Gopis searching for Krishna, Bhagavata Purana, c1780. Opaque watercolour and gold on paper. |
Pahari: Paintings of Krishna and Radha. Paintings of Love and
devotion. Miniature Paintings, Indian Miniatures, Mughal Miniatures,
Paintings from Medieval India, Paintings from Rajasthan in Rajput style. Kangra
Style of Painting.
Here in this painting, Gopis are searching for Krishna. It is depicted in
the sacred book of Hindu mythology named, Bhagavata Purana, c1780. The
materials used in this painting are the opaque watercolour and gold on paper.
The painting is done during the late eighteenth century. During this period the
Mughal Emperors have reduced the support to the artists. But the Hindu Rajput
kings were supporting these local artists. During this period, the Rajputana
region, the northern part of India, flourished with several schools of the painting depicting religious events and stories.
Indian miniature paintings present before us a sweeping introduction to a
recognized genre of art. Here the range of subjects is strikingly rich. The
artists got sponsorship from the emperors and sultans ruling in Muslim kingdoms
and the rajas and princes ruling in Hindu areas.
The Kangra Miniature paintings affiliated with
the Pahari School had made a notable contribution to the
18th-century art of India. These small-sized Miniature paintings are
complex and colourful illuminations or paintings, executed meticulously with
delicate brushwork. The history of Indian Miniature Paintings can be traced to
the sixth and seventh century AD. But it flourished mainly in the seventeenth
and eighteenth century. Miniature Paintings had evolved over centuries carrying
the influence of local and other cultures.
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Krishna welcomes Sudama, Bhagavata Purana, 17th century, India. Colour and gold on paper |
Miniatures are intricate
colourful paintings done precisely with delicate brushwork. The miniature
artists gave self-expression on paper, ivory panels, wooden tablets, leather,
marble, cloth and walls. Unlike their European counterparts in their paintings,
the Indian artists employed varied and diverse perspectives. The
idea was to convey the reality that existed beyond a specific point of view.
The artists who created Indian miniatures used various materials to give
their products a unique appearance. They used, minerals, vegetables, precious
stones, indigo, conch shells, pure gold and silver. These materials were used
to detail the masterly executed drawings and paintings. The themes they
depicted were rich in culture and deep in meaning. Among the popular themes,
there was the depiction of incidences from the scriptures like Ramayana,
Mahabharata, and Bhagavata Purana. The poem book like Gieet Govinda also helped
to provide subjects to the artists.
These artists illustrated the scenes from books like Rasikpriya and
Rasamanjiri, telling us the story of that period. In the present time,
these paintings educate us about the life and habits of the kings and their
pursuits, their lifestyles and court proceedings.
Miniatures: The Miniature Paintings style is believed to be evolved in the period of
the Mughal Dynasty. Due to that, it is called Mughal Miniature Paintings, too.
However, with the passing of time, this art of miniature paintings had become
inclusive. All other cultures prevailing in the medieval of India had
been represented in the art. The paintings given here are the nicest
illustrations of the paintings of Lord Krishna done in the miniature style.
these themes are repeated in the painting done on a bigger canvas, too. The
artist also tried to depict the essence of certain classical Raga in their
artworks. Those paintings are examples of the depiction of Raga, and they are
called Ragamala paintings. Indian Miniature painting had adorned the
beauty of vocal of music, the raga, in Rajasthan style of paintings.
Ragmala Painting.
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Holi Festival-Krishna, Radha and Gopis Unknown authorUnknown author |
Miniature Paintings Of Radha and
Krishna Whenever the Indian artists searched for the subjects, they had found a
rich treasure in the form of the incidents narrated in mythology. Religion has
played a great role in providing the subject matter for paintings. The
Miniature artists, including those working under the patronage of Mughal
Emperors were also not an exception to this trend of selecting mythological
subjects
MYTHOLOGY: The scriptures and religions books written by Hindu saints were a great
source for the subjects to paint. They had chosen for the purpose of miniature
paintings were mainly Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, Rasikpriya,
Rasamanjiri and the books narrating the classical music of Indian tradition.
