Rajasthan > Culture > Painting

Almost as colourful as the state’s tradition is its celebrations of arts. And nowhere is this more manifest than in the variety and artistry of its varying forms of painting.
There are mainly two distinct forms - miniature paintings and folk paintings.

Miniature Paintings

Miniature painters were patronised by the royalty and as many as seven distinct styles flourished in different kingdoms. These paintings are portfolio paintings that use techniques similar to wall paintings, cloth paintings or manuscript illustrations. Examples of miniatures in the Mughal and Rajasthani styles exist from the 16th century.

Rajasthani miniatures are characterised by strong colours and bold compositions. The topic of Rajasthani miniatures could range over a variety of subjects – it could depict scenes from the lives of kings, mythology, nature or wild life. Top^

Naturally, the ecstatic frolics of Krishna and the gopis formed a favourite subject, one of the most endearing being depictions of Krishna Leela as a body of work. In the Gita Govinda, also developed as a series, the miniature became a lyrical symbol with swaying lotuses, meandering streams and trees in bloom suggesting the intimate passions of lovers. While epics formed the subject for religious works of art, particularly the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the dalliances of Krishna were in a more romantic mould. Later, shades of royal lifestyle permeated the canvas of the painters and ranged from scenes of hunts to ladies playing chess or polo.

Today miniatures are turned out in almost assembly line in the studios that have been especially developed to cater to the tourist souvenir trade. Even now the talent available is formidable, but the best of the artists rarely see their way into the open market (they are commissioned directly and their work may find its way into collections, or be used to illustrate prestigious art books). Mostly the works are copies of earlier paintings and original subjects are hard to find. Studios continue to flourish in Jaipur and Udaipur and more recently in Kishangarh as well. Top^

The royal ateliers
The Rajasthani miniature evolved styles that become apparent in the different kingdoms where it found patronage. Used initially as illustrations for texts, they evolved later as portfolios of the life and times of their royal patrons.
In Rajasthan, there were seven distinctive styles of what are also referred to as Rajput paintings and they evolved in the following seven states:

Bikaner: One of the finest schools of miniatures developed in this desert state. Early examples exist from 1600 AD onwards and show a marked Mughal influence. In fact, the local style kept pace with the painters in the Mughal court and was expressive of their nuances, even while the Bikaneri artist tended to be more expressive. There have been cases of Mughal and Bikaneri miniatures being mistaken for each other, even though the paintings used backgrounds and colourscapes that are more pleasant and the foliage (as if to make up for the desert conditions), more luxuriant. There is a palette of delicate sub colours and a delicacy in the portrayal of human and vegetation forms.

Bundi and Kota: Though the two ateliers eventually developed separate characteristics, they began with marked identities. From the beginning, however, the differences are discernible. The human figures appear to have a haunting, if fleshier appearance and are not marked by formal austerity. The early works are commissions for illustrating traditional texts such as Ragamala and Rasikapriya. Later, the school took to the eulogisation of its patron kings, in both the portraits and the court scenes they tended to paint.

As the ateliers developed, as elsewhere, hunting scenes captured the fancy of the artist, but here these evolved into an entire school of its own from roughly 1700 AD on. Marked by a particular green tint, these paintings idealised the landscape, including the forestscape, a tradition that was to continue. There was also an evolvement of the depiction of feminine grace in groups of young women, leading to works that are more colourful and more creatively handled.
In the Bundi School, the background usually consists of thick foliage, with a sky over laden with clouds and illuminated by the light of the setting sun. Where used, the architectural background is equally impressive, with palaces and apartments depicted in fine detail. There is a lyrical expression of love that permeates the paintings and ornamental backgrounds.
The same style evolved in Kota, but drifted away to develop its own expression in a similar but independent form.Top^

