20-+Art+of+India+after+1200

Art of India after 1200
includes the Medieval period, Mughal period, and Modern period



MEDIEVAL PERIOD (1200-1600) -The focuses of Indian art in this period were still the three religions Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. 1. **BUDDHIST ART** - contained // iconographic images //(symbolic images pertaining to a particular subject) and // the bodhisattva //- a being that was on the path to buddahood and vowed out of compassion to help others achieve enlightenment as well.

<--- This is the most important bodhisattva, **//The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.//** Made of gilded bronze. Avalokiteshvara is said to be the most compassionate, vowing to forgo being a buddha until all others become buddhas. He sits in "the royal pose" atop a lotus seat, a symbol of spiritual purity. The flower next to him is also a lotus stalk. He wears princely garments and is highly ornamented, unlike the Buddha, who wears a monk's robes. Other marks of the bodhisattva are the third eye (showing he can see in miraculous ways) and the wheel on his palm (showing he can teach the Buddhist truth).

2. **JAIN ART** - Mahavira is the spiritual leader of Jainism. Jainists seek through purification to become worthy of rebirth in the heaven of the pathfinders, the// tirthankaras -// the 24 saviours of the religion. They avoid killing any living creature because they believe all life is sacred. -Since Muslim territorial control expanded over northern India, much of the Jain artworks were private artistic expressions, like illustrating religious texts, rather than creating public temples or the like.

< **//The Birth of Mahavira//** from the //Kalpa Sutra// (a series of manuscripts illustrating the lives of the pathfinders). Gouache on paper. This is a NARRATIVE PIECE - it shows the birth of Mahavira, cradled lovingly in his mother's arms as she reclines in her canopied bed. The canopy represents royalty. There are three ladies-in-waiting attending them. They are in a luxurious palace with peacocks on the roof. The vibrant colors makes the painting feel more energetic, suggesting the arrival of the divine in the mundane world. The exaggerated features and eyes also add to the sense of energy.

2.
 * HINDU ART** - Hinduism was the dominant religion during the Late Medieval Period. There was an emphasis on monumental individual temples and temple complexes, mostly located in the south of India. Temples dominated the city scapes. Hindu kings saw themselves as defenders and preservers of the Hindu faith and culture, so they ordered the creation of lavish temples. // Gopuras // are the entrance gateways into the temples. Rulers were donate larger and grander gopuras as a way of outdoing their predecessors. Because of this, the tallest and largest gopuras were at the periphery of the city rather than at the center.



These are gopuras of the **//Minakshi-Sundareshvara Temple//** in Madurai. It is a fervent expression of the Hindu faith. It is dedicated to Shiva, the "destroyer" god. It is at the focus of Madurai life. The exterior of the gopura is embellished with thousands of sculpted figures to evoke a world teeming with gods and goddesses. There are stairs inside to the top that lead to an extraordinary view.

MUGHAL PERIOD (1526-1858)

-Refers to artwork created during the Mughal Dynasty, the dominant religion being Islam.
1. **ARCHITECTURE -** Mughal architecture contained Indian, Persian, and central Asian elements. They created forts, palaces, mosques, tombs, and // cenotaphs // - tombs or monuments to someone whose remains are actually somewhere else. The most famous of all Indian Islamic structures is the Taj Mahal.

The //**Taj Mahal**// was commissioned by Shah Jahan as a masoleum for his favorite wife, who died during childbirth. Fruit trees (a symbol of life) and cypresses (a symbol of death) lined the walkway. The gardens measure 1,000 by 1,900 ft. The long reflecting pool and fountains also add to the grandeur of the whole building. It is meant to evoke the image of paradise from the Koran. Behind the central building of the Taj Mahal are also a mosque and a resting hall made of red sandstone. The main building is basically a square, but the corners are // chamfered //(sliced off) to make the transitions between the sides subtle, creating a total of 8 sides. The portals are framed with verses from the Koran.

2. **MUGHAL PAINTING -** Paintings from the Mughal period are vigorous and naturalistic. They often reflected the interests or attitudes of the emperors who commissioned them. The rulers created imperial // ateliers // (workshops) of painters to create illustrated manuscripts of scenes from the Koran. Manuscripts created under the emperor Akbar are robust and full of energy.

This painting, **//Jahangir in Darbar//**, was created under the emperor Jahangir and it reflects his refined and subdued taste and his admiration for realistic details. The word "darbar" means an audience. The man in the top center is Jahangir holding a court. Most of the figures are shown at a 3/4 or profile view. The elephant and horse in the front of the crowd help balance the piece (making it symmetrical), showing the artists understood balance and composition. Overall, though, it is 2D, the scene is formal, and the composition is static. so perhaps they did not yet know how to portray movement. The piece demonstrates a "keenly observed, exquisitely idealized" reality. It is one of the finest paintings of Jahangir's time and reveals much about the cultural values of the time.

3. **RAJPUT PAINTING -** Certain areas of Northern India were still governed by local Hindu princes, who were allowed to keep their land if they pledged allegiance to the growing Mughal empire. Therefore, Rajput artwork, as it was called, shows a variety of strong, indigenous Indian painting styles free of the Mughal influence.


 * //Krishna and the Gopis//**. Krishna was the human incarnation of the god Vishnu. The love between Krishna and the cowherder Radha is a metaphor in the Koran for the love between God and humans. Krishna is the blue god, sitting among cowherd women. Radha stands with her maid behind the trees and gazes at Krishna. The cool blue behidn her represents her jealous feelings and the red color suggests the passion in their relationship. The scene is said to portray the heightened emotional tensions of the lovers.

MODERN PERIOD (1858 to present) -Eventually the Mughal influence waned and other forces had an influence in India. When the British took India under direct control they asserted their influence architecturally. The revivalist style popular in England was used in cities such as Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay. Indian artists now began infusing western styles and techniques into their work.



This is the **//Ghandi Bhavan//** at Punjab University by B.P. Mathur and Pierre Jeanneret. It is divided into three parts and it has abstract sculptural qualities. Its fluid use of planes reflects the modern vision of the international style.It is free of any religious associations, but you can look at it and point out aspects remniscent of India's artistic past. For example, the merging of sharp angles with lyrical surves recalls the linear tension of the ancient sanskrit alphabet. The pool surrounding it evokes a mughal tomb, which were often surrounded with water.

General timeline showing the progression of Indian painting: [] India's Medieval Period in art: [] India's Mughal Dynasty art: []
 * LINKS**

"The Rise of Indian Art": []