History of Indian Art

Art through ages

Art history doesn’t consist in simply listing all the
art movements and placing them on a timeline. It
is the study of objects of art considered within
their time period.
Art historians are interested in what the works of
art represented at the time they were created. It is
a way to learn about the civilizations and through
ages of the past.
 Indian art
• Archaeologists discovered evidence of prehistoric
rock art—carvings or drawings on cave rocks—in
this area dating back at least 290,000 years. The
oldest examples are the Bhimbetka petroglyphs
found in central India.
• The earliest known Indian art sculptures were
produced by the Indus Valley.
• They created small terracotta and bronze figures
that also represented humans and animals such
as cows and monkeys.
• In the 6th century B.C., the rise
of Buddhism paved way for religious-themed art,
often in the form of stone and bronze sculptures
• Hinduism continued to be a main focus of Indian
art for centuries, as sculptures of deities like Shiva
were commonly produced.
• Islam gained importance under the Mughal
Empire and art production grew under Islamic
rulers
• British involvement in India began in the 18th
century, during which time they established art
schools to promote European styles.
• Contemporary Indian art incorporates traditional
elements and influences from the rich history of
the country.
 Indus Valley civilization
• Among the world’s three earliest
civilizations—the other two are those
of Mesopotamia and Egypt—the Indus
civilization was the most extensive.
• The evidences of cultural advancement
reflected from the time of Indus Valley
Civilization like planned cities, well- developed
drainage system, masonry works, architectural
advancement, techniques of casting the
metals in different forms.
 Architecture
• Great Bath
• The Great bath at Mohenjo-Daro
is about 179 feet long and 107
feet wide.
• The complex has a
large quadrangle in the center
with galleries and rooms on all
sides.
• In the center of this quadrangle
there is a large swimming
enclosure that is 39 feet long, 23
feet wide and 8 feet deep.
• The entire complex is connected
to an elaborate water supply and
sewer system.
• The Great Bath was probably used
for religious or ritualistic
purposes.
Sculpture
• Bronze Casting
• The most discussed example of metal
sculpture in context with Indus Valley is
the Dancing Girl. Metal casting was popular
at all the major centers of the Indus Valley
Civilization,
• Dancing Girl
• This is one of the best known art efacts
from the Indus Valley. It’s a four-inch-high .
found in Mohenjodaro. It depicts a girl
whose long hair is tied in a bun. Bangles
cover her left arm, a bracelet and an amulet
or bangle adorn her right arm, and a cowry
shell necklace is seen around her neck.
• Her right hand is on her hip and her left
hand is clasped. She is resting her weight on
one leg in a very natural fashion The girls
seems be in what is
called Tribhanga posture.
• She is full of expression and bodily vigour
and conveys a lot of information.
 Mauryan art

• Mauryan art is an art created between the 4th

and 2nd Century BC under the Mauryan Empire,
which was the first empire to control much of the
Indian subcontinent.
• It marked a significant shift in Indian art from the
use of wood to stone.
• It was a royal art that Mauryan rulers, particularly
Ashoka, supported.
• The most notable survivors include pillars, stupas,
and caverns.
• Mauryan Pillars and Sculptures
• The best-known and greatest works of Ashoka are
the artistically carved animal capitals that survive
from several of his Pillars, particularly the Lion
Capital of Sarnath, which is now India's National
Emblem.
• The pillars and capitals reflect court art, while
some stone pieces and numerous smaller
terracotta works represent surviving popular art.
 Buddhist art (c. 150 BCE – c. 500 CE)

