Chitrakala: Paintings of India

In ancient India, it would seem that painting was such a popular art, that anyone who did not know how to appreciate and judge an artwork was not considered groomed enough!  

Kalidasa, (Kālidāsa was a Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language of India. His plays and poetry  are primarily based on the Vedas, the Mahabharata and the Puranas) portrays in Shakuntalam an amazing episode in the sixth part, where king Dushyanta being lovesick for beloved Shakuntala, makes a portrait of her. And in the scene there is a character, who unable to appreciate the deeper 'rasa' or 'bhava'  (emotion) of the painting to get to the true narrative of the painter, merely finds it “sweet and beautiful”.  And important to note, Kalidasa appoints this character to be a vidushaka, a clown!  The king and a couple of female assistant artists then educate the clown and make him cognize the deeper 'bhava-s' of pain, agony and love-ache that permeate the surficial forms of the painting howsoever sweet and beautiful.

Banabhatta (Bāṇabhaṭṭa (Sanskrit: बाणभट्ट) was a 7th-century Sanskrit prose writer and poet of India) says in his novel that every educated household used to cultivate at home a good Veena (Veena comprises a family of chordophone instruments of the Indian subcontinent) to play at, and a set of Tulika (Painting brush) to paint with, so widespread was the learning of arts in Hindu society.  The connoisseurs of fine arts are often spoken of in the Samskrita literature, and respectfully called as Kala-vidagdha.

Of all types of arts – music and poetry, sculpture and drama – it is the Chitra-kala, the art of painting, which has always been considered the most precious Lalita-kala (Fine Art) by the Hindu civilization. 

Vishnu-Dharmottara says,

कलानां प्रवरं चित्रं धर्मकामार्थमोक्षदं

All the arts, chief is the art of Chitra-kala, the art of painting, 

which helps one advance towards each object of human life

Therefore, it says further, 

यथा नराणां प्रवरः क्षितीशस्तथा कलानामिह चित्रकल्पः

that like a monarch is amongst the men, 

so too is the art of painting amongst all the diverse formats of arts.

Kamasutra says, 

सा कविता सा वनिता यस्याः श्रवणेन स्पर्शेन च, 

कवि हृदयं पति हृदयं सरलं तरलं च सत्वर भवति

In short, a poem and a woman are good (for you) if they melt your heart.  

But not all poems and not all women can melt all hearts; does it also not depend upon the taste and aesthetic-sense of the perceiver for an art or poem to strike that rasa in his heart?  

Indeed as is well said by the medieval Hindi poet Bihari, 

मन की रुचि जेती जितै, तित तेती रुचि होय

that is, his poems can not be liked by all, only those who have a similar aesthetic-liking (ruchi) in their heart that matches his, 

would find his poems beautiful (suruchi), 

and for the others it might even sound repelling (kuruchi)

India, being culturally diverse and distinct, a variety of art forms have evolved over the years; some untouched by modernisation, some adapting to new paint colours and materials. Each depict religious epics or Gods and Goddesses mostly, but they’re all unique, admirable and inimitable in their own might. In the days of yore, they were made with natural dyes and colours made of soil, mud, leaves and charcoal, on canvas or cloth – giving it a sense of antiquity, vintage nostalgia.

India had always been known as the land that portrayed cultural and traditional vibrancy through its conventional arts and crafts. Every state has its own distinct cultural and traditional identities, and are displayed through various forms of art prevalent there.

Every region in India has its own style and pattern of art, which is known as folk art. Other than folk art, there is yet another form of traditional art practiced by several tribes or rural population, which is classified as tribal art. The folk art of India are very ethnic and simple, and yet colorful and vibrant enough to speak volumes about the country's rich heritage.

                                 Some of the most famous folk paintings of India are the Madhubani paintings of Bihar, Patachitra paintings from the state of Odisha, the Nirmal paintings of Andhra Pradesh, and other such folk art forms. Folk art is however not restricted only to paintings, but also stretches to other art forms such as pottery, home decorations, ornaments, cloths-making, and so on. In fact, the potteries of some of the regions of India are quite popular among foreign tourists because of their ethnic and traditional beauty. 

The rural folk paintings of India bear distinctive colorful designs, which are treated with religious and mystical motifs. 

Moreover, the regional dances of India, such as the Bhangra dance of Punjab, the Dandiya of Gujarat, the Bihu dance of Assam, etc, which project the cultural heritage of those regions, are prominent contenders in the field of Indian folk art. These folk dances are performed by people to express their exhilaration on every possible event or occasion, such as the arrival of seasons, the birth of a child, weddings, festivals, etc. The government of India, as well as other societies and associations, have therefore made all efforts to promote such art forms, which have become an intrinsic part of India's cultural identity.