. The miniature
painting is a portfolio painting that uses techniques similar to
wall paintings, cloth paintings or manuscript illustrations from
which it may have evolved. These paintings are painted on a
paper that has been specially treated, and uses vegetable and
mineral colours. Some of the examples of the miniature paintings
can be seen in the Mughal and Rajasthani styles that existed in
the 16th century. The Mughals miniature paintings were restricted to |
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court scenes
and portraits of the emperors and the rulers like Akbar,
Jahangir and Shah Jahan and also derived inspiration from them.
While, the Rajasthani school of miniatures was characterised by
a revival based on its increasing contact with the Mughal
Durbar. Various strong colours, bold compositions, the range of
hues almost passionate in their intensity, and in their response
to the life of the people, ornamental depiction of nature and
accentuated human forms were used in the Rajasthan miniatures
that reflect the Rajput culture.
The main difference in the paintings was in the
way the painter looked at the countryside, hills, shrubs, forts,
gardens and sand dunes. The miniature paintings were made on the
variety of subjects like the kings, religious and secular. But,
their main subject was the description of the Krishna Leela. In
the Gita Govinda, the miniature paintings also became a lyrical
symbol with swaying lotuses, meandering streams, and trees
suggesting the intimate passions of lovers. The epics like the
Ramayana and Mahabharata formed as the base for religious works
of art. Later, shades of royal lifestyle came to be seen on the
canvas of the painters, and ranged from hunting scenes to ladies
playing chess, or polo.
Earlier, the finest miniatures used to be painted on ivory, but
it is now banned in India. The same artists also tried to bring
the same effect on marble but achieved very less success. The
painting on marble looks like the gesso work from Bikaner that
can be seen on the camel hide. Most of the artists also used
walls to create paintings, and a profusion of work can be seen
in the palaces of most of the kingdoms where every walls and
ceilings are lavished with scenes from the Krishna Leela, or the
exploits of Lord Rama, or the court scenes and portraits of
rulers. In aristocratic homes, the secular and religious scenes
were presented. Frescoes paintings can be seen on the walls of
palaces at Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner and Jodhpur. Most of these
paintings have the themes of the Krishna stories, Raslila and Hindu
religious subjects.
Today, miniatures are turned out in almost every studios that
have been especially developed to help in the tourist souvenir
trade. These studios can be seen in Jaipur, Udaipur and
Kishangarh. Even now, the talent is available in plenty, but the
best artists rarely finds their way in the open market. They are
commissioned directly, and their work can be seen as the
collections, or used to illustrate prestigious art books. Most
of these works are copies of earlier paintings, and original
subjects are very hard to find. |
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Folk Styles of Painting |
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While the formal school of miniatures were patronised by the
royal families and the aristocracy, the humbler settlements
patronised the humble forms of art and were very expressive. The
folk paintings used fabric as the material and emerged in two
styles.
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Phads |
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Phads are scroll-like paintings on a giant canvas that were used
by the Bhopa ministers to recount the legends of Pabuji Ramdeo
of the Rabari tribe, and his black mare. The tales are painted
in flaming orange, red and black colour in comic-strip fashion.
There is very little detailing and the expressive use of the
outline of human figures and the sketchy filling of the
background creates a lively tapestry.
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Pichwais |
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Pichwais are decorative curtain cloths used as a background for
religious images in a shrine. These can be brocaded block
printed, embroidered, or worked in gold threads. In the simplest
form, they can be secular in nature, and are painted in huge
quantities for sale to tourists. The Pichwai developed when the
Vallabhaichari sect created 24 iconographic rendering as a
background for the Krishna image at Nathdwara. Each of these
images were linked with a particular festival or celebration.
While images from Nathdwara are instantly recognizable in the
way Krishna is painted, and in the decorative element that
embellishes the cloth, the traditional pichwai consist of
starched, handspun cloth painted with vegetable and mineral
colours like cochineal, indigo, lapiz and orpiment. Nowadays,
the fabric colours are used. The format of the pichwai is
static, where even the natural elements appear ‘frozen’. The
elements like the sun, moon, stars, or even lighting appeared in
the painting.
