History of Indian Art

Indian Art represents that special chapter in World Art that expounds man's search for truth,
through the visual medium. His encounters relate a saga that is rich in colour and strong in line.
As the story of the Indian artist's journey unfolds we learn of the times gone by, the kings in court,
the queens in harems and the wonder ways of men, all assembled in magnificent harmony. The
history of Indian Art is the saga of the Indian man, emerging from very austere beginnings and
moving towards wider vistas. Chitralakshana.com merely retells this saga, and lets you explore
the unseen and the unknown through many of its chapters that act as a window to the Indian art
panorama.

The Contents

 The Prelude
 Pre-historic Art
 Art of the Indus Valley

History of Indian Art

A Prelude

The essential quality of Indian art is its preoccupation with things of the spirit.
Art in India did not aim at objective presentation of the human or social facets of life.
It was primarily the fruit of the artists’ creative meditation and effort to project
symbols of divine reality as conceived and understood by the collective
consciousness of the people as a whole. The same quality pervades all works of any
given period from pottery to architecture, and all are equally expressive; the
smallest fragment of a textile portrays the same as the most elaborate temple. In
other words, there are no distinctions of fine and applied or decorative art and no
insurmountable barrier dividing the arts of the folk from the canonical arts.
Indian art has always an intelligible meaning and a definite purpose. An art for
art's sake, a fine or useful art if it could have been imagined, would only have been
regarded as a monstrous product of human vanity. The modern fine or useless arts
are unrelated to life and speaks in riddles - and hence to the utter impossibility of
inculcating a love of art in the people at large. A race producing great art, however
does so, not by its love for art but by its love of life.
The earliest representations of art of the pre-historic times, were mostly
animal hunts rendered with the intention of possessing the animal which was the
provider of food and protector of the early man’s clan. In the historic period the only
known remains of art that belong to the 2nd century B.C are at Ajanta. The plethora
of paintings in the caves there, are themes chiefly chosen from Buddhist religious
lore. The spiritual teachings and life of Gautama Buddha are so richly represented
that the belief in the Buddhist faith must have been strongly enhanced. Hindu
kingdoms such as the western Chalukyans, the Rastrakutas and the Pallavas
naturally gave importance to Hindu gods and goddesses as a gesture of piety and to
promote the religion. A number of shrines were built by these kingdoms that were
richly ornamented with sculptures and paintings depicting images and scenes from
Hindu mythology. The mainly objective and intellectual creations of the Mughal
period are perhaps the solitary exceptions. Thus the vast canvas of Indian art,
whether it is sculpture or painting, offers a commentary on the essential aspect of
struggle between the good and the evil, through which peace has to be won. The
themes of Indian art become meaningful when this symbolism is properly
understood.

Pre-historic Art

The earliest representations of art created in the Indian sub continent were the primitive
rock paintings. Primitivism of India existed side by side with civilized people but remained
uninfluenced. Civilization in India took place in the Indus valley around 3500 B.C. in Mohenjodaro
and Harappa. From there it slowly spread to other parts of India. But vast tracts of Central India
and the Deccan Plateau as well as different mountain regions were untouched by its influence. In
these regions various group of Neolithic people wandered leading some sort of rustic life mostly
hunting and gathering food. These Neolithic people are believed to belong to the Proto-Australoid
group resembling Australian bushmen. Remnants of their artistic endeavours in the form of
painting inside cave dwellings are found in Mirzapur, Bamda, (Uttar Pradesh) Mahadeo hills,
Kaimer hills, hill tracts of Bhopal, in the districts of Raichur and Bellary in Karnataka and in
Singanpur in Raigarh district of Madhya Pradesh.
The paintings are mainly hunting scenes rendered with the intention of possessing the
animal, which was the provider of food and protector of the clan. The cave man’s artistic impulses
here were no less inferior to any other country. The urge to draw or paint his walls must have
come gradually, after he had painted himself with mud or decorated his floor or his pottery. The
paintings on the caves tell us stories of awe and wonder that man experienced when he came
across another new species.
The representations are mostly of animals, which are the buffalo, bison, elephant, deer etc.
Most of these are simple outlines and some merely suggestive of the animal represented. But as
man grew familiar with his subject, his paintings attained maturity. He came out of his
awesomeness and desired to possess the animal. To him the animal was the provider of food and
a protector of his clan.
By ensnaring the image of the animal on the wall, he believed gave him possession of it.
Hunting activity was planned and portrayed with the tenet that the animal would be subsequently
hunted down with ease.
As he mastered the art, beautiful scenes of animal hunts, the graceful shapes and charging
moods of beasts were captured. Even the inner parts of an animal’s body are depicted in a few
places. As most paintings are super imposed, historians presume that several tribes may be
responsible for painting a single cave. Hence a precise dating has not been attached to these
paintings. The pigments that these artists used were minerals and their brushes were crushed
ends of green twigs. Subject matter was almost always animal life, both wild animals and
domestic ones receiving attention. Hunting scenes show anthropomorphic figures too, who use
spears, bows and arrows and axes as weapons. In some paintings which probably belong to a
later phase, there are men on horseback and on elephants, perhaps attributable to the influence
of other cultures. At Yogimara caves, man appears to have understood biological relationships as
he portrays couples in the nude and in erotic postures
Whether the caveman painted his walls to record his time or for religious purposes we
surely had with us individuals with artistic talents who were positively encouraged by their
contemporary cultures.

Art of the Indus Valley

As we glance at India’s arts and crafts we get a fascinating picture of a life that has grown
out of the aesthetic, philosophical and social aspects of a traditional set up. The village folk
nourished on myths and legends of magical, animistic and fetishistic and other primitive
significance. They have always found elevating topics in the rendering of religious themes, floral,
geometrical and animal subjects for their walls, doors, floors and earthen vessels, which even
today emanate an unsophisticated candor and colorful appeal. This indulgence positively had its
roots in the Indus Valley civilization of ancient India.
The crafts of the ancient Indus valley and Mohenjodaro civilizations were created after a
synthesis of many cultures, myths and imagery of sign and symbol. Evidence of the remains of
terracotta figurines of mother Goddesses and steatite seals with beautiful anthropomorphic and
zoomorphic images suggest a well-established culture having strong religious beliefs and
customs.
The Indus Valley or Harappan civilization, the first great city or urban culture known in India
flourished during the third millennium B.C. The transition from village life was so sudden that an
inspiration from outside, particularly Sumeria seems most probable. It is known that merchants of
sumer undertook voyages over the Persian Gulf and reached further across the Indus Valley.
From the remains found in these areas it becomes clear that trade in incense, ivory, cotton etc.
continued well through 2500 B.C to 1500 B.C.
Many settlements, on the valley of the Indus river (in Pakistan today) were discovered. But
the two most important and first to be unearthed were-Mohenjodaro and Harappa. The Indus
civilization developed out of farming and herding communities that carried on trade with each
other. About 2500 B.C. the communities became culturally united and in some places people
began laying out carefully planned cities. In time, the Indus civilization grew to cover most of
present day Pakistan and part of Afghanistan and northern India. The Indus people built their
cities with care. The city of Mohenjodaro was built of kiln-fired brick, and the buildings were
massed into ‘super blocks’ of 600 ft by 1200 ft. the main streets are 33 ft wide. The houses were
made of baked or sun-dried brick. Many houses had two stories, a bathing area with supply of
water from a nearby well. The city also had a drainage system connecting all houses. The most
interesting feature of the two cities is a citadel. On its summit are the remains of some more
interesting structures. The prominent being the ‘Great Bath’, a public pool used for storing rain
water or for ritual bathing and a huge granary. All these unique structures hint at a social and
religious setup with precedents for later Indian society.
The Indus Valley people were great artisans producing a variety of useful and decorative
objects. The steatite seals of this period measuring ¾ inch to 1 ½ inches square, remain the most
impressive ones.
Thousands of seals with pictographs and drawings of animals were discovered but their
pictorial nature could not be clearly deciphered. The seals were used as personal identification.
Repeated engravings of the bull, and frequently the tiger, elephant, one horned Indian rhinoceros,
a unicorn as well as some composite animal forms were the chief subjects of the seals. The
people obviously had great love for animals combined with a keen sense of observation. One
seal is particularly noteworthy, because it bears the figure of a deity in yogic posture. Many
scholars believe that it was a prototype for a later Indian god. A figure sits in a fashion similar to
some stone sculptures of a later period, bears a multiple visage, wearing a curious headdress
shaped like a horn suggestive of a sacred person. The depiction of animals such as a tiger, a
rhino, an elephant and a buffalo going round the seated figure further shows that it is a fertility
rite.
A few statues made of steatite or alabaster have been found too. They are small statues
but are sure shots at portraiture. A few of them make interesting study. The small figure of a
dancing girl shows absolute sense of realism that is astounding for the period. The girl wears
nothing but a necklace and an armful of bangles. her body is relaxed as she has one hand on her
hip and in the other she holds a small bowl. she has African features and appears to be tapping
her leg to a music.Apart from these figurines painted pottery, jewellery and clays toys were also
found in abundance.
By 1700 B.C. the Indus civilization gradually broke up into smaller cultures, partly caused
by changing river patterns and by more aggressive invaders, the Aryans from the north who
spread their Vedic culture throughout India. In Harappa and mohenjo-daro very few statues
have been found, and the biggest of these only 42 cms height. They are made of steatite,
alabaster or lime stone. Most of them represent elderly men with beards and wearing
loose garments. They seem to be early attempts at portraiture. The most important of the
statues from Mohenjo-daro is the bearded man, a lime stone statuette measuring
17.5cms.His half closed eyes belong to the long type .The tip of the flatish nose has been
broken off. The lips are unusually thick. As in Mesopotomian figures, the upper lip is
shaven. The ears, beard and hair are conventionalized or stylized-the ears resembling a
two-edged shell with a hole in the centre, while parallel grooves indicate the hair and
beard. A narrow ribbon or fillet with a circle in front surrounds his head. He wears a
draped cloth decorated with big trefoil patterns like the clover leaf. It covers his left
shoulder and passes under the right arm.

Apart from above mentioned objects there were some interesting artifacts like
jewellery(gold, silver and jade necklaces, ear rings with pendants, belts, bangles and
beads), house hold pottery and ceramics, toy carts etc were fond in great abundance.
Face masks with horns were also common as well as grotesque figures .Mythological
figures were created such as fighting tigers with horns, three headed animals, many
examples of a unicorn-like animal, or human figures with the horns, ears and tails of
bulls.These appear most commonly on seals.
Bearded man

In Harappa and mohenjo-daro very few statues have been found, and the
biggest of these only 42 cms height. They are made of steatite, alabaster or lime
stone. Most of them represent elderly men with beards and wearing loose
garments. They seem to be early attempts at portraiture. The most important of
the statues from Mohenjo-daro is the bearded man, a lime stone statuette
measuring 17.5cms.His half closed eyes belong to the long type .The tip of the
flatish nose has been broken off. The lips are unusually thick. As in
Mesopotomian figures, the upper lip is shaven. The ears, beard and hair are
conventionalized or stylized-the ears resembling a two-edged shell with a hole in
the centre, while parallel grooves indicate the hair and beard. A narrow ribbon or
fillet with a circle in front surrounds his head. He wears a draped cloth decorated
with big trefoil patterns like the clover leaf. It covers his left shoulder and passes
under the right arm.

Apart from above mentioned objects there were some interesting artifacts like
jewellery(gold, silver and jade necklaces, ear rings with pendants, belts, bangles
and beads), house hold pottery and ceramics, toy carts etc were fond in great
abundance.
Face masks with horns were also common as well as grotesque figures
.Mythological figures were created such as fighting tigers with horns, three
headed animