Legendary Genres Of Painting In India

From early civilization to the modern era, Indian paintings form a rare aesthetic continuum that has never failed to fascinate art lovers. Experts describe these paintings as lively, vivid, sophisticated, and refined, yet vigorous and bold. Influenced by different cultures, the evolved Indian style of painting is very hard to categorize as a single form of art. From pre-historic rock paintings to Mughal paintings to British influenced company paintings, Indian art has a long history and a vast tradition. If you wish to buy paintings online in India, this write-up will do you a world of good. Without any basic idea about the broader classifications of Indian art, you will find it very difficult to buy paintings online.

Murals

Indian murals can be traced back to the ancient times. The mesmerizing caves of Bagh, Armamalai, Ajanta, Ellora, and Sittanavasal are the best examples of Indian murals. Versatility of form and line, role of composition and color, and supreme creativity are the major highlights of this art form. These masterpieces can easily mesmerize the beholder and inject a different state of consciousness.

Miniatures

Gautam Buddha once said, "The master painter disposes his colors for the sake of a picture that cannot be seen in the colors themselves." Miniature art revolves around the principle of symbolism. Rich in delight, awe, and wonder, the miniatures describe nature with symbols. Inspired by mythology, the unification of human and divine, mutable and ever-present, and nature and art, have been exquisitely portrayed in these ancient works of art. These small paintings are diligent in detail, and intricate in brushwork.

Most known styles and forms of painting falls under the miniature category. You can find some of the most important styles below.

Mughal paintings

The miniature paintings of the Mughal period are a perfect blend of Islamic, Indian, and Persian styles. Akbar's reign started a new era in terms of miniature painting with the establishment of the first atelier in India headed by Abdus Samad and Mir Sayyed Ali. The famous Hamzanama series was one of the first productions of the Mughal School of miniature paintings.

Madhubani paintings

Mithila in Bihar is famous for this unique style of painting that revolves around mythology and social scenes. The specialty of this style is that no gap is left uncolored. Colors used in this form are made from herbs, leaves, and flowers. If you really want to buy paintings with a feel of ancient India, this is the style to look for.

Pattachitra

This classical Odisha art involves painting (chitra) on clothing (Patta). Lord Jagannath and Lord Krishna formed the basic inspiration, while Jaydev's Gita Govinda, Ramayana, and Mahabharata were also used for subject matter.

Tanjore paintings

This 9th century art form is famous for detailed representation, bright colors, and supreme elegance. The multi-staged process involves preliminary sketching on the base, applying adhesives mixed with zinc oxide on the base, decorating with semi-precious stones and laces, pasting gold foils, and using dyes to color the figures.

From early civilization to the modern era, Indian paintings form a rare aesthetic continuum that has never failed to fascinate art lovers. Experts describe these paintings as lively, vivid, sophisticated, and refined, yet vigorous and bold. Influenced by different cultures, the evolved Indian style of painting is very hard to categorize as a single form of art. From pre-historic rock paintings to Mughal paintings to British influenced company paintings, Indian art has a long history and a vast tradition. If you wish to buy paintings online in India, this write-up will do you a world of good. Without any basic idea about the broader classifications of Indian art, you will find it very difficult to buy paintings online.

Murals

Indian murals can be traced back to the ancient times. The mesmerizing caves of Bagh, Armamalai, Ajanta, Ellora, and Sittanavasal are the best examples of Indian murals. Versatility of form and line, role of composition and color, and supreme creativity are the major highlights of this art form. These masterpieces can easily mesmerize the beholder and inject a different state of consciousness.

Miniatures

Gautam Buddha once said, "The master painter disposes his colors for the sake of a picture that cannot be seen in the colors themselves." Miniature art revolves around the principle of symbolism. Rich in delight, awe, and wonder, the miniatures describe nature with symbols. Inspired by mythology, the unification of human and divine, mutable and ever-present, and nature and art, have been exquisitely portrayed in these ancient works of art. These small paintings are diligent in detail, and intricate in brushwork.

Most known styles and forms of painting falls under the miniature category. You can find some of the most important styles below.

Mughal paintings

The miniature paintings of the Mughal period are a perfect blend of Islamic, Indian, and Persian styles. Akbar's reign started a new era in terms of miniature painting with the establishment of the first atelier in India headed by Abdus Samad and Mir Sayyed Ali. The famous Hamzanama series was one of the first productions of the Mughal School of miniature paintings.

Madhubani paintings

Mithila in Bihar is famous for this unique style of painting that revolves around mythology and social scenes. The specialty of this style is that no gap is left uncolored. Colors used in this form are made from herbs, leaves, and flowers. If you really want to buy paintings with a feel of ancient India, this is the style to look for.

Pattachitra

This classical Odisha art involves painting (chitra) on clothing (Patta). Lord Jagannath and Lord Krishna formed the basic inspiration, while Jaydev's Gita Govinda, Ramayana, and Mahabharata were also used for subject matter.

Tanjore paintings

This 9th century art form is famous for detailed representation, bright colors, and supreme elegance. The multi-staged process involves preliminary sketching on the base, applying adhesives mixed with zinc oxide on the base, decorating with semi-precious stones and laces, pasting gold foils, and using dyes to color the figures.