Rajasthani School Flashcards
Origin and development of Rajasthani School of Miniature Painting:
Rajput painting is considered as a bright chapter in the Indian history of Miniature Painting. It embraces its period of final growth from the latter half of the 16th century to the 19th century. Rajput paintings were confined around Rajasthan, Bundelkhand and the Punjab region of Himalayas. It has been subdivided into two schools based on geographic and stylistic differences:
1. The Rajasthani School covering the areas of Mewar, Bundi, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kishangarh and Jaipur.
2. The Pahari School includes paintings of Basholi, Kangra, Guler, Nurpur, Chamba, Mandi, Haripur and Tehri- Garwal.
Two major factors contributed greatly to the development of Rajasthani paintings, first was the economic prosperity enjoyed by the commercial community and second the revival of Vaisnavism and growth of Bhakti Cult.
The chieftains of Rajasthan had to lead a life of hardship and courage as they considered themselves as guardians of Hindu culture and faith. Even women were called upon to sacrifice themselves in Jauhar to preserve their chastity. In Bhakti cult, the intense devotion to a personal deity like Sri Rama and Lord Krishna offered them a sense of relief from this stern life. Krishna especially appealed to their romantic temperament. This love for romance and fantasy is reflected in their choice of subject matter in paintings. In the meantime, the precious paintings which ones were in the possession of kings and courtiers, came down to be possessed by common men.
In the 14th century, the influence of poets and writers like Ramanuja, who worshipped Lord Vishnu and Jaydev, who worshipped Lord Krishna brought about great changes in the art, literature and spiritual awakening of the people all over India. The Geet Govinda, written by Jaydev was especially a favourite of Rajasthani painters because it exclusively deals with romantic exploits of Radha and Krishna in a pastoral setting. The love between them is allegorical, representing the union of human soul with God. The appearance of Sri Chaithanya and Meerabai and their total love and devotion for Krishna swept over the whole of India. Rajasthani and Pahari Valley paintings were greatly influenced by the advent of Ramananda, Thulsidas and Kabir. It resulted in the expansion of imaginative horizon of artists and inclusion of subjects related to Sri Ram Chariot, Geet-Govinda, the divine love for Radha and Krishna, Hara Parvathi, Indian Rag-Raginis based on Indian classical music.
Features of Rajasthani School of Miniature Painting:
- The indigenous style of Rajasthani Painting shows a primitive vigour, bold outlines and brilliant colours set in a harmonious pattern.
- The symbolic expression of multiple aesthetic sentiments of Indian life, its daily activities and sudden flashes of emotional thoughts are drawn in a unique style.
- Compositions are very clear and simple, represented through specific musical modes and religious themes with Radha and Krishna and profusely illustrated.
- All figures are in the same dimension in complete disregard of perspective. Women figures are duplicated as a symbol of all feminity with lotus eyes, flowy tresses, firm breasts, slender waists and rosy hands.
- Paintings are two dimensional with simplification of lines and flat colour schemes. Colours have been used harmoniously giving special meaning to individual colours, for example, red denotes warm, yellow the marvelous, brown erotic and so on. The use of bright red, yellow, blue, and green colour gives a contrasting brilliance. Gold and silver have been delicately used which adds special glamour.
Features of Mewar Paintings:
- The largest number of paintings in this style is centered around Krishna Bhakti cult. The customs prevailing at that period, village life, scenes from the Rajput court, marriage procession, songs and dances, inner life of the palaces and battle scenes have been painted.
- Bright and brilliant colours have been profusely used.
- Male and female figures have long noses and oval-shaped faces, elongated fish-like eyes. The males use loose-fitting garments, embroidered patka and turbans. Females use loose long skirts, choli and transparent odhnis. The female figures have been drawn relatively smaller than the male.
- Trees are ornamental, flowers have been drawn in bunches, hills and mountains have been depicted in Persian style and waves in the water have been in Apabhransa style.
- There has been little use of perspective. Total space in the painting has been divided using colour in different steps.
Maru Ragini
Artist: Sahib Din
Sub-school: Mewar
Medium: Watercolour in tempera
Description: The king and queen are riding a camel in the yellow desert background. Both the king and queen are wearing highly ornamental dresses. Even the camel’s decoration is fitting to the occasion. The camel is in a slow trot led by an attendant. The foreground is painted in a light washes of green. Two male escorts are riding alongside the camel with sticks in their hand and swords and daggers in their scabbards. A hunting dog on a leash is running ahead of the two escorts. The sky is painted in a deep blue suggestive of night. The dresses of all the figures are painted in a manner to look transparent.