Kishangarh: For sheer lyricism and romance, there is nothing that matches the sheer brilliance of the Kishangarh artist, even though the flame of its brilliance lasted only a short while. A Rathore kingdom, its early work is similar to that of the ateliers of Marwar. A more advanced style replaced this in the first quarter of the 18th century and reached a point of perfection under the patronage of Savant Singh, the heir to the throne of Kishangarh, who finally abdicated in favour of his son and chose to live a hermit’s life in Brindavan. ^
Under Savant Singh’s tutelage and the brush of one of the finest painters of the period - Nihal Chand - a school of paintings dealing with Krishna and his ladylove, Radha, emerged. It is believed that the figures of Krishna were modelled on Savant Singh and his mistress, nicknamed Bani Thani, was the role model for Radha. Certainly, portraits of Bani Thani are among the most attractive among miniatures anywhere in India, and she obviously inspired Nihal Chand to cast her as Radha in his Ras Leela scenes.
The Kishangarh figures are exceptionally attractive and show a refined delicacy. The backgrounds share the elaborate styling of Mughal paintings, but the artist in Kishangarh has used a greater expression of creative freedom. The artists tended to favour the use of evening light, with grey skies setting off the fine colours of the rest of the subject of their canvas. However, the fine temperament lasted only a few decades, but its outstanding contribution ranks it among the finest body of work to find expression in a canvas of such elaborate colours.

Jaipur: The Jaipur gharana of miniatures, while still active, was also its most formal. Akin to the Mughal in its use of backgrounds and in the use of court settings, it differed in the subjects that spanned a more secular range. Of all the schools in Rajasthan, Jaipur’s use of colours is the most understated. Its depiction of scenes of nature, inspired by Jehangir, are exceptional.

Marwar: The Rathore kingdoms tended to depict similar characteristics, for though they were often at loggerheads, they were also inspired by the same creative expressions. They went on to become patrons of some of the greatest collection of Sanskrit and vernacular texts and commissioned paintings on a generous scale. TOP^
Their miniature style, which is best seen in the works of the artist at Jodhpur, merges it with the traditional depiction of the human figure which, by the 18th century, had been perfected. The faces are accentuated, the eyes are large and curving (in what have come to be referred to as ‘Jodhpuri eyes’), the turbans are worn high, and while they sit or stand or ride, the men are shown with a sense of vibrant energy. Even paintings showing rulers practicing religious rituals are not devoid of this quality of vibrancy. The backgrounds tend to be characteristic too with thick, rich decorative leaves of trees and skies enriched with thick, rolling clouds. Aniline colours too are an important feature.Top^

Mewar: One of the largest ateliers in Rajasthan was to be found in Udaipur, where from the beginning of the 17th century till the end of the 19th, there has been an uninterrupted progression in miniature art. The main theme, with few exceptions, consisted of the traditional texts that ranged from the Ragamala, Nayika-bhada and Krishna Leela to the Ramayana and the Bhagvata Purana. Scenes from the Krishna Leela came to be known for their amorous quality. One of the first definitive sets of Ragamala paintings dated 1605 and executed by painter Nasir-ud-din, still feature in the collection at Udaipur.
The Mewar School is celebrated for its strong colours and decorative designs. The landscape has been emphasised so that the human figures tend to integrate with it. The decorative features were further accentuated with Mughal cross-fertilisation when a mosaic-like, decorative character evolved, especially with regard to foliage. Later, lifestyle portraits developed in the Sisodia atelier, replacing nature in a sense with the background of the palaces of the Ranas.

Folk styles

While the formal school of miniatures were patronised by the royal families and the aristocracy, the humbler settlements made do with humbler forms of art, no less expressive on the account. These were mostly in the form of cloth paintings and over time emerged in two styles. Top^

Phads: Phads are scroll-like paintings on a giant canvas that are used by the Bhopa minstrels to recount the legends of Pabuji Ramdeo of the Rabari tribe and his black mare. The tales are painted in flaming orange, red and black in comic-strip fashion. While there is little detailing, the expressive use of the outline of human figures and the sketchy filling in of the background creates a tapestry that is lively.