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Royal Styles of Painting |
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The Rajasthani miniature painting evolved various styles that
can be seen in the different kingdoms where it found patronage.
The miniature paintings were initially used as illustrations for
texts, and later evolved as portfolios of the life and times of
their royal patrons. In Rajasthan, there were seven distinctive
style of what are also referred to as Rajput paintings, and they
evolved in the following seven states:
Bikaner:
One of the finest schools of miniatures was developed in Bikaner.
These paintings existed from 1600 onwards and show a marked
Mughal influence. In fact, the local style kept pace with the
painters in the Mughal court, and were not expressive, while the
Bikaneri artist tended to be more expressive. The delicate sub
colours were used and there was a delicacy in the portrayal of
human and vegetation forms. The Mughal and Bikaneri miniatures
were sometimes mistaken with each other, as the pleasant
background, colourscapes and the foliage (as if to make up for
the desert conditions), were very luxuriant.
Bundi and Kota:
The Bundi and Kota school developed two different identities,
but have the same common identities. The Mughal intervention
blended the two traditions of illustrating court scenes. The
human figures appeared to have a haunting appearance, and were
not marked by formal austerity. The early works were the
commissions for illustrating traditional texts like Ragamala and
Rasikapriya. The hunting scenes captured the fancy of the
artist. As the school developed, it evolved into an entire
school of its own from 1700 onwards. The paintings have a green
tint and idealized the landscape and forestscape. The feminine
grace in group of young women leading to works is very colourful,
and creatively handled in the paintings. In the Bundi school,
the background usually consists of thick foliage, with a sky
over laden with clouds and illuminated by the light of the
setting sun. The architectural background is equally impressive,
with palaces and apartments depicted in fine details. There is a
lyrical expression of love that can be seen in the paintings,
and ornamental backgrounds. The same style evolved in Kota, but
it developed its own expression in a similar and independent
form.
Kishangarh:
The Kishangarh artists were very brilliant and there is nothing
that matches their brilliance that lasted only for a short
while. Kishangarh was a Rathore kingdom, and their early work
was similar to that of the Marwar. A more advanced style later
replaced this in the first quarter of the 18th century, and
reached a point of perfection under the rule of Savant Singh,
the heir to the throne of Kishangarh who finally abdicated in
favour of his son and chose to live a hermit’s life in Brindavan.
Under Savant Singh’s rule, the Nihal Chand, one of the finest
painters of the period and a school of paintings dealing with
Krishna and his lady love, Radha, emerged. It is believed that
the figures of Krishna were modeled on Savant Singh, and those
of Radha were modeled on his mistress, known as Bani Thani. The
portraits of Bani Thani are among the most attractive miniatures
in India, and she obviously inspired Nihal Chand to cast her as
Radha in his Ras Leela scenes. The Kishangarh figures are
exceptionally attractive, and show a refined
delicacy. The backgrounds shared the elaborate style of Mughal
paintings, together with the use of the evening light, but the
artists used a greater expression of creative freedom. The
Kishangarh paintings are among the finest body of arts that were
expressed in a canvas of such elaborate colours.
Jaipur:
The Jaipur school of miniatures, which is still active, was also
the most formal school of miniatures. It was a kin to the Mughal
in the backgrounds, and in the court settings, but its subjects
were more secular. Of all the schools in Rajasthan, Jaipur’s use
of colours is the most understated. The depiction of the human
figure, by the 18th century, had been perfected. The faces are
accentuated, the eyes are large and curving, the turbans are
worn high, and while they sit or stand or ride, the men are
shown with a sense of vibrant energy. Even paintings showing
rulers practicing religious rituals are not devoid of this
quality of vibrancy. The background is more characteristic with
thick, rich decorative leaves of trees, and skies are
enriched with thick, rolling clouds. Aniline colours too are an
important feature.
