3. HISTORy OF ARTS
The History of art refers to visual arts which
may be defined as any activity or product
made by humans in a visual form
for aesthetical or communicative purposes,
expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a
worldwide Over time art has been classified
diverse ways, from the medieval distinction
between liberal arts and mechanical arts, to
the modern distinction between fine arts
and applied arts, or to the many contemporary
definitions, which define art as a
manifestation of human creativity.
4. NEW FORMS OF IMPERIAL
ARTS
From the 18th century a stream of
European artists came to India along with
the British traders and rulers. The artists
brought with them new styles and
conventions of painting. They began
producing pictures which became widely
popular in Europe and helped shape Western
perceptions of India.
5. Picturesque:-
One popular imperial
tradition was that of
picturesque landscape
painting. This style of
painting depicted India
as a quaint land, to be
explored by traveling
British artists; its
landscape was rugged and
wild, seemingly untamed
by human hands.
6. Portraits:-
Another tradition of art that
became immensely popular in
colonial India was portrait
painting. The rich and the
powerful , both British and
Indian, wanted to see
themselves in canvas. Unlike
the existing Indian tradition
of painting portraits in
miniature, colonial portraits
were life-size images that
looked lifelike and real.
7. Painting history:-
There was a third
category of imperial art,
called “history painting”.
This tradition sought to
dramatize and recreate
various episodes of
British imperial history,
and enjoyed great
prestige and popularity
during the late 18th and
early 19th centuries.
8. Mural paintings:-
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or
applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other
large permanent surface. A particularly
distinguishing characteristic of mural
painting is that the architectural elements
of the given space are harmoniously
incorporated into the picture.
11. Scroll paintings:-
The hand scroll originated from ancient Chinese
text documents. From the Spring and Autumn
Period through the Han dynasty, bamboo or
wooden slips were bound and used to write texts
on. During the Eastern Han Dynasty period (25-
220), the use of paper and silk as hand scrolls
became more common. The hand scroll was the
one of the main formats for texts up until
the Tang dynasty. Since the Three Kingdoms
period (220–280), the hand scroll became a
standard form of mounting, and new styles were
developed over time.
12.
13. What happened to the
court artists ?
What happened to artists who earlier painted
miniatures? How did the painters at Indian
courts react to the new traditions of imperial
art? We can see different trends in different
courts. In Mysore, Tipu sultan not only fought
the British on the battlefield but also resisted
the cultured traditions associated with them.
He continued to encourage local traditions, and
had the walls of his palace at seringapatam
covered with mural paintings done by local
artists.
15. the neW popular
indian art
In the 19th century a new
world of popular art
developed in many of the
cities of India. In Bengal,
around the pilgrimage centre
of the temple of kalighat,
local village scroll painters
and potters began developing
a new style of art. they
moved from the surrounding
villages into Calcutta in the
early 19th .This was the time
when the city was expanded
as a commercial and
administrative center.
16.
17. the search of
national art
Towards the end of the 19th a stronger
connection was established between art
and nationalism. Many painters now tried
to develop a style that could be
considered both modern and Indian.
18. Art of Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma was one of
the first artists who tried
to create a style that was
both modern and national.
Ravi Varma belonged to the
family of the maharajas of
travancore in kerala, and
was addressed as raja. He
mastered the Western art
of oil painting and realistic
life study, but painted
themes from Indian
mythology.
19.
20. A different vision of national art
In Bengal a new group of
nationalist artists gathered
around Abanindranath
Tagore, the nephew of
Rabindranath Tagore. They
rejected the art of ravi
varma as imitative and
westernized, and declared
that such style was
unsuited for depicting the
nations ancient myths and
legends.