• The major survivals of Buddhist art begin in

the period after the Mauryans, from which
good quantities of sculpture survives. Some
key sites are Sanchi, Bharhut and Amaravati,
some of which remain in situ, with others in
museums in India or around the world
 Sanchi Stupa
• Sanchi is a Buddhist complex,
famous for its Great Stupa,
• The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of
the oldest stone structures in
India, and an important
monument of Indian Architecture.
• The Sanchi Stupa built during
Mauryan period was made of
bricks. The composite flourished
until the 11th century.
• Its nucleus was a simple
hemispherical brick structure built
over the relics of the Buddha.
• Sanchi is the center of a region
with a number of stupas, all within
a few miles of Sanchi,
including Satdhara (9 km to the W
of Sanchi, 40 stupas,
 Gupta Arts
• Gupta Arts belong to the Gupta Empire. The
Gupta Empire ruled most of Northern India.
• The Gupta Empire produced the huge majority of
works, including religious sculptures constructed
out of stone, metal, or terracotta. A living
example of a painting of the Gupta Empire is the
Ajanta Caves.
• India witnessed the classical stage of sculpture in
the Gupta Empire. Multiple efforts were exerted
to establish different art techniques
• 1.The red sandstone image of the
Buddha located in Mathura
• The stunning red image of the Buddha
situated in Mathura is the most notable
example of the Gupta Arts in the 5th
century A.D. In this image, Buddha is
displayed standing with his right hand in
Abhaya Mudra
• In the left hand, the Buddha is holding
the hem of the outfit
• Later, countries such as China, Central
Asia, Japan, Siam, Cambodia, Java, and
Burma adopted the religion of Buddhism
and adopted this image of Buddha as
well
• 2.Standing Buddha located in
Sarnath
• Standing Budhha in Sarnath is
also one of the most notable
examples of Gupta Art in Sarnath
• The right hand of Buddha is
shown in such a way that it
ensures protection
• There are a few thin lines on the
body. These lines portray the
edges of the outfit
 Mughal art

• Before the rise of the Mughal Empire in India, the Delhi

Sultanate ruled over most parts of the Indian subcontinent.
• Miniature painting was already evolving in various regions
from around 10th century and it continued to flourish in
various regional courts during the Delhi Sultanate.
• These paintings deviated from the traditional style of
Persian art and hence a new style of art form called
‘Mughal Painting’ was born. Mughal paintings were further
developed by subsequent Mughal emperors.
• Akbar made the Mughal painting further more famous, and
it was taken forward by Shah Jahan and Dara Sikoh. Let’s
analyse the growth and development of Mughal painting
during the reign of various Mughal emperors.
 Akbar
• the Mughal painting
evolved and developed
at a rapid pace.
• Akbar ordered the
creation of many
paintings and also paid
close attention to the
final output of all these
artworks.
• He was very particular
about the details and
the artistic elements
involved.
 Jahangir

• Much like his father, Jahangir too had

an inclination toward arts, which
proved beneficial for the growth of
Mughal art.
• The Mughal painting continued to
grow under his reign. Since Jahangir
was largely influenced by European
painting, he ordered his painters to
follow the single point perspective
used by European artists.
• This gave a whole new perspective to
the Mughal painting.
• Jahangir even used European paintings
that portrayed the images of Kings and
Queens as references and asked his
painters to take a leaf out of these
paintings.
 Shah Jahan

• Though Mughal painting continued

to expand during the reign of Shah
Jahan, the paintings that were
displayed in the court became
increasingly rigid and formal.
• However, he commissioned a large
number of paintings meant to be his
personal collection.
• These paintings were based on
themes like gardens and pictures
that gave great aesthetic pleasure.
He also ordered many works that
portrayed lovers in intimate
positions.
 Muhammad Shah

• During the reign of

Muhammad Shah, Mughal
painting received a brief
revival as he was a patron of
arts.
• He encouraged and supported
paintings, and two of the best
artists - Nidha Mal and
Chitarman - of the time served
in his court.
• Their paintings often depicted
scenes of the royal court,
celebrations, festivals, hunting
experiences of the king and
adventurous games like
hawking.
 British period
• British colonial rule had a great impact on Indian art,
especially from the mid-19th century onwards.
• The oldest, the Government College of Fine Arts,
Chennai, was established in 1850. In major cities with
many Europeans, the Company style of small paintings
became common, created by Indian artists working for
European patrons of the East India Company
• The fusion of Indian traditions with European style at
this time is evident from Raja Ravi Varma's oil paintings
of sari-clad women in a graceful manner.
 Paintings of Raja Ravi Varma
• Raja Ravi Varma produced many
masterpieces of art during his life.
• Here is a comprehensive list of some of
the most prominent works of Raja Ravi
Varma:
• A Family of Beggars – This painting
represented the sorry state of Indian
economics.
• A Lady Playing Swarbat – Just like many
of his paintings, this too, was modelled
after a South Indian woman.
• paintings
• A family beggars
• A lady playing swarbat
• Arjuna and subhadra
• Damayanti
• Draupati dreading to meet kichaka
• Jatayu
• Mostly Ramayana, maha bharatha
stores only
 Bengal School of Art
• The Bengal School of Art commonly referred as
Bengal School, was an art movement and a style
of Indian painting that originated in Bengal,
primarily Kolkata and Shantiniketan, and
flourished throughout the Indian subcontinent,
during the British Raj in the early 20th century.
• Comprising a diverse group of artists that
included Gaganendranath Tagore, Abdur Rahman
Chugtai, and Ganesh Pyne, the Bengal School of
Art also incorporated elements from Far Eastern
art, such as the Japanese wash technique.
 Contemporary groups
• In 1947, India became independent of British rule. A
group of six artists – K. H. Ara, S. K. Bakre, H. A.
Gade, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza and Francis Newton
Souza – founded the Bombay Progressive Artists'
Group in the year 1952, to establish new ways of
expressing India in the post-colonial era.
• Painting and sculpture remained important in the later
half of the twentieth century, though in the work of
leading artists such as Nalini Malani, Subodh
Gupta, Narayanan Ramachandran, Vivan
Sundaram, Jitish Kallat, GR Iranna, Bharati Kher,
Chittravanu Muzumdar, they often found radical new
directions.
Group of Three Girls by Amrita Sher-Gil

