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Indus valley
Civilization
Maurya, Sunga, Kusha,
Gupta Art
Ajanta, Ellora,
Elephanta
Mahabalipuram, Tanjavur,
Mysore,
Mughal and Rajput Art
Sikh Art, Maratha Art,
Company School, Kalighat
Pats, Progressive Artists Group
New trends in Indian Art |
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History of Indian Art is as old as the Indian civilization and every
major period of history has given India newer modes of expression and
newer forms of art. As India was well connected to the outside world through
both sea and land routes, the influence of cultures of other lands have
always been felt in the art of India. These myriad influences have enriched
Indian Art over the years and in the new 21st century, one can see all these
influences in the fine arts of India. |
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The Indus valley civilization that thrived between 2500 and 1700BC was a
contemporary of the Mesopotamia civilization and one can see the
existence of steatite and limestone statuettes as well as terracotta
figures. Most of these show animal figures made in abstract modes with
high degree of sophistication. In fact many believe that abstraction in
Indian art has not come after long period of realistic art as it
happened in the west.
Abstraction was always a part of Indian
Art. |
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Indus Terracotta sculpture |
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Though very little is
left of post Indus Indian Art, one can see a gradual shift towards large
statues, wooden pillars, and a very marked Greek influence on
architecture. This was the time when Alexander of Macedonia had invaded
India and left behind a Greek Kingdom. The Mauryan art also shows
influence of the Greeks. But the Greek and other forms of European
contemporary styles are seen best in the art of the Gandhar and
Mathura Schools. These schools which developed under the
Kushans shows high degree of sophistication and
realism in
human forms, and even
eroticism
often akin to the Hellenistic
Art. The subject of art in most of these cases were taken from the
lives of Gautama Buddha. |
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Siddhartha Gandhar sculpture |
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However Buddhist Art reached its peak in the
Gupta period, during
which the famous rock-cut temples of Ajanta were built with walls full
of Buddhist frescoes relating the stories from Jataka tales.
Equally famous are the
frescoes and sculptures in the cave temples of Ellora and
Elephanta which probably were built later than the ones in Ajanta.
These frescoes and scultures show a reverting back to Hindu tales and
metaphors, though in style they evolve from the earlier Ajanta
styles. |
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Cave Fresco of Ajanta |
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After 6th century, one
sees a revival of Hinduism and a growth of temples which
primarily became centres of all forms of art. the best example of art of
this period can probably be seen in the rock temples of Mahabalipuram
which were built by the Pallava rulers. These show a mix of both
north-Indian as well as Dravidian styles.
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Mahabalipuram |
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In 7th century, the
first Muslim conquest ensued. It was followed by a series of invasions,
raids and attacks by rulers from outside India. The foreigners brought
rich new ideas into Indian Art. The Muslim Art reached its peak under the Mughals. The
Mughal Art expanded in almost all the major forms and media that were
available at the time: murals, paper paintings, miniatures, pottery, ceramic
works and even prints. The Mughal style of lateral use of space and flat
faces were modified in the art under contemporary or later day Rajput
and Sikh dynasties. Deccan Art of Golkonda, Bijapur and
Ahmadnagar also show influences of the Mughal Art. The Sikh Art which
mostly depicted the life stories of the Sikh Gurus also resembled Mughal Art
in style. |
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Mughal Art |
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However in the Deccan, Art reached its peak
probably under the Mysore Kings and in Tanjore. By now the
European settlers from France, Holland and England had started interfering
in the politics of India. The influence of their
realistic art styles
with experimentation in light and shade can now be seen in the works of
artists from Mysore, Tanjore,
Baroda
and
Calcutta.
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Mysore Art |
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With the coming of the
East India Company, India was introduced to this new form of art which
was colloquially referred to as the
Company School of Art. Though this style remained the
predominant form of art for a very long time, the opening up of Indian
market to the west also exposed India to the European trends of
impressionism, cubism, surrealism and abstraction. Some artists of India at
this time also experimented with the Oriental styles of Art. With
rise of nationalistic spirit in India, many Indians also reverted back to
folk art
and more intensely Indian motifs.
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Comapny School Painting |
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After Independence for
quite some time artists in India continued with these nationalistic
anti-European sentiments. In 21st century as India now gets integrated
to the world, the artists are once again showing readiness to accept
world trends in Art. Indian Art is now fast getting global and one can
see newer forms and idioms of art. New schools of art are
emerging. Only time would tell as which among these would survive the
test of time. |
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Pseudorealistic Art |
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Abstraction,
Realism,
Surrealism,
Impressionism,
Cubism,
Fauvism,
Pseudo-realism,
Magic realism,
Erotic art,
Folk Art,
Tribal Art,
Miniature Art,
Centres of Art,
Calcutta,
Delhi, Bombay,
Vadodara,
Santiniketan,
Pablo Picasso,
Georges Braque,
Max Ernst,
Salvador Dali,
Edouard Manet,
Claude Monet
Vincent van Gogh,
Paul Gauguin,
Henry Matisse,
Alex Colville,
Paul Cadmus, George Bellows,
Ababnindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore,
Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose,
Raja Ravi Verma, Hemen Majumdar,
Amrita Shergill,
Jamini Roy,
Baburao Painter,
Ramkinkar Baij,
Zainul Abedin,
Benode Bihari Mukherjee,
K G Subbhramaniyan, Krishna Hebbar,
Francis Newton Souza, Maqbool Fida Hussain, Tyeb Mehta,
Saiyyad Haider Raza, Jehangir
Sabbavala, Ganesh Pyne, KC Pyne,
Satish Gujral,
Anjolie Ela Menon,
Bikash Bhattacharya, Sunil Das,
Jatin Das,
Shyamal Duttaroy, Jogen Choudhuri,
Arpana Caur, Yusuf Arakkal, Vivan
Sundaram, Bose Kishnamachari,
Devajyoti Ray,
Atul Dodiya, Jitish Kallat,
Laxma Goud, Anupam Sud,
Shibu Natesan,
Shakila,
Warli Art,
Banni Art,
Santhal Art,
Bhill Art,
Batik Art,
Madhubani Painting,
Kashmir Papier Machete,
Kalighat Pat,
Orissa Patachitra,
History of Indian Art,
Contemporary Indian Art,
21stcentury Indian Art,
Indus Valley Art,
Indus Valley Teracotta,
Maurya Art,
Gupta Art,
Ajanta Frescoes, Ellora Frescoes,
Mahabalipuram Sculptures,
Pala Miniature,
Temple Art,
Mughal Murals,
Mughal Miniature,
Tanjore Art,
Mysore Art,
Sikh Art,
Maratha Art,
Rajasthani Art,
Company School of Art,
Bengal School Art,
Progressive Artists Group
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