Creation in itself is the unspoken language of divinity. The beauty of perceiving art well is an art in itself.
When there was not much known about any civilisation’s existence, people traced from the basics what their ancestors must have left behind. One thing that was ubiquitous was the strange paintings that represented the living. They started from scratch. Expanding it from time to time. Rough sketches in the cave made it the evidence of human’s supremacy, to represent their belief. Cave paintings of the Buddha and Mahavira have given a lot of cultural evidence of the time beyond. Caves are the perfect example of how the human nature of leaving behind traces has been. Another perfect example of fine art is the temples which are the backbone of ancient India. Each and every representation of the cultural background of the people is portrayed. Their faith towards simplicity and originality are virtuous. The depictions of gods and goddesses, or even the beauty of India has made people the patron of culture.
By the discovery of paper about 2000 years ago, paintings along with scriptures and manuscript were introduced. The Buddha’s teachings were preached by using the divine art of the locals. This surely changed the style but the essence remained the same. A huge number of styles were introduced which were popularised in certain parts of the country. Madhubani, Warli, Kalamkari and Manjusha, are some of the ancient painting styles which have passed down generation to generation giving us perfection.
India is diverse. There is a speciality of every single part of the country. Every monarch who reigned over the kingdoms gave fine patterns which were not only limited to paper and manuscript but became a symbol of scriptures and heritage. Stone cutting and forming beautiful patterns became a tradition in southern temples.
We can say that the painting culture took a vast turn in the Gupta period.
The knowledge of painting depended on the art of observing things. We call this ‘rupabheda’ which is followed by ‘varnika bhanga’. Every single colour became the representation in every stage of advancement in art.
As we move towards the north, we can find artists par excellence. During the Delhi sultanate, the miniature paintings became famous and the patrons of it are still enormous in number. In various books of that time, illustrated manuscripts were used to portray the simple lifestyle of people. Their interests like cooking, games and many more. At this time, there was a perfect blend of indigenous and Persian style. In the Mughal period, the miniature painting showed the king to be the supreme authority and other subjects presenting the matters to court. The glory was shown by using brilliant colours for painting the events such as hunting, courtroom sessions and various historical events. Tasvir khana was popularised at this time by the monarch. This was an artistic studio. Here the paintings became more advanced as there was the introduction to the three-dimensional figures in paintings. And calligraphy became a way to manuscript with miniatures. During Jahangir’s time, the artistic view combined with naturalism. And this created a new era in Indian paintings. The introduction to borders was done in this era.
Art has evolved much from then. Today there are many patrons of it and are eager to even get a glimpse of the work of painters. In India, this is seen in many forms. Art is appreciated to a great level but there is always a scripture of an artist before an art thus the artistic view of a nation should change and people should learn to recognise artists as a portal to a creative world. So that the next generations can carry on the same message and essence of art but with a different style.
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