Indian art

Group 2Burgos, Stacey

Cabotaje, Jose Maria

Casais, Bea Pauline

De Mesa, Juan Carlo

Estanislao, Wencee

Fenis, Cristelle

INDIAN ART

HISTORY

The major themes of Indian art seem to begin emerging as early as the Harappan period, about 2500 BC.

With the arrival of the Indo-Europeans (or Aryans) around 1500 BC, came new artistic ideas.

Around 500 BC, the conversion to Buddhism of a large part of the population of India - brought new artistic themes.

Conquests of Alexander the Great, in the 320s BC - also had an important impact on Indian art.

He left colonies of Greek veteran soldiers in Afghanistan and Pakistan, some of which were sculptors.

Their Greek-style carvings attracted attention in India.

First life-size stone statues in India date to the 200s BC, just after Alexander.

Guptan period, about 500 AD - great cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora were carved.

Scenes from the life of the Buddha became popular, and statues of the Buddha.

CAVE TEMPLES AJANTA Carved from the 2nd-6th century and

are 30 in number. Dedicated to Buddhism and the carvings

in them portary the life of Lord Buddha along with other carvings like that of animals.

The Ajanta Caves were carved out of volcanic rock in the Maharashtra Plateau.

It was not far off from the ancient trade routes attracting traders & pilgrims through whom the Ajanta art style diffused as far as China & Japan.

Buddhist Monks employed artists to turn the stone walls into picture books of Buddha's life & teachings.

They portrayed the costumes, ornaments & styles of the court life of their times.

Arrival of Islamic faith and Islamic conquerors about 1000 AD.

Brought iconoclasm to India, and a love of varied and complex patterning derived from Arabic and Persian models.

This affected even Hindu artists who had not converted to Islam.

Small Persian-style miniature paintings also became popular.

INDIA A land of diverse cultures. Variations in physical, climatic conditions

and the extent of exposure to other cultures have greatly influenced the traditions and culture of the different regions.

The greatness of India - accepting the best from all the invaders and intermingling the new customs and styles with the existing - visible in all aspects - music, dance, painting, sculptures, architecture.

RELIGION Indian religions is a classification

for religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent; namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

These religions are also classified as Eastern religions.

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religion of the Indian subcontinent. It includes a wide spectrum of laws and prescriptions of "daily morality" based on the notion of karma, dharma, and societal norms.

Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation.

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha ("the awakened one").

Sikhism embody the qualities of a "Sant-Sipahie"—a saint-soldier. One must have control over one's internal vices and be able to be constantly immersed in virtues clarified in the Guru Granth Sahib. A Sikh must also have the courage to defend the rights of all who are wrongfully oppressed or persecuted irrespective of religion, colour, caste or creed.

CULTURE India is a conglomeration of men

and women of various castes and creed. It is a fusion of old traditional values and the modern principles, thus satisfying all the three generations in the present India. The Elite businessman and the common vendor on the road share the same news and worship the same deity .

INDIAN ART With a 5000-year-old culture, rich

in its tapestry of ancient heritage, medieval times, Mughal rule, British rule, Progressive art and now contemporary art.

The earliest recorded art of India originated from a religious Hindu background, which was later replaced by a soaring popular Buddhist art.

India has been inspired by spiritualism and mystical relationship between man and god.

In India, all art, like all life, is given over to religion. Indian art is life, as interpreted by religion and philosophy.

Described as theological, hieratic, or, perhaps best of all as traditional.

Art in India had survived in its homeland and spread from time to time all over the world.

Many kings who recognized budding talent patronized art and themselves were great connoisseurs.

Each king has left a deep impression of his affinity to the artist community. Until today, art is patronized by the rich and famous in the country.

The cultural policy of the Government of India has three major objectives:

Preserving the cultural heritage of India,

Inculcating Indian art consciousness amongst Indians,

And promoting high standards in creative and performing arts.

Western scholars have often had difficulty understanding the complex cultural and philosophical systems that gave birth to Indian art tradition.

The story of Indian art is also the story of the oldest and the most resilient culture on earth.

It is seen as an amalgamation of indigenous and outside influences, yet having a unique character and distinctiveness of its own.

FEATURES OF INDIAN ART Spirals and curvaceous lines, vines and

tendrils. Round-figured goddesses, circular

amulets, colored gemstones, arches and domes, haloed deities, crescent moons, and the globe of the sun.

Sculptures & paintings depict the diversity, colour and spontaneity of the country and are representations of the all-encompassing nature of Indian culture.

KOLAMS Kolam designs have been tradionally

handed down to the younger generation by the elders.

Several organisations and magazines conduct kolam exhibitions & contests to revive the interest in traditional habits & customs.