Features of Bundi Paintings:
- Human figures are similar but expressions differ greatly.
- Human faces are small and round; the shades near cheeks, eyes and nose add charm and emotion to the figures.
- Landscapes of hills, thick jungles, rivers, lotus ponds and lakes with water birds have been painted beautifully. Bundi paintings have a peculiarity of containing minar in one corner.
- The favourite themes of Bundi Paintings are - Ragmala, Baramasa and Rasikpriya.
Raja Aniruddha Singh Hara
Artist: Utkal Ram
Sub-school: Bundi
Medium: Watercolour in Tempera
Description: The painting shows the Raja on the back of a galloping horse. He is dressed in typical Mughal costume along with headdress. There is a refined craftsmanship in the drawing of the galloping horse with its hoof uplifted. The king’s dress is decorated with orange and brown colours He holds a flower in his right hand in Mughal style while controlling the reins of the galloping horse in his left hand. Three scabbard and sword hilt are elaborately ornamented. The small head of the horse adds a special hugeness to the body of it.
Features of Jodhpur Paintings:
- Jodhpur Paintings are somewhat larger than other miniatures.
- Female figures are tall, tresses tied up high in a knot and have a high forehead. The heads are smaller in comparison to the body. Eyes are stretched to the ear in the shape of wag-tail. Noses are sharp like the beak of a parrot, waists are slim, breasts and buttocks are heavy and legs are long. The moustache and sideburns of the male are spectacular.
- Female figures are somewhat shorter than males.
- The pavilions are white and large. There are masses twisted clouds in the sky and a dense grove of trees in the background.
Chauhan Players
Artist: Dana
Sub-school: Jodhpur
Medium: Watercolour on tempera
Description: The painting depicts a group of polo players, all mounted on horsebacks with polo sticks in their hands. Two princesses are riding side saddles and are bareheaded. They are charging at each other with long polo sticks trying to control the ball. Their lady companions are also on horseback, riding sidesaddle, running away from the center but still trying to control the polo with long sticks. Their upper bodies are twisted backwards trying to face the ball. Heads of the maids are covered in odhnis. They are all dressed in Rajput costumes. Their skirts spread out in bell-like fashion with the movement of the horses. The reverse movement of the maids and their horses has lent speed to the movement. The game has been highlighted with the ball in the middle surrounded by polo sticks. This has been produced cleverly by the artist. They all have tresses tied in top knots. A little cluster of foliage and flowers is presented in a stylised manner.
Features of Bikaner Paintings:
- Main themes of Bikaner paintings are based on Ramayana, Mahabharata, Krishna legends, Ragmala and other love scenes of Radha and Krishna.
- In human figures, little tight lips are painted, eyes are half open, chin small, wrists are very thin, chest in comparison to other Rajput style seems underdeveloped and moustaches of men a little downward bent. Ghagras of women is decorated with diagonal stripes.
- Clouds are painted in special circular style. Hunting scenes have also been beautifully depicted.
Krishna on swing
Artist: Nuruddin
Sub-school: Bikaner
Medium: watercolour on tempera
Description: The painting has two panels depicting two different parts of the scene. On upper panel, Krishna is shown sitting on a swing on the left side. He is wearing a tiara on his head, his upper body is semi-clothed and there is a white flower garland on his neck. There is a dupatta hanging from his shoulders, he is wearing an orange coloured dhoti. The blue complexion of his body has been highlighted. The swing has an ornamental border in a hexagonal shape. Radha who is sitting in front of him on the balcony is wearing traditional but decorated Ghaghra and Choli. They are looking at each other. Her head is covered with transparent odhni and she is sitting on a red carpet. There is a pillow supporting the back of both Radha and Krishna. On the lower panel, both Radha and Krishna are sitting at different places under a tree in the foreground. An attendant of Radha is also shown in the painting. She has perhaps brought a message for Krishna. Here again, Krishna is wearing tiara, garland and dupatta, but his dhoti is of yellow colour. Both Radha and Krishna are sitting on red carpets supported by pillows. Radha is wearing a yellow coloured ghaghra and choli. The attendant standing in front of Krishna is wearing a striped ghaghra and choli of light purple colour. Both the trees and a mound are in the background. The leaves of the trees are shown clearly in a cluster of repetitive pattern. Each leaf of the tree reveals the artist’s delight in rendering details. The mound is drawn in typical Rajasthani style. The architecture shown in the painting is modern and sophisticated and he has successfully depicted the tonal variation and perspective. All the five figures are in profile. Colours used are bright and elegant. Lines are drawn in refined and precise manner.
Features of Kishangarh Paintings:
- Subject matter of Kishangarh school is widely varied. Hunting scenes, court scenes, portraits of kings,, Nawabs, Emperors and Saints have been beautifully painted. The picture of romantic life of Radha and Krishna decribed in ‘Geet Govinda’, stories from Bhavat Puran, scenes from “Bihari Chandrika’ and ‘Nayak Nayika Bheda’ are the main subjects of Kishangarh paintings.
- Female figures have been painted slim flexible and tall like creepers. Faces are long with high sloping foreheads. Pointed nose, bulging out well cut lips, long chins, the long drawn eyes curved upward in the shape of Khanjan pakshi and bow like eyebrows have been painted beautifully. Long neck, long fingers, and a lock of hair hanging near the ear enhance their beauty.
- Primary colours have been applied. Horizon and the sky are replaced by creepers and foliage.
Radha (Bani-Thani)
Artist: Nihalchand
Sub school: Kishangarh
Medium: watercolour on tempera
Description: Radha (Bani-Thani) was one of the most famous paintings in Rajasthan from the small state of Kishangarh. Nihalchand gained his recognition through this painting which is a portrait of Radha. Her face is elongated with a receding forehead. She has a sharp nose and chin, long wag-tailed eyes and red lips. Her black long curly hair flows from her shoulder to her waist and a wisp of her hair partly falls on her cheek. Her fingers of her left hand can easily be compared to the right hand of Monolisa. Her long tapering fingers hold two lotus buds. Her right hand is delicately holding the edge of her odhni, the palm of which is slightly tinged with red. Her odhni is decorated with gold motif and her dress and jewellery reflect contemporary Rajput style. The odhni is painted to look transparent which especially brings out the whiteness of her marble white skin. The background is painted in dark blue. Her smile is supposedly enigmatic and her eyes reflect ideal feminity of classical Sanskrit literature. She is painted as an ideal of Indian womanhood. A postal stamp was issued by the government of India which shows ‘Radha of Kishangargh’.
Features of Jaipur Paintings:
- In paintings of Jaipur, there is grace in the use of colours and lines. There is the expression of emotion of different postures.
- The faces of women are round, figures are in medium size, eyes are large and elongated with an upward curve. The male figures have a robust body, round nose, and hair reaching upto the ear. The men wear loose pyjamas and turbans studded with diamonds. Ghagras of women are painted with dark colours.
- Jaipur paintings have ornamented border. Light and shade have been used properly.
Bharat Meets Rama at Chithrakut
Artist: Guman
Sub school: Jaipur
Medium: Watercolour in Tempera
Description: This painting is from the Ramayana theme and was executed under the patronage of Swami Pratap Singh during the middle of 18th century. There are a total of 49 figures put in separate groups, telling the story of trying to take Rama back to Ayodhya. In the right lower corner, Rama loses consciousness from hearing the news of his father’s death from Vishwamithra. The next next on the lower left shows rama falling at the feet of ascetics asking for forgiveness for showing weakness.
The next picture is in the upper set. In the middle, we can see Rama meet his mothers accompanied by Sita and Laxman. He begs for forgiveness for refusing to break his promise and go back with them. Rama allows Kaushalya to embrace him but sticks to his point of carrying out the order of 14 years of exile. Rama touched the feet of Kaikeyee begging her for forgivness. Sita on the right hand corner faces her mother-in-laws and expresses her intention of following her husband to exile. Finally in the the right hand corner we see Rama, Sita and Laxman bidding goodbye to Bharat, Shatrughana and Vishamithra and promising to return after 14 years.
Painter Guman has done a wonderful presentation of 49 figures on a small canvas relating an entire story in episodic manner. Rama’s cottage is dimly seen in the background in the right hand side and there are a bunch of banana groves beyond that. There is a profusion of green in the background. In the foreground we see a pond like stretch of water possibly a part of River Sarayu blooming lotuses. Colours used are green, blue and yellow and white dexterously.
