Rajastani Schools of Painting

• The 'Rajastani Schools of Painting' refers to paintings from princely kingdoms and thikanas in Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh
• These principalities include Mewar, Bundi, Kota, Jaipur, Bikaner, Kishangarh and Jodhpur
• The paintings were largely created between the sixteenth and early nineteenth centuries
• Anand Coomaraswamy coined the term 'Rajput Paintings' in 1916

Rajput and Mughal Schools

• 'Rajput Paintings' was used to describe rulers and patrons of these kingdoms, who were mainly Rajputs
• The term was used to categorize and differentiate this group from the Mughal School of Painting
• Malwa princedoms of Central India and the Pahari Schools of the Himalayan region were also under the Rajput Schools
• Coomaraswamy's nomenclature represented the indigenous painting tradition before the Mughal conquest
• 'Rajput Schools' is now obsolete; replaced by specific categories like Rajasthani and Pahari

Styles and Techniques

• Pictorial styles in these kingdoms differed in execution (fine or bold), color preference (brilliant or gentle) and compositional elements
• Depictions included architecture, figures, nature, modes of narration and affinity for naturalism or emphasis on extreme mannerism
• Paintings used waslis: layered, thin sheets of handmade papers glued together for desired thickness
• Outlines were sketched in black or brown, followed by colors fixed with notations or sample patches
• Color pigments came from minerals and precious metals like gold and silver, mixed with glue as the binding medium
• Brushes were made from camel and squirrel hair
• Finished paintings were burnished with agate for uniform sheen and resplendence

Team Work

• Painting involved teamwork with the master artist doing preliminary drawings and composing
• Pupils or experts in coloring, portraiture, architecture, landscape and animals would contribute
• The master artist added finishing touches and a scribe wrote verses in the space left

Themes and an overview

• Vaishnavism, especially the cults of Rama and Krishna, became popular by the 16th century
• It swept across western, northern, and central India as part of the Bhakti movement
• Krishna was seen as God and an ideal lover, with 'love' as a religious theme combining sensuousness and mysticism

Themes of Paintings

• Gita Govinda is a lyrical poem evoking shringara rasa, expressing Radha and Krishna's mystical love
• Rasamanjari is a text dealing with heroes and heroines classified by age, physiognomic traits and emotional states
• Rasikapriya offers complex poetic interpretations for aesthetic pleasure
• Kavipriya is a poetic work by Keshav Das, including Baramasa, a climactic description of the 12 months
• Bihari Satsai is composed of aphorisms and moralizing witticism

Paintings of Ragas

• Ragamala paintings are pictorial interpretations of ragas and raginis
• Ragas are envisioned in romantic or devotional contexts by musicians and poets
• Each raga is associated with a mood, time and season and Ragamala paintings are arranged in albums of 36 or 42 folios
• Each family has a male raga with six female consorts (raginis), including Bhairava, Malkos, Hindol, Dipak, Megha and Shri

Other Themes

• Common themes included bardic legends, romantic tales, and texts
• Legends and tales included Dhola-Maru and Sohni-Mahiwal
• Texts included the Ramayana, Bhagvata Purana and Devi Mahatmya
• Paintings also recorded darbar scenes and historic moments
• They depicted hunting expeditions, wars, victories, picnics, garden parties, rituals, festivals, wedding processions, portraits, city views, birds and animals

Malwa Painting

• The Malwa School flourished between 1600 and 1700 CE
• It represents the Hindu Rajput courts, with two-dimensional simplistic language
• Its style is a stylistic progression from Jain manuscripts to Chaurpanchashika paintings
• The Malwa School had no precise origin center
• It consisted of a vast territory of Central India with mentions of Mandu, Nusratgarh and Narsyang Sahar
• Illustrated poetic texts included Amaru Shataka (1652 CE) and a Ragamala painting by Madho Das (1680 CE)
• Murals in Bundelkhand did not have Mughal influence, unlike paper works with indigenous austerity
• Absence of patron kings' mentions and portraits suggests paintings were bought by Datia rulers from traveling artists
• Common themes included: the Ramayana, Bhagvata Purana, Amaru Shataka, Rasikapriya, Ragamala and Baramasa

