1) Prehistoric/ Cave paitings- Bhimbhetka is a place in the state of Madhya Pradesh where prehistoric paintings are discovered in numerous caves. The paintings span over a period of 600 years starting from upper Paleolithic to early historic and medieval times. The prehistoric men used blunt stone tools to engrave and used branches and twigs as their brush. For colors they used different minerals as well as stone, earth and coals. Cave paintings of Ajanta and Ellora refer to the Buddhist monks who employed painters to draw the life and teachings of Lord Buddha.
2) Mughal paintings- Depict Indo-Islamic style of painting and flourished in the ateliers of Mughal emperors including Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jahan, which describes neatly the court life of Mughal society.
3) Tanjore paintings- These are classical south Indian form of painting which evolved in the village of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.These are well known for their compactness of form and vivd colors.
4) Rajasthani Paintings- These are miniature paintings of the finest quality which are made on both paper and large pieces of cloth. Different parts of the state stick to their own style and are thus recognised as different schools of painting. A number of famous schools of painting are Mewar, Hadoti, Marwar, Kiashangarh, Alwar and Dhundhar.
5) Madhubani Paintings- Women belonging to the small town called Madhubani and other villages of Mithila mainly do Madhubani paintings. Formerly they were made on mud walls of small huts but now they are done on paper and clothes also. The subject involves Hindu Gods and Goddesses, natural objects like sun and moon, sacred plant like Tulsi and its speciality remain in use of vegetable colors. These paintings are like a mirror, which reflects the values and morals of the society. It has a vernacular flavour and if observed carefully one will always find the psychology and belief prevailing in the society. This form of painting deals with significant and expressive images in its own ways.
6) Pahari Paintings- It is a miniature form of painting evolved in the hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir during the period of Rajput rulers. These paintings have the beautiful scenes of Himalaya as the backdrop. There are 3 distinct schools of painting under this category named Basholi, Guler- Kangra and Sikh.
7) Lepakshi paintings - It is a form of wall painting made on the walls of the temple of Leepakshi, a small village in Anantpur district in Andhra Pradesh.
8) Warli Paintings- Warli painting is an ancient tradition of Indian folk art of painting of a tribe known as Warli belonging to Maharashtra. Most of Warli paintings are dominated by geometrical designs; and crooked lines and dots form the the units of these compositions. The monochromatic tribal paintings express different types of folk imaginations, customs and beliefs. The most frequent theme of Warli paintings is marriage. The people consider these paintings sacred. Men and women dancing in circles, during various celebrations and fauna and flora are also another themes typical to the Warli Paintings.
9) Patachitra- This form of painting flourished in the state of Orissa and is made on cloth with extremely vivd colours and mythology based subject.
These were some of the various traditional forms of Indian paintings that i am aware of and wanted to share with all of you. Hope you enjoyed going through the various cultures of India through paintings as a mode.
My work:-
I have always been amused by the beauty of Taj Mahal but i wondered why this symbol of love is white. On pondering i came to believe that since love is the most purest feeling one can experience thats why the color white because white is what we associate with purity, but think of it doesnt love also fill our life with colors, doesnt it give us all the happiness in the world so i thought why not give this amazingly beautiful tribute to love a colourful twist. Here it is:-
Though i made this a long time back,it still is very close to my heart because as they say " Love is for Eternity"