Mewar:
The Mewar school of painting is one of the largest school of
miniature paintings in Rajasthan. These miniature paintings were
found in Udaipur, from the 17th to 19th century. The main theme
of these paintings was the traditional text that ranges from the
Ragamala, Nayika-bhada and Krishna Leela to the Ramayana and the
Bhagvata Purana. The scenes from the Krishan Leela came to be
known for their amorous quality. One of the first definitive
sets of Ragamala paintings of 1605, and executed by painter
Nasiruddin, can be still seen in the collections at Udaipur. The
Mewar school is known for its strong colours and decorative
designs. The landscape has been emphasized so that the human
figures tend to integrate with it. The
decorative features were further accentuated with Mughal cross
fertilization when a mosaic-like, decorative character evolved,
due to foliage. Later, lifestyle portraits were developed in the
Sisodia school, replacing nature with the background of the
palaces of the Ranas.
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The Sculptural Art of Rajasthan |
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Just as Rajasthan is known for the fine quality of its
paintings, it is also known for its great body of sculptures.
The sculptural art is one of the most profuse forms of
decorative art in Rajasthan, particularly in the medieval period
and was lavished in palaces and forts, temples and stepwells,
and the havelis or townhouses of the merchants and traders.
The main tools of the mason or sculptor were basic and crude,
and included the tanki or punch, the pahuri or chisel, the
hathora or hammer, and the barma or borer. The main used these
simple elements, and followed the texts designed especially for
his use (Shipashastra and Manasara) to build the perfect
jharokha or arch or pillar. The texts are very exhaustive on
details and the individual expression of creativity is
permitted.
There are two ways to examine the issue of the sculptor’s art as
an architectural embellishment, and as stand-alone work. The
stand alone art was very little used in Rajasthan, and figures
were carved either for enshrining in temples, or sculpture was
part of the great design of architecture.
Religious icons were always carved from marble and the Makrana
marble mines supply the marble for centuries. Even today, in
most of the shrines in India, the religious images are carved in
Jaipur where religious iconography has developed into a fine
art. But Jaipur is merely a centre for creating marble images.
For sheer details, there is nothing to beat the excessive marble
sculpturing developed by the Jains at their temples. Most of the
Jain temples have large statues of their trithankaras enshrined
in the sanctum. The best examples of Jain temples in Rajasthan
are in Mount Abu and Ranakpur. Mount Abu’s Dilwara temples
contains four principal shrines and are housed together. These
temples were built between the 11th and 12th
centuries and used all the administrative skills. The Ranakpur
Jain temples are one of the most beautiful temples raised by the
Jains in India. At the heart of the complex is the temple of
Adinath, one of the largest, most extensive, and characterized
by its excess and profusion of sculpture. The temple has 29
halls supported by 1444 pillars. Not one of these pillars are
alike in one way or other and entirely sculptured with
arabesques, motifs, and statues.
Jain temple architecture is characterized by its profusion of
sculpturing. The stone is moulded, chiseled, scooped out, and
developed so that each grain becomes a part of the grand design
of the temple. Nor is the work limited to a similar repetition:
pillars can be carved differently so there is no one that is
similar to another; each of these is alive with images of gods
and goddesses, musicians and dancers, and there are
architectural embellishments of such amazing fluidity that it is
impossible to disassociate architecture from sculpture.
The Jains also provided the basis for the flowering of
sculptured architecture in Jaisalmer. The Jains were very rich
and lived in the havelis, which were more royal than the king's
palace. They used sandstone in the havelis. Some of the famous
havelis in Jaisalmer are Nathmalji ki Haveli, Patwon ki Haveli
and Salim Singh’s Haveli. These havelis were built in the 18th
and 19th centuries by the Muslim masons. These masons developed
a body of sculptued architecture that was not repeated elsewhere
and also used the expression, so that each mansion was like a
textbook on the subject. Fluted columns, balconies, arches,
domes, jharokhas, eaves, brackets and cupolas were carved very
differently. Two stone mason brothers were so
adapted to their task that their names, Hathu and Lalla, are
still recorded in the annuals of Indian art. While statuary as a
part of architecture, and geometrical and floral expressions,
found a reflection in all part of Rajasthan, the sculptors of
Barmer, found creative expression in their rich arabesques on
the red sandstone. Barmer continued to remain, one of the prime
centres for sandstone carving in the state.
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