Many painters and their sponsor kings had selected books of other cults and
religions, too. They had painted many miniatures depicting the subjects
narrated in the books of Jainism and Buddhism.
Schools of Painting: There were several schools of painting in medieval India; some of them
were Kangra, Phad, Deccan, Tanjore, Rajasthan, and Kalighat painting
schools. The region of Rajasthan, the then Rajputana, was the main area wherein
the art of miniature painting had flourished. There were sub-regions in
Rajasthan, like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kangra and Mewar. But all the artists
painting under these schools had preferred the miniature style of painting.
However, based on Persian miniature paintings, the Mughal miniature paintings
had undergone several modifications in India. Artists had started painting
on bigger scales, too. they used cloth and other mediums to paint on.
Among the
mythological subjects, the love scenes of Lord Krishna and his divine lover
Radha claims a major portion. The artistic depiction of the playfulness of the
life of Krishna and Radha would occupy an artist on one hand; and on
another, it would rivet the attention and claim devotion from the viewers, too.
After the spread of the Hindu religious cult known as ‘Vaishnavism’, the
paintings of Radha and Krishna have remained a source of entertainment and
worship for the people of India.
In the above
painting of Radha and Lord Krishna, we can see the divine couple playing with
colours. According to Indian custom, the festival of Holi is the festival of
colours. This festival is observed for one week in the northern parts
of India. People spray solid and liquid colours on each other and play.
Friends and relatives play together and enjoy their life with colours.
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Git Govind Radh and Krishna Meister des Gîtâ-Govinda-Manuskripts |
The Painting given here is a depiction of a poem written in the
book named Git Govind. These poems are written by poet Jaidev. This book
contains poems narrating the love and worship relationship between Lord Krishna
and his divine beloved Radha and the other village girls of the Vrindavan area
where Lord Krishna lived during his childhood.
Painting Materials: The materials miniature artists used came
from the local markets. These artists used surfaces like paper, ivory articles
and wooden panels, including the furniture made from wood. The use of cloth was
also in practice in certain regions of the central and southern parts of
The Art: In order to make the paintings more natural, the Kangra artists
used only the colours which were extracted from natural materials like minerals
and vegetables. In these paintings, the Kangra style of painting, the subjects
were generally taken from the Hindu scriptures and the books of mythologies.
Many paintings depicted the events narrated in the books Gita Govinda by Jaydev
and Baramasa written by Keshavdas. Religious figures like Krishna and Radha
were the major source for the Kangra style artists, too. They painted this
divine couple as eternal lovers, rejoicing the moments of love along with other
devotees. The Kangra style of paintings is known for beautifully portraying the
famine charm of Indian women.
Schools of Painting: The miniature paintings are perhaps the most
interesting and distinctive styles that have existed in India and in
Rajasthan in particular. From the start of the sixteenth century here
flourished different schools of paintings. Some of them are Kangra painting, PHAD PAINTING, Deccan Miniature, Tanjore painting, MUGHAL MINIATURES, RAJASTHAN
PAINTINGS, the Mewar School, the Bundi-Kota kalam, the Jaipur,
Bikaner, Kishangarh and Marwar schools. The paintings done in the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries are exhibited in museums all over the world. Many
artworks are owned by private parties and the heirs of the erstwhile kings in
India. Some of the Mughal Miniature paintings are exhibited in the Lahore
Museum in Pakistan, too. Pakistan and Bangladesh were the parts of undivided
India before the partition in the year 1947.
There were many schools of miniature
paintings that flourished with the assistance of the local kings. The paintings
styles like Kangra Miniatures of the
The themes of the paintings made in the area
of Rajasthan, India depicted a variety of themes and subjects. Their themes
included the Ragas or musical codes of Indian Classical music. There were three
primary schools of Indian Miniature Paintings - one the Rajput School that
flourished in Rajasthan, the western part of India. The second was the school
of the painter who lived under the region of Mughal Emperors. And the third
school was the Deccan school, in the southern part of India. [All the images are in Public Domain, taken from Wikimedia Commons]
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