Rajasthani School of Painting: Sub Schools

Mewar School of Painting

• The early Mewar paintings were dominated by the extraordinary painter of the 17th century, Sahibdin who focused on the depiction of literary texts – the Ragamala, the Ramayana and the Bhagavata Purana.
• In later stages, the focus was on extraordinary ‘tamasha’ paintings that show court ceremonial and city views in unprecedented detail. 

Amber-Jaipur School of Painting

• The Amber school is also called the ‘Dhundar’ school.
• The overall finish of the paintings was in folk style.
• This school reached its peak during the period of Sawai Pratap Singh in the 18th century.
• His suratkhana or the department of paintings made miniatures to illustrate Bhagavata Purana, Ramayana, Ragamala and several portraits. 

Marwar School of Painting

• It is one of the most extensive schools of painting as it includes Jodhpur and Bikaner.
• In the paintings produced in the 15th and 16th centuries, the men wore colourful clothing and so did the women.
• In the early phase, it followed the Mughal pattern of painting and later shifted to the Rajput style.
• Famous paintings are Shiva Purana, Natacharitra, Durgacharitra, Panchtantra, etc.
• Sub schools are Kishangarh School and Bundi School.
  1. Kishangarh School
     • Kishangarh painting is an 18th-century school of the Rajasthani style of Indian painting that arose in the princely state of Kishangarh, central Rajasthan state.
     • The school is clearly distinguished by its individualistic facial type and its religious intensity.
     • The Kishangarh school of art is notable for its elongated style, with “arched eyebrows, lotus-like elongated eyes and pointed chin” a highly idealized facial form reminiscent of Indian sculpture art.
     • Kishangarh was influenced by Bundi painting in its use of lush vegetation, dramatic night skies, vivid movement and Mughal painting in its use of side-profile portraits, though it can be distinguished from both of them due to its extremely meticulous details, rich colours and fine technique.
     • The paintings of Kishangarh school are characterised by a religious fervour and this might have been the reason why the portraiture of the queen was compared to, and is believed to have been inspired by, the figure of Radha.
     • Example – Bani Thani
       • Bani Thani is an Indian painting in the Kishangarh school of paintings, painted by Nihal Chand.
       • It has been labelled as India’s “Mona Lisa”.
       • The painting’s subject, Bani Thani, was a singer and poet in Kishangarh in the time of King Sawant Singh (1748–1764).
       • Bani Thani is depicted with elegant and graceful features, rather stylized, including arched eyebrows, lotus-like elongated eyes and pointed chin.
  2. Bundi School of Painting
     • A prolific and distinct school of painting flourished in Bundi in the seventeenth century, which is remarkable for its unblemished colour sense and excellent formal designs.
     • Bundi Ragamala, dated 1591, assigned to the earliest and formative phase of Bundi painting, was painted at Chinar in the reign of Bhai Singh (1585–1607), the Hada Rajput ruler.
     • A distinct feature of Bundi and Kota School is a keen interest in the depiction of lush vegetation; a picturesque landscape with varied flora, wildlife and birds; hills and thick jungles; and water bodies.
     • Bundi artists had their standards of feminine beauty—women were petite with round faces, receding foreheads, sharp noses, full cheeks, sharply pencilled eyebrows and a ‘pinched’ waist.