Schools that had the most influence

• Mughal School prevailed from the sixteenth century in Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore
• Provincial Mughal Schools grew with Mughal governors, blending Mughal style with local elements
• Deccani School in Ahmednagar, Bijapur, Golconda and Hyderabad flourished from the sixteenth century
• Rajasthani Schools became prominent in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries
• Pahari School followed in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries

Mewar Painting

• Mewar is thought to be a significant early painting center in Rajasthan
• There it formalized painting traditions from bold pre-17th century styles to refined styles post-Karan Singh
• Wars with the Mughals erased early examples of Mewar art
• The emergence of the Mewar School is widely associated with Ragamala paintings of 1605 by Nisardin
• The set has a colophon page revealing information. Its visual aesthetics closely match the pre-seventeenth century

Reign of Singh

• The reign of Jagat Singh I (1628–1652) saw pictorial aesthetics revamped by Sahibdin and Manohar
• The artists Sahibdin painted the Ragamala (1628) and more
• Sahibdin is credited with Yuddha Kanda, part of the Ramayana set
• Sahibdin used oblique aerial perspective, layering multiple episodes into single paintings.
• Mewar artists used bright red and yellow colors often

Mewar Painting Later

• Nathdwara, near Udaipur, became a painting school by the late seventeenth century
• Large backdrops, pichhwais, were painted for the deity Shrinathji for festive occasions
• Mewar painting became secular and courtly with portraiture and court scenes being favored
• The country scape was perceived in an oblique view, to visualize panorama

Bundi Painting

• Bundi painting flourished in the seventeenth century with excellent color sense and formal design
• Bundi Ragamala (1591), from the early phase of Bundi painting, was painted at Chunar
• The Bundi school blossomed with patronage from Rao Chattar Sal (1631–1659) and Rao Bhao Singh (1659–1682)
• Later rulers Aniruddha Singh (1682–1702) and Budh Singh drove innovative developments despite political issues

Qualities of Bundi Painting

• Bundi paintings entered its most accomplished phase under Umed Singh (1749–1771), acquiring minuteness
• Eighteenth-century Bundi paintings took on Deccani aesthetics with bright colors
• Umed Singh's successor, Bishen Singh (1771–1821) ruled for 48 years and had a hunting obsession
• Under Ram Singh (1821–1889), the Bundi palace was decorated with mural paintings
• A distinct Bundi and Kota School feature is the lush vegetation landscapes, wildlife and birds

Earlier Bundi

• Bundi's earliest painting phase, the Bundi Ragamala, has a Persian inscription dating back to 1591
• It mentions Shaykh Hasan and Ali are pupils of Mir Sayyid Ali and Khwaja Abddus Samad
• They pointed out Chunar (near Benaras) as the painting origin, where Bhoj Singh had a palace

More facts on bundi

• Raga Dipak is portrayed in a night setting
• The sky glitters and the moon is yellow
• Baramasa is a popular theme of Bundi paintings, inspired by Keshav Das's Kavipriya

Kota Painting

• Painting at Bundi led to a notable Rajasthani School called Kota
• That school excelled in hunting scenes showing excitement and obsession for animal chase
• Bundi and Kota were one kingdom until 1625
• Jahangir divided Bundi and gave one part to Madhu Singh for his bravery

The Kota School

• After separating from Bundi, Kota had its own school by 1660s
• In the early period, Kota painters borrowed from Bundi's repertoire
• Kota style became distinct with a flair for drawing
• By the reign of Ram Singh I (1686–1708), artists expanded their inventory to many subjects
• Kota artists seemed to first render landscapes as real subjects of compositions
• Kota paintings are spontaneous, calligraphic with shading and double-lid eyes
• Kota School artists excelled in rendering animals and combat

