Forgotten Wonders: Indian Arts

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Forgotten Wonders: Indian Arts

Indian culture has some of the richest pieces of arts, which were made form paper, with others being sculptures. During the medieval period of 1100-1900, the Indians did many paintings. The period was referred to as the Wonder of the Age. The Indian arts were classified according to the region they came from or style such as the narrative and subject. However, the 1100-1900 was identified with the artists for some, and was centered on themes. “It’s an art of heroic feats, courtly love, eroticism, the thrill of battle, palace intrigue, fantastic gods, beautiful animals and haunting landscapes,”[1]. The art during these times was transitioned from curving on clay and stones to papers. It was an era of interaction with cultures such as the Europeans, who explored the world at the time. During the ancient period to the medieval period, the purpose of the arts was religious[2]. The Indians artists thrived under rulers backing. The Indians arts have managed to survive through these years, leaving a unique place for them in history.

The works of art during this period were done on palm leaves, and later upon the introduction of paper, they were done on papers. This was during the golden age of the Mughal emperors during the medieval era. During this era, unlike other forms of Indian arts classified according to style, and dynasties in the ancient period, this era was identified with particular artists who inscribed their names on the little pieces of their arts. This group of art has put its focus on 40 artists who were identified with pieces of arts collected for this period. One of the identified artists was the Basawan, of the Mughal emperor whose style got its influence from European pragmatism. Another of the artists is Farrukh Beg, who was influenced by Persian styles of landscapes and mountains. This was due to the interactions during the late medieval time[3].

Indian paintings were characterized by Hindu themes before the Mughal emperor where the goddesses and gods were painted in many colors. “In “Green Tara Dispensing Boons to Ecstatic Devotees” by the artist known as the Mahavihara Master, the goddess is a voluptuous giantess surrounded by fervent followers,”[4] Indians did well in animal painting. An example of the animal painting by Indian was the two fighting camels by Abd-al-Samad in 1590[5]. Other animals such as the elephants were depicted in costumes during battles when they were ridden. Their work was characterized by bright colors deep in emotion. Color was used in most of their paintings, especially bright ones that evoked emotions. Most of these pieces of arts were small, enough to be held in hand[6]. Bigger paintings were done on walls especially commissioned by kings.

This art was called miniature paintings that were done on semi permanent surfaces, mostly papers[7]. A good example is the two fighting camels. The picture shows the two camels each with its mouth biting the other on the leg. There are three people in the painting, two holding ropes trying to stop the camels from fighting, while a third one is far behind them. The photo was on a small piece of paper[8]. The painting was meant to illustrate the normal activities of people and their interaction with everything around them. The painting is rich in color, with blue showing the sky, and green showing the plants. The landscape is also well highlighted with darker colors in the background. The people in the painting, three men, are dressed in bright colors such as red and orange. The camels are covered with brightly decorated pieces of fabric. At the top corners of the painting, there are inscriptions that can be concluded to describe the event and the name of the writer. The surface is well smoothened, and an outline or border line is well drawn. The intended function of the painting is to show people in their ordinary lives in a day. In addition, it could be signifying a conflict among people.

The arts were made from watercolors, charcoal, and dyes from vegetables, which were the popular methods of painting at that time. An extensive use of fabric painting by Indian designers that still exists was very popular at this time[9]. The use of paper too, was becoming popular, which was mostly used for the miniature painting. The paintings were centered on a theme and or a story, rather than just decorating walls. Their arts were visually colorful with bright colors and quite appealing in its aesthetic nature. The paintings were painted by artists who were inspired, especially by their kings who backed them for their work. Mostly, their art was made to praise their kings and their deeds that signified the prosperity of that emperor[10].

The paintings were made through a process that involved sketching, tracing, coloring, burnishing, and calligraphy. Sketching was the first step of painting the miniature paintings[11]. It was prepared on smooth surfaces of paper, using a light blue ink, or a reddish-brown ink. The sketch was made on the surface with just the outlines, with soft lines of the figures. They were later revised and corrected where wrong, and were made bold with hard lines being drawn. Then, since there was no rubbing, a thin layer of a white pigment would be applied to cover the unneeded areas. The next step was tracing that was done using a transparent skin from a deer by placing it on the sketch, and its outline is then pierced on the skin. After piercing, it was then placed on another piece of paper and a black pigment is applied over the holes leaving soft outline that is later finished by brush[12].

Coloring follows, involving laying the pigments of colors on flat surfaces. To achieve a three dimensional figure, the primary color was applied, followed by darker colors and the shading color is mixed with the primary and applied to the primary one while still wet[13]. Then lighter paintings followed, while the human beings were painted firs, animals second and lastly the background is colored. This helps to achieve the three dimensional look. Burnishing comes after coloring that is done after the painting is “gold highlighted”[14]. Burnishing was done by laying the miniature facing down on a smooth, hard surface. It was laid gently, and stroked with a piece of agate, to provide a hardened protective unified texture on the painting. The last step was writing the name of the artists on the painting after it was mounted[15].

In the Metropolitan museum, the miniature arts are well displayed covering up to 8 centuries[16]. The museum structures the miniature paintings chronologically as they were painted during the different ages within the 8 centuries. This takes the audience through a chronological series of development in painting. The bright colors of the paintings are quite emotional and draw the audience deeper to their emotions, thinking about what could have been happening then. The painting is displayed among 220 other paintings of the same period ranging from the 1100 to 1900[17].

In the museum, the works had a tremendous impact on the audience, including me. Going through the chronological structure of the display gave each of us a vivid picture of how things looked during those ages and how far human beings have com. It is also a wonder considering the painters had no technology but managed to make such great paintings with the resources they had. The audience could not help staring at the master pieces, even though there were no big paintings. The small paintings managed to create the vivid images in the audience, evoking emotions of sympathy for people who lived in that age.

Personally, this painting evoked many senses in me, after considering the scarcity of materials for making such a painting. After learning the processes involved in making the painting, I realized it was quite hard to paint in those days as opposed to current times where people only require a brush, paper and paint. The process needed great care to be correct. This evoked my emotions, and I could not help feeling sympathy for the painters.

The most outstanding ideas I had about the Indian arts was their love for color. All the Indian paintings I have viewed are rich in colors that evoke emotions of any person. More so, the miniature arts are very vivid and one does not need explanations to know what is happening. It also explains where the Indians get their inspiration for colors. Indians even in the modern era love bright colors, seen during social activities. The painting gave a clear depiction of the Indian culture in the medieval time, which has not changed much.

Work cited

Asianinfo.org. Paintings. asianinfo.org, 2010. Web. November 23, 2011.

Kumar, Nitin. Technique of Indian Miniature Paintings. exoticindiaart.com, August 1999. Web. November 23, 2011.

Roberta, Smith. Putting Names to the Greats of Indian Art. nytimes.com, September 29, 2011. Web. November 23, 2011.

The Economist. Biographies in paint a new show at the Met tells the story of India’s greatest painters. economist.com, Sep 24, 2011. Web. November 23, 2011.

The MetropolitanMuseum of Art. Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India, 1100–1900. metmuseum.org, September 28, 2011. Web. November 23, 2011.

Zeaman, John. Art review: ‘Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India, 1100-1900’ at the Met. northjersey.com, October 1, 2011. Web. November 23, 2011.

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