General Studies 1

Time Period The art of miniature painting developed between the 8th and 12th centuries CE.  Major Schools Pala School of Art Found as a part of manuscripts. Generally executed on palm leaf or vellum paper. Main centres – Nalanda, Odantapuri,Vikramsila … Continue reading →

The word ‘miniature’ is derived from the Latin word ‘Minium’, which means red lead paint.  Miniatures are small and detailed paintings.  Condition for making miniature painting The painting should not be larger than 25 square inches.  The subject of the … Continue reading →

Lepakshi Temple Paintings Location – Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh These mural paintings were executed on Veerabhadra temple walls at Lepakshi. Made during the Vijayanagara period. Themes were based on Ramayana, Mahabharata and incarnations of Vishnu. The paintings show a … Continue reading →

Sittanavasal Cave (Arivar Koil) Paintings Location – Tamil Nadu Paintings based on Jainism. The central element of the paintings in Sittanavasal is a pond with lotuses. These murals have close resemblance to Bagh and Ajanta paintings. The medium used for … Continue reading →

Ellora Cave Painting The mural paintings at Ellora caves are found in five caves, mostly limited to Cave No. 16, Kailasha Temple.  Ellora Cave paintings are newer as compared to Ajanta Cave paintings.  The paintings are related to all three … Continue reading →

Ajanta is the only surviving example of painting of the first century BCE and the fifth century CE. Mainly deal with Buddhist jataka stories. It consists of a set of 29 caves, carved in a horse-shoe shape. The paintings are … Continue reading →

The work on the walls or a solid structure are referred to as Murals. Some notable examples in India are Ajanta, Armamalai Cave, Ravan Chhaya Rock Shelter, Bagh Caves, Sittanavasal Caves and Kailash Temple in Ellora. The paintings follow a … Continue reading →

Basics The prehistoric paintings were generally executed on rocks and these rock engravings were called Petroglyphs. One of the key examples of prehistoric paintings in India is in Bhimbetka caves in Madhya Pradesh. Phases Phases Features Upper Paleolithic Period (40,000-10,000 … Continue reading →

Pre – historic Bhimbetka cave painting. Vatsyayana in his book Kamasutra. References to art of painting in the Brahmanical and Buddhist literature through representation of the myths and lore on textiles, known as Lepya Chitra. The play, Mudrarakshasa by Vishakhadutta, … Continue reading →

Background Vatsyayana in his book Kamasutra enumerated about six main principles/limbs or Shadanga of paintings. Principles Variety of Forms Rupabheda Proportion and measurement of the object or subject Pramanam Immersion of emotions Bhava Creation of lustre and gleam with the … Continue reading →