Bikaner Painting

• Rao Bika Rathore founded the kingdom of Bikaner in 1488
• Anup Singh (1669–1698) instituted a library in Bikaner
• Bikaner developed a distinctive painting style influenced by Mughal elegance
• Mughal artists visited Bikaner in the seventeenth century
• Ustad Ali Raza from Delhi was employed by Karan Singh

Later Qualities of Bikaner Painting

• Bikaner's master artist was Ruknuddin, whose style merged indigenous idiom with Mughal/Deccani conventions
• Artists would set up studios (Mandi), working under a master artist
• Ruknuddin managed some of the professional studios.
• Upon completion of a painting, the court entered the name of the artist behind it, leading the term gudarayi to be used for finishing touches
• Having portraits of artists is unique to the Bikaner School. They are called Ustas, with information on their ancestry
• Ruknuddin painted exquisite works, wheras Ibrahim's works have a misty quality

Marwari Painting

• Bikaner paintings has a multitude of inscriptions
• They reveal the names of artists and dates
• Kishangarh paintings have sophisticated style and unique facial types
• Arched eyebrows, drooping eyelids, a slender nose and thin lips were a norm
• Kishan Singh founded the state of Kishangarh in 1609
• Artists were already working in the Kishangarh court by 1658

The Style of Kishangarh Painting

• The Kishangarh state style had a habit of elongating human forms, using green heavily and painting panoramic landscapes
• The Krishna Lila themes became favorites, representing a major part of their court art
• Sawant Singh's most celebrated and outstanding artist was Nihal Chand.
• Nihal Chand composed paintings on poetry portraying the theme of divine lovers of Radha and Krishna
• Nihal painted small figures in vast landscape settings
• Kishangarh artists reveled in vistas in accentuated colours

Jodhpur Painting

• Mughal visual aesthetics influenced Jodhpur's portraiture style
• Strong indigenous folkish styles resisted from getting overpowered
• An early set painted in Pali is a Ragamala set by Virji (1623)
• Maharaja Jaswant Singh (1638–1678) ushered in a productive painting period
• He started documentary painting through portraits
• Under Jaswant, painting was substituted for recording events until photography arrived
• Jaswant supported Krishna themes due to his devotion of Shrinathji,

Singh's of Marwar

• Ajit Singh (1679–1724) became king after a 25-year war with Aurangzeb
• Veer Durgadas Rathore then recaptured Marwar.
• Durgadas's heroism was celebrated and his equestrian portraits became popular.
• The reign of Man Singh(1803-1843) coincided with the last innovative phase
• Man was also a follower of the Nath Sampradaya
• Man commissioned a set of Nath Charita
• Seldom were names of artists and place of painting ever inscribed in earlier works

Jaipuri Painting

• Jaipur School of painting originated in its former capital Amer
• It was closest to Mughal capitals
• Jaipur rulers maintained cordial relations with Mughal emperors influencing aesthetics
• Raja Bharmal married his daughter to Akbar and his son was also close to Akbar
• Sawai Jai founded Jaipur in 1727 and shifted from Amer and paintings thrived
• Some Mughal painters came to be a part of his atelier.
• He also invited eminent craftsmen and reorganized the Suratkhana
• Jai Singh was drawn to the religious sect and also portraits
• Sawai extended the same patronage to art. The royal then recorded incidents of court life

The Influence of Themes

• Sawai Ishwari Singh extended painting patronage
• Themes included religious and literary texts and scenes of his leisure
• Under Sawai Pratap Singh (1779–1803), Mughal influence waned and Jaipur's style reformulated
• This started of the second thriving period for Jaipur, who were employed around 50 artists
• Pratap was an ardent follower of Krishna and prompted literary and religious themes
• Jaipur preferred mass production and favoured by big formats