Rajasthani art

Rajasthani art

👉Rajasthani art is characterised by its ornate, vibrant and colourful paintings and sculptures. The region is home to some of the most renowned artisans in India, and their work is renowned for its intricate detail, vibrant colours and striking designs. Rajasthani art is often used to celebrate important religious and social occasions, and is often displayed in religious temples and other important public spaces.

 

An example of Rajasthani art

👉Some of the most renowned Rajasthani artisans include Jain artists such as the Bishnoi painter Munna Bishnoi and the Meenakshi temple carver Kalasa Mahadeva, and the Muslim Qutb Shahi artist

 

👉The cultural tradition of Rajasthan is ancient prosperous and glorious. The attainment of Rajasthan in the field of art is highly important. The painting styles of Rajasthan have a notable place in the history of paintings in India for the recognition that the Indian paintings got at the international level has been made possible because of Rajasthani paintings.

 

👉In the Rajasthan paintings, we see the traces of the classical methods of India in which there is immense analysis of visual science and keen observation of beauty. Sculpture art of Rajasthan has also earned fame at the international level and the experts of distant countries are not tired of expressing all praise for the artistic efficiency of the sculptures of Jaipur. Similarly, Rajasthan has a popular high place in the fields of architecture and music.

 

👉This is a fact that the princely courts of the rulers and states contributed much to the development of fine arts and the high degree of perfection of these arts was achieved in the state. Although foreign influence especially that of Persia and other Islamic countries of course, modified the modes and patterns of these forms of aesthetic creations yet they continued to flourish and stood against the heaviest odds. In view of the immense development in parallel qualitative rise of all these fine arts in Rajasthan it becomes imperative to discuss and examine them in details.

 

Paintings

👉Though the graphic drawings of the primitive man and the artistic paintings of the prehistoric time as found in the rock caves in Alania Dara of Kota district and places known as Bairath and Dar of Bharatpur district unfold the early painting tradition of this state yet the term Rajasthani painting is used in a specific sense. Indeed Buddhist, Mughal and Rajasthani are the three well known schools of paintings in India of the pre-modern time but there is no doubt in the fact that the Mughal School of painting greatly influenced the Rajasthani paintings and inspired its development.

 

👉Intellectuals have diverse opinions regarding the nomenclature of Rajasthani paintings. Some painting experts prefer to call it Rajput Art.' On the basis of few samples of Rajasthani paintings while some others call it by the name of Hindu Style. It was in the year 1916 that for the first time a scientific classification of Rajasthani paintings was attempted by late Anand kumar Swamy in his book named Rajput Paintings. According to him, the subject of Rajput painting is related to Rajputana. Punjab and the hilly estate of Himachal Pradesh. On the basis of the aforesaid facts the Rajput paintings of Rajasthan were placed under the head Rajasthani painting while the paintings pertaining to hilly regions were placed under the head Hill Paintings. This Rajasthani style of painting developed in the regions of Kota, Bundi, Jaipur, Alwar,Kishangarh, Mewar, etc.

 

👉As all these small states were under the rule of Rajput rulers, the paintings of these regions on this basis were named as Rajput painting by Kumar Swamy, 0.C. Ganguli, Havel and Basilgrey. Ram Krishna Das however denounced the idea of naming the painting as Rajput painting simply on the basis of the ruling class and gave it the name of Rajasthani Art.

 

👉Col. Todd had already captioned Rajputana as Rajasthani painting style was unanimously adopted Rajasthani painting is not only secluded to the havelis of the land lords and the palaces of the kings and the rulers but covers even the huts and cottages of the poor men. All the houses of Rajasthan by and large give place to paintings in one or the other portion. These paintings are done either on the walls or in the courtyard and door frames. Thus, painting has become an important part of the social life of Rajasthan.

 

There is no paucity of artistic material here for the artists. There is abundance of birds like shuk, peacock, pigeon, saran etc. in the painting of Rajasthan. Besides, the rows of delicate damsels with water pitchers on their heads going and returning from the wells, naughty eyes like that of khanjan birds shining from within the veil women roaming with peak like head gears (pugree), hanging scarfs(dupattas) and fluttering frock coats, all of which have a potentially to provide adequate artistic material.

 

👉Due to the presence of regional peculiarities in Rajasthan, a specific style has developed in each region. This style has its own existence and is identified by its own specific attributes. The subjects of painting here include playful activities of Radha Krishna, Ragas,Barahmasa, Ramayana, Hero-Heroine (Nayak-Nayika),love scenes, battle description etc.

 

👉The origin of Rajasthani style is attributed to distorted style as easily traceable from the Jain volumes. Sharp features and eyes reaching the earlobes have been the specialities of this style of painting. The distorted or Jain style of painting continued up to 14th-15th century and it is from this that the Rajput offshoot of Rajasthani style is supposed to have developed.

 

👉Gradually, with the increasing impact of the muslim rulers, certain changes were witnessed in this style and as a consequence of which several styles of painting developed. Presently, Rajasthani painting is divided into thefollowing styles –

(i) Mewar style, (ii) Nathdwara style,(ii) Marwar style, (iv) Kishangarh style (v) Bikaner style (vi) Bundi style, (vii) Kota style (viii) Jaipur style, (ix) Alwar style, (x) Uniara style, (xi) Ajmer style, (xii) Dungar style and (xiii) Deogarh style.

These styles can be identified in terms of colour, background, borders, animals and birds, dresses of men and women, ornaments and form especially shape of eyes.

 

👉From the view point of colour, abundant use of green colour is made in the paintings of Jaipur and Alwar, use of Yellow colour especially in the painting of Jodhpur and Bikaner, red colour in the paintings of Udaipur, blue colour in Kota paintings, White or rosy colour in the Kishangarh style of painting and that of golden colour in the painting of Bundi.