She was bprn in 1913

She has been called one of the
greatest avant – garde women
artist of the early 20th century
Some of well known paintings of
her
Group of three girls
Sleeping women
Brahmacharyulu …. Ext…
Boating by Jamini Roy.

• He was born 1887,

Calcutta west Bengal
• He know as western
training and featured
and featured a new
style based on bengali
folk traditions
• some of works .
Boating , two cats
holding a large prawn,
mother and child .
Mural by Satish Gujral.

* He was an Indian painter,

sculptor, muralist, and writer
*He was awarded the
padma vibhushan 1999
*Some of works. Day of
glory ,meerabai, three of
life… ext…
 Modernism

• On the one hand, Santiniketan artists—Rabindranath

Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Benode Behari Mukherjee,
and Ramkinkar Baij—to their proper place as the
originators of an indigenously achieved yet transcultural
modernism in the 1930s, well before the Progressives
composed their manifesto in the late 1940s.
• Other one the influential Baroda Group, a coalition whose
original members included Vivan Sundaram, Ghulam
Mohammed Sheikh, Bhupen Khakhar, and Nalini Malani—
and which had left its mark on history in the form of the
1981 exhibition “Place for People”—was definitively
historicized in 1997 with the publication of Contemporary
Art in Baroda, an
Rabindranath Tagore,

 His the best know as a poet and as

well as painter
His painting style was very individual,
characterized by simple bold form
and rhythmic qualities
29
Vivan Sundaram

His from shimla works in many

different media, including
paintings, sculptures,
printmaking, installations and
video art.
Bhupen Khakhar

He was a member of the baroda

group he was the first POP
artist, his paintings often
contained reference to india
mythology and mythological
themes
Nandalal Bose

His from bjhar ,is was the first

principal of santhiniketan in 1921
 works are Indian mythologies
women, and village life.
Ram Kinker Baij

 His from west Bengal

He was Indian modern sculptor, &
painter
one of the modern Indian sculpture and
a key figure of contextual modernism.
Notable works: lady with dog, sujata,
santhal family.
 contemporary art
• contemporary art is art made today by living
artists.
• Through their work, many contemporary artists
explore personal or cultural identity, offer
critiques of social and institutional structures,
or even attempt to redefine art itself.
Anish Kapoor
sculptor specializing in installation art and
conceptual art. Born in Mumbai,
His notable public sculptures include Cloud
Gate , sky mirror
Throughout his career, Kapoor has worked
extensively with architects and engineers. He
says this body of work is neither pure
sculpture nor pure architecture.
Atul Dodiya

Born in Bombay,
 is one of India’s most acclaimed
postcolonial artist
Ravinder Reddy
Born in 1956 in Suryapet, Andhra Pradesh,
 Groundbreaking Sculptures Of Women Shatter
Western Ideals Of Beauty.
 The artist currently lives and works in Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh.
Subodh Gupta
Gupta was born in Khagaul, a small
town in Bihar.
Gupta is best known for incorporating
everyday objects.
 such as the steel tiffin boxes used by
millions to carry their lunch, as well as
thali plates, bicycles, and milk pails.
Gupta's work has been widely exhibited
at public museums
Gupta lives and works in Gurgaon,
outside Delhi,