There are enthusiasts who create fresh new designs, but kolams are basically redrawn by the public following the designs taught by elders or printed in books & magazines.

PAINTING Flourished in India from very early

periods, evident from literary sources and also from the discovered remnants.

Contemporary artists have kept up to the times & excel in their modern works, giving free expression to their imagination & artistic liberty.

Can be broadly classified as the murals & miniatures. Murals- huge works executed the walls of solid structures.

Miniature paintings are those executed on a very small scale on perishable material such as paper, cloth, etc., Though perfected by artisans under the various rules, not many remain today.

Shiva mural in the Kailasanatha Temple,

dating from the 8th century AD

MURAL*Shiva (meaning "auspicious

one") is a major Hindu deity, Shiva is a yogi who has

notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life.

In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God and has five Important works: creator, preserver, destroyer, concealer, and revealer (to bless).

MINIATURE Rajasthan is one of the pioneer seats of

miniature paintings in India. There reflects in these paintings a

continuity of the great traditions of Ajanta murals and Jain art of Gujrat.

This initial art style is a blend of indigenous art forms and the elements of the art traditions of Ajanta and Gujarat.

A folio from the Dhola Maru love-legend of Rajasthan, Mewar, dated 1592 A.D.

ARCHITECTURE

Famous Hindu Akshardham temple in South Delhi

Main elements are the introduction of arches and beams, the arcuate style of construction.

Traditional Indian building style is trabeate, using pillars and beams and lintels.

Early buildings of the Slave dynasty did not employ true Islamic building styles and consisted of false domes and false arches.

The introduction of true arches and true domes start to appear, the earliest example is the Alai Darwaza by the side of Qutb Minar.

The different religious beliefs are also reflected in the mode of construction and architectural styles.

Islamic style incorporated many elements from traditional Indian style and a compound style emanated.

Decorative brackets, balconies, pendentive decorations, etc in the architecture is an example in this regard.

With the advent of Islam, architecture slightly adapted to allow the traditions of the new religion, but it remained strongly Indian at its heart and character.

Arches and domes began to be used and the mosque or masjid began to form part of the landscape.

The sahn or the open courtyard for congregational worship with the enclosing cloisters or liwans and the sanctuary at the Western end offered a different architectural vocabulary.

The name Taj Mahal, with Taj meaning Crown and Mahal meaning Palace,

literally means ‘Crown Palace’.

Jami Masjid Mosque

The other distinguishing features of Indo-Islamic architecture are the utilisation of kiosks (chhatris), tall towers (minars) and half-domed double portals.

Human worship and its representation are not allowed in Islam, buildings and other edifices are generally decorated richly in geometrical and arabesque designs.

These were carved on stone in low relief, cut on plaster, painted or inlaid. The use of lime as mortar was also a major element distinct from the traditional building style.

AJANTA CAVES - ARCHITECTURE

INDUS-SARASVATI CIVILIZATION AND THE VEDIC VILLAGE The earliest production was characterized

by well planned cities and houses where religion did not seem to play an active role.

Presence of drainage systems and public baths showed advanced standards of sanitation and ingenious planning.

The Vedic village had certain distinct characteristics that influenced subsequent architectural production.

The Vedic grama could have a pur, or a fort-like structure within it. The Vedic hymns speak of "purs" made of stone and metal.

The Vedas have many words for houses. It appears that the main distinction was between:

Chardis (house with a thatched roof), Harmyam (a house of brick and stone

that had a courtyard in the middle), and Gotra (a multi-dwelling complex

with sheds for animals). The Rig-Veda speaks once of a palace

with 1000 doors, and twice of a palace with 1000 columns.

BUDDHIST AND JAINA ARCHITECTURE Gained prominence during the reign

of the emperor Ashoka. Primarily represented by three

important building types- the Chaitya Hall (place of worship), the Vihara (monastery) and the Stupa (hemispherical mound for worship/ memory)

Exemplified by the magnificent caves of Ajanta and Ellora and the monumental Sanchi Stupa.

Chaitya Hall (place of worship)Upper Left

Vihara (Monastery)Lower Left

Stupa (Hemispherical mound for worship)Upper Right

Greek influence led the Indian architecture of the time, especially the rock-cut art, to fall under one of the two categories:

the Mathura school of art which was strictly Indian in spirit and did not adopt from the Greek styles,

and the Gandharva school of art which incorporated influences of the Greek art.

The division of Buddhism into Hinayana and Mahayana phases also influenced the nature of rock-cut art, the former being represented by artifacts used by the Buddha, and the latter by images of the Buddha.

Early temples were rock-cut, later structural temples evolved. The Kailasanatha temple at Ellora is a good example of the former, excavated from top to bottom out of a massive rock face.

OTHER EXAMPLES:

Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal