Rājasthānī Painting

The climatic harshness of the desert region of Rājasthān in western India could not deter its people from the zest for life. The region has had a rich tradition of artistic aesthetics that is expressed in brightly colored textiles, local customs, and impressive architecture. Before the independence of India in 1947, the region was divided into kingdoms and small principalities. Each had its own artistic interpretation according to its unique customs and beliefs. However, it is for its exquisite miniature painting that the region of Rājasthān is best known.

Background

The miniature painting of Rājasthān had its own ancient tradition before coming under the influence of Mughal painting beginning in the sixteenth century. Babur, who came from central Asia, laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India in 1526. The Afghan ruler Sher Shah defeated Babur’s son Humayun in 1540 and forced him into a fifteen year exile. Humayun took refuge in Persia where he developed a great interest in Persian miniature painting. After defeating the successor of Sher Shah, Humayun returned to Delhi in 1555. With him, he brought two Persian miniature artists, Mir Sayyid Ali and Abdus Samad. However, Humayun fell on the steps of his library, which led to his death in 1556. His thirteen-year-old son Akbar took charge of the kingdom.

Akbar not only established the Mughal empire but also promoted the Mughal painting style. Interestingly, the Mughal painting, the basis of which was Persian miniature painting, evolved to its most sophisticated form under the influence of traditional Indian art, a process in which painters from Rājasthān played an important role. Rājasthāni painters infused their practiced tradition into a foreign and alien style during the making of the Hamzanam. Based on the adventures of the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, the Hamzanama is an illuminated manuscript of 1,400 folios commissioned by Akbar and believed to have taken fifteen years (1542–1605) to produce.

Akbar astutely developed close relations with the Rajputs of Rājasthān, who were known for their valor and pride and were difficult to defeat. One of his closest confidants was Raja Man Singh of Amber (present-day Jaipur), who was the most trusted general in his army. Akbar also developed matrimonial alliances with the Rajput families of Jaipur and Jodhpur. This resulted in the miniature art of Rājasthān being strongly influenced by that of Mughal painting, giving birth to various schools of art that were a synergy of indigenous and Mughal art. Prominent schools of Rājasthāni miniature painting include those of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mewar, Kishangarh, Bikaner, Bundi, and Kota.

These regions developed political alliances with the Mughal empire, though for a long period, some of them proved to be daunting in their opposition to the Mughal empire. However, when relations improved, their rulers showed their propensity towards Mughal painting, to which the local artists adjusted with admirable ease.

Overview

The Mughal influence in the paintings of Rājasthān can clearly be detected, but resistance also surfaced time and again, as can be seen in the paintings of various schools. The rulers, who essentially were the patrons of art, have been the primary reason for this inconsistency. The Jaipur school showed the influence almost at the same time that the Mughal art was evolving in the imperial workshop, owing to the political and matrimonial alliances with Akbar. It was not until the first half of the seventeenth century that the Mewar school showed its inclination towards the Mughal painting. The paintings of the Mewar school, til then, were rendered in primary colors and primitive vigor, imparting a somewhat folkish appeal to the compositions, as was the norm of pre-Mughal style. This was the result of strong resistance put up by the rulers of Mewar to the Mughal intrusion. However, in 1614 Amar Singh I was subdued by the Mughal army that at the time was under the leadership of Prince Khurram, who later took the title of Emperor Jahangir. Consequently, art flourished in the subsequent peace, and the Mewar school of miniature witnessed a strong influence of the Mughal painting style.

The painting at Bundi and Kota developed under its ruler Rao Chattar Sal (1631–1659), who served as governor of Delhi under the aesthete Mughal emperor Shahjahan. The artists of the region imbibed the softness of Mughal painting within their own tradition of bold usage of pure blues, greens, reds, and yellows. The paintings of the region are rich in the rendering of hunting scenes. Another princely state of Rājasthān, Jodhpur, is known for its valorous rulers, the stories of which are still part of folk ballads. One of the rulers, Jaswant Singh (1638–1681), was the Mughal viceroy to Malwa, Gujrat, and Deccan. Needless to say, the paintings during the period were strongly influenced by the Mughal painting style. However during the reign of Bijai Singh (1753–1793), the Mughal influence faded, giving way to the prominence of the Rajput elements of bold colors and linear rhythm. The paintings of Jodhpur have a distinctive division in their style.

In 1488, Prince Bika Rathore who was the son of Rao Jodha of Jodhpur founded the state of Bikaner. One of its subsequent rulers, Kalyanmal (1542–1571) was one of the notable generals of Akbar and had also maintained matrimonial alliances with the Mughal emperor. Kalyanmal was posted as the governor of the Punjab, Deccan, and Gujrat. The paintings of Bikaner were immensely influenced by that of the Mughal painting style.

In 1611, the state of Kishangarh was founded by Kishan Singh, who was endowed with the title of maharaja by the Mughal emperor Jahangir. His successor Rup Singh (1644–1638) was one of Shahjahan’s favorites. Thus, the Mughal influence was automatically reflected in the paintings of Kishangarh. However, Nihal Chand, an artist in the court of Sawant Singh (who took over the reign of Kishangarh in 1748), created a facial type that is believed to resemble a chambermaid known as Bani Thani, who became the mistress of Sawant Singh. This style gained popularity and made a unique identity that is today associated with the school of Kishangarh.

Although the sporadic influence of Mughal painting on the painting of Rājasthān is well documented, that does not imply that Mughal painting was the prime influence in the development of the painting in the region. In the absence of material proof of the earlier paintings, however, there is lack of evidence of the earlier schools. As argued by Ananda Coomaraswamy in Rajput Painting (1916), the artistic output of the Rājasthāni school, which is so confident and expressive, cannot have been a product of a sudden impetus but must have been the product of generational continuity.

Bibliography

Aitken, Molly Emma. The Intelligence of Tradition in Rajput Court Painting. Singapore: CS Graphics, 2010. Print.

Brown, Percy. Indian Painting under the Mughals A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750. Oxford: Clarendon, 1924. Print.

Coomaraswamy, Ananda. Rajput Painting. Vol. 1. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1916, Print.

Randhawa, Mohinder Singh, and Joh Kenneth Galbraith. Indian Painting, the Scene, Themes and Legends. Bombay: Vakils, 1982, Print.

Seth Mira. Wall Paintings of Rājasthān. New Delhi: National Museum, 2001, Print.

Seyller, John. The Adventures of Hamza. Washington, DC: Freer Gallery of Art, 2002. Print.

Topsfield, Andrew. The City Palace Museum Udaipur;Paintings of Mewar Court Life. Singapore: Mapin, 2008, Print.