Notes-Class 10-History-Chapter-4-History of Indian Arts-Maharashtra Board

Folk styles of Paintings :

• The style of folk painting dates back to stone ages. Such paintings have been discovered in many countries.
• The rock paintings in the caves at Bhimbetka are famous. They are declared as part of World Heritage Site.
• Rock paintings depict humans, animals and geometric figures.
• The style of rock paintings and the subject of portrayal went on changing according to the cultural changes from Stone Age to the beginning of agriculture.
• Black, red and white colours were used in the rock painting, made from natural substances.
• The practice of customs such as decorating the house walls and courtyards (Rangawali) by drawing various figures and symbols during marriages or using panels of paintings to narrate stories during festivals helped the regional styles of folk painting to develop.

Maratha style painting : Pictorial handwritten religious texts, pictures on the wooden board, miniature paintings, glass paintings are the different types of paintings which evolved during Maratha period.

• Development started in the latter half of 17th century.
• This style consists of coloured paintings and they occur as murals and miniatures used in manuscripts.
• Many religious texts in Marathi like Dnyaneshwari, Shivlilamrut are available with pictures depicting the 'Dashavtar'.
• The Maratha style of painting was influenced by the Rajput and European styles of painting which brought diversity in painting.
• Wall paintings during the Peshwa period, i.e. the 18th century are available. Wall paintings were found on the front side of the castle, drawing room, wall reserved for inhouse temple, peaks, etc.
• The subjects of these wall paintings were mostly mythological. A thin wet layer of limestone was first applied on the wall and then the pictures were drawn on it. Colours used were extracted from natural sources like flowers, leaves and plants and even from elements like charcoal, gold and silver. The prosperity in the later period of the Maratha rule had helped it to reach great heights.

• The style of a painting helps us to understand lifestyle, attires, customs, etc.
• Murals of Maratha style can be seen in the old wadas at places like Wai, Menavali and Satara in Maharashtra.

• The paintings were drawn on red coloured mud walls of huts.
• Ochre coloured walls are painted with a paste of rice and water.
• They used skewed bamboo sticks as paint brushes to draw the paintings.
• After 1970, Warli paintings became known all over the world.

• Jivya Somya Mashe popularised the Warli style of paintings.
• He has been honoured with Padma Shri in 2011 and many national and international awards.

Chitrakathi tradition : The tradition of narrating stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata with the help of wooden puppets and paintings is known as Chitrakathi or Pingul tradition.

• The tradition of Chitrakathi is mentioned in Manasollas, a book written by the
• Chalukya King Someshvara in the 12th century C.E.
• The Thakur tribal community in the Konkan region near Kudal have preserved this tradition. They live in a village called 'Pinguli' and hence it is called Pingul tradition.
• It is drawn on paper and painted with colours made from natural substances.
• These are preserved carefully and passed on from one generation to another.
• The artists and the government are trying to preserve this tradition which is on the verge of extinction.

Miniature Paintings in Manuscripts :

• Miniature paintings show Persian influence.
• The Deccan miniature style was developed under the patronage of the Deccan Sultanates.
• The Mughal miniature style shows a blend of Indian and Persian styles.

Western style of Painting :

• The Indian artists came under the influence of the European style of painting during the British period.
• In the times of Savai Madhavrao Peshwa, in Shanivar Wada, at Pune, an art school was established under the leadership of James Wales, a Scottish artist.
• Gangaram Tambat, a Marathi artist worked with Wales.
• Some of his drawings are preserved in the Yale Centre of British Art of Yale University.
• J. J. School of Art and Industry was established in 1857, offers courses in
• European style of painting.
• Pestonji Bomanji made replicas of Ajanta paintings.
• Exact portrayal of the object of painting is characteristic of the European style.

Folk styles of Sculptural Art :

• Carving tools out of stone can be said to be the beginning of sculptural art.
• The custom of making clay images for rituals is prevalent since Harappan times in many regions of India.
• The Ganesh idols, masks of Gauri, bull figurines made for Bailpola, wooden memorials, Veergals (memorial stones), the decorated clay storage bins, etc. are a few examples of the folk traditions of sculptural art.

