2. Geographically, it spans the entire Indian
subcontinent, including what is
now India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The origin of Indian art can be traced to pre-
historic Hominid settlements in the 3rd
millennium BC. On its way to modern times,
Indian art has had cultural influences
(e.g., Indus Valley and Hellenistic), as well as
religious influences such as Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism and Islam. In spite of this
complex mixture of religious traditions.
3. In historic art, sculpture in stone and metal,
mainly religious, has survived the Indian
climate better than other media, and provides
most of the best remains.
Indian funeral and philosophic traditions
exclude grave goods, which are a main source
of ancient art in other cultures.
4. painting
has a very long tradition and history
in Indian art. The earliest Indian paintings
were the rock paintings of pre-historic times,
the petroglyphs.
Indian paintings provide an aesthetic continuum
that extends from the early civilization to the
present day.
5. Indian painting has evolved over the years to
become a fusion of various cultures and
traditions.
6. Rock art
Bhimbetka rock painting showing man riding on horse.
The earliest example of
are the
petrogylphs such as
found in bhimbetka,
some of them older than
5500 BC.
7. Murals
The history of Indian murals starts in
ancient and early medieval times, from the
2nd century BC to 8th – 10th century AD.
There are known more than 20 locations
around India containing murals from this
period, mainly natural caves and rock-cut
chambers.
8. A mural painting depicting a scene
from MahajanakaJataka, Cave
1, Ajanta
Paintings of Padmapani and Vajrapani on either side of the
Buddha in Cave 1
9. A 17th-century Mughal painting
Mughal painting is a
particular style of Indian
painting, generally confined
to illustrations on the book
and done in miniatures,
and which emerged,
developed and took shape
during the period of
the Mughal Empire 16th
−19th centuries.
10. A folio from the Hamzanama
The Hamzanama,
stories of Amir Hamza,
an uncle of the Prophet,
were illustrated by Mir
Sayyid Ali. The paintings
of the Hamzanama are
of large size, 20 x 27"
and were painted on
cloth.
11. An 18th-century Rajput painting by the
artist Nihâl Chand
Rajput painting, a style
of Indian painting, evolved
and flourished, during the
18th century, in the royal
courts of Rajputana, India.
Each Rajput kingdom
evolved a distinct style, but
with certain common
features.
12. A painting of Laxmi
Mysore painting is an
important form of
classical South
Indian painting that
originated in the town
of Mysore in Karnataka.
These paintings are
known for their
elegance, muted colours
and attention to detail.