Pichwais: Pichwais are decorative curtain cloths used as a background for religious images in a shrine. These can be brocaded, block printed, embroidered or worked in gold threads. In the simplest form, they can be secular in nature and are painted in huge quantities for sale to tourists.
However, the pichwai developed when the Vallabhaichari sect created 24 iconographic renderings as a background for the Krishna image at Nathdwara. Each of these images was linked with a particular festival or celebration. While images from Nathdwara are instantly recognizable in the way Krishna is painted and in the decorative element that embellished the cloth, the traditional pichwai consists of starched handspun cloth, painted with vegetable and mineral colours. The format of the pichwai is static, if stylised, where even the natural elements appear ‘frozen’. The elements too make an appearance – whether the sun, moon, stars or even lightning. Now replaced by fabric paints, the traditional colours used were cochineal, indigo, lapiz and orpiment.Top^

Backgrounds

While the canvas is the most obvious choice for a painting, Rajasthani paintings used a number of interesting backgrounds for their art. Miniatures, for example, are painted on paper that has been specially treated and uses vegetable and mineral colours. Painters may tend to use old paper to ‘age’ a painting so that it resembles an antique without being one. The folk paintings, on the other hand, used fabrics as their material.
Though trade in ivory is now banned in India, at one point the finest miniatures used to be painted on ivory. The same artists have since tried to bring the same effect to bear on marble, but with notably less success. Paintings on marble resemble more closely the gesso work from Bikaner that one sees on camel hide. Top^

A favourite background was the use of walls for creating paintings and a profusion of work can be seen in the palaces of most kingdoms where everything from walls to ceilings could be lavished with scenes from the Krishna Leela, or the exploits of Lord Rama, or even depictions of court scenes and portraits of rulers. In aristocratic homes too, the tradition caught on though the depictions here were usually more secular in nature, or religious, but rarely dealt with matters of state. It is also not unusual to find, tucked discreetly behind bedroom doors, erotic paintings that, no doubt, were intended to inform. Though artists paint erotica on miniature canvases today, as an art form this was rare earlier.Top^

Frescos

Paintings are a common expression in Rajasthan and everything - from village huts, simply decorated with a plaster of cow dung paste and lime, to the wall paintings found in palaces - echo this. However, if there is one region that stands out for its consummate artistry, it is the Shekhawati region, where the streets are lined with havelis painted in the nature of a vast open-air art gallery.
The Shekhawati region lies in the triangle between Delhi, Jaipur and Bikaner and consists of a semi-arid desert. It is also the home of the Marwaris, India’s mercantile community that now commands vast business empires in different parts of the country and the world.
With the money they made, they ordered lavish havelis back home and in order to make them attractive, had them painted in what has come to be defined as the Shekhawati fresco style. A sense of competitiveness brought in excess, since this indicated the worth of the owner’s presumed wealth. The style of fresco painting is locally known as ala gila. The colours, mixed into a paste, were applied on to the damp wall finished with a plaster of lime paste. The colours were made to seep into the damp plaster through a process that consisted of beating, burnishing and polishing. The painters and masons who were commissioned the task undertook large panels together, working in teams so that joints in the plaster, and therefore in the frescos, did not show. Binding agents such as tempera, gum and camel fat were also used.
The pigments were obtained from iron rich sediments (greens, yellows, ochres), lampblack (black), indigo (blues), stone powder (red), saffron (orange) and chalk (white). The process of creating the frescos was tedious. A wall was given two layers of clay plaster, a third of mortar, into which finely cut pieces of hessian were added, followed by a coat of plaster using lime, gravel or brick dust. Another coat of lime also used marble dust. The final coat consisted of sieved lime dust made into a paste using sour buttermilk and jaggery. This was the basic surface on which the painters had to draw and fill in colours while the uppermost layer was still wet. This was then polished with smooth agate, and dry coconut rubbed in to seal in the paintings. The exercise may have been arduous, but it ensured that the paintings have lasted over a century, their only damage being more man-made than wrought by nature. Considering that most of these paintings are out in the open, this is all the more surprising.

The subjects of the Shekhawati frescos ranged across a variety of themes and changed over time, from the late 18th century when it began to the early 20th century when it had almost totally degenerated. Top^

Floral: The early work tended to be simple, using fewer colours and consisted of floral interpretations of motifs. Later, floral work was mostly reserved for the more awkward elements of architecture, such as pillars and arches. More commonly, floral motifs were used to create frames and unite a complete section, within which were canvases of paintings. In the few Muslim havelis, only floral representations of foliage are found.

Religious: A great body of the vast amount of work, particularly in interior spaces and around the main entrances, tended to be a mythical and religious record of the people. The subjects however, were not always painted in idolatory form, but used subjects from Indian religious legends and fables, so that entire canvases could be covered with the marriage processions of gods, or their great wars with the demons, or depictions from the Ramayana. The legends of Krishna and in particular Ras Leela, find representation in the circular ceilings below domes.

Historic: Tales of valour are omnipresent and consist of a historical cast as well as scenes of great battles, and portraits of well-known rulers. Mostly, these were painted in the chhatris of the wells, or in the castles of the Rajput feudal chiefs who controlled small feudatory states in this region.

Secular: Most of the external walls represent aspects of life that were clearly aspirational or a commentary on their lifestyles. These consisted of scenes of processions, of caparisoned elephants, of celebrated lovers such as Dhola and Maru, even trompe l’oeil paintings that created a suspension of belief in disbelief. Women peeping out of windows, a camel straddling a small window or a staircase turning into an elephant with the balustrade its trunk, were some of the more delightful representations.

Influence of the Raj: Contact with the English sahib whom the painters had never seen, but about whom they had heard from their patrons, resulted in the last body of amusing work. The havelis now bore witness to the passage of trains, to their gods journeying in motorcars and to such inventions as the telephone and the aeroplane. Even portraits of English sahibs and memsahibs were painted, some walking their dog, others engaged in needlework -- pursuits that the people of the region must have looked upon with a sense of humour, for the paintings are robbed of serious intent and have by this time degenerated into a form of caricature.

The Shekhawati fresco had ceased to be by the 1930s after having resorted to absurd gimmickry, the end more the result of the migration of the Marwari families. The abandonment of the region in the hand of caretakers led to the desecration of the murals, with several examples of beautiful art simply painted over by hoarding painters and shop banners. In the last decade, a growing awareness of the heritage has been able to stem this rot to a great extent, though the lack of maintenance is taking its toll on the art of the region.
Visitors to the Shekhawati region can stay in any of several heritage hotels that were once feudal castles. Interestingly, many of these historic hotels too are beautiful examples of the painted walls of the region. Simply driving through these small towns, or walking down narrow lanes can throw up brilliant works of art. These are the true treasures of Rajasthan’s open-air art galley. Top^

However, the following list of towns will indicate where most of the better-known havelis and frescos are to be found:

Alsisar-Malsisar: Adjacent towns, distinguished by the blue and red colour of their frescos.
Bagar: Only a few painted havelis showing the degeneration of the art.
Bissau: Consistently high quality of frescos.
Churi Ajitgarh: Painted havelis include one known particularly for its erotic art.
Churu: Though strictly not a part of the Shekhawati region, it has havelis that are characterised as much by their brilliant paintings as their flamboyant architecture.
Dundlod: Also a heritage hotel, it has some nice haveli and chhatri frescos.
Fatehpur: One of the richest sources for observing some of the finest art in the region.
Jhunjhunu: Better known for its Sati temple and for the large size of its havelis, it too has examples of frescos.
Lakshmangarh: Planned on the formal city layout of Jaipur, it has a lot of whimsical subjects painted on its impressive havelis.
Mahansar: The finest interiors painted in the region found here is a former jeweller’s showroom and are rich in their use of colours and gilding.
Mandawa: The heart of the region for many, with a castle that is a premier heritage hotel. Well known for its frescos.
Mukundgarh: Also the site for a heritage hotel, a small settlement that is easy to walk around when viewing fresco art.
Nawalgarh: A huge number of havelis and a profusion of fresco art; also a heritage hotel.
Parasrampura: Historical and religious frescos abound.
Ramgarh: The most profusely painted of the Shekhawati towns. Top^