Classical styles of Sculptural Art : More than 5000 year old the Harappan seals, stone and bronze statues tell us about the tradition of the Indian sculptural art.

• The tradition of stone sculptures of larger size began in the Mauryan period with the Ashoka pillars.
• The Sanchi stupa was erected during the rule of Emperor Ashoka.
• The stupa at Borobudur in Indonesia, built during 8th-9th century, is the largest stupa in the world. It was declared as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1991.

Indian Iconography :

• Iconography is a branch of knowledge associated with everything about making of images of gods and goddesses.
• The Gandhara School of Art which came into being in the 2nd century B.C.E. in
• Afghanistan had Greek and Persian influences.
• The period between 1st to 3rd century C.E. (the Kushana period) saw the rise of Mathura School of Art.
• The Mathura School laid the foundation of Indian iconography.
• The Kushana kings made use of images of various deities on their coins.
• The iconographic rules and standards were formulated during the period of the Gupta Empire.
• The art of making bronze images of gods and goddesses was developed under the patronage of the Chola Kings during 9th to 13th century.

The important feature of Hemadpanti temples :

• The walls are built without using any mortar by locldng the stones by using the technique of tenon and mortise joints.-
• The temples are built in a star shape.
• The outer walls of these star-shaped temples have zigzag designs. This results into an interesting effect of alternating light and shadow.
• The Ambreshwar temple at Ambarnath, Gondeshwar temple at Sinnar near Nashik, Aundha Nagnath temple in the Hingoli district are few finest examples of Hemadpanti style in Maharashtra.

Indo-Gothic architecture :

• Indo-Gothic style of architecture emerged in India during the British period:
• The building of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Railway Terminus at Mumbai is the finest example of the Indo-Gothic architecture.
• During this period, many buildings were constructed having this type of architecture, like churches, government offices, residences of top officials and railway stations.

Classical Performing Art :

Theatre :

• The text of Natyashastra written by Bharatmuni is supposed to be the earliest one.
• There is a detailed discussion on music, dance and theatre in it.
• Nine rasas (Navras) as moods are fundamental in Indian performing arts.

Music and Singing :

• There are two main branches of the Indian classical music : Hindustani music and Carnatic music.
• Classical and semi-classical. The semi-classical included many styles of folk music.
• The 'Savai Gandharva Mahotsav' festival of Pune showcases various festivals of music and dance so that common people can view.

Dance :

• Many dance forms exist in India in different regions.
• A beautiful blend of all three forms of music, vocal, instrumental and dance can be seen in various Indian classical dance forms.
• Popular dance forms in India: (i) Maharashtra - Lavani (ii) Odisha — Odisi
• (iii) Tamil Nadu — Bharatnatyam (iv) Kerala - Kathakali and Mohiniattam.
• Pandit Uday Shankar created a fusion of Indian classical dance and European Opera.

Need for experts in Art History :

• To work in field of Journalism
• To decide the exact value of an art object and to ensure that it is genuine.
• To work towards the Management and preservation of cultural heritage.
• To work as a guide in cultural tourism.
• To work in museums, archives management and libraries.
• To work as researcher and technical expert in Archaeological Research.

Fields of Applied Arts :

• Industry and Advertisement sector, Art Design of Stage Backdrops (Nepathya).
• Art direction for Films and Television.
• Newspapers, periodicals, layout of books, magazines, greeting cards, invitation cards, gift objects, customized stationery, etc. are the fields.
• The field of architecture, photography are also part of applied arts. Ornaments, artistic creations of metals, earthen pots, and objects made from cane and bamboo, beautiful glass objects, attractive textile and clothing all can be listed under applied arts.

Training Institutions : There are a few institutions in India, which impart technical and occupational training, given below are well known institutes in India.

• National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad
• J.J. School of Art in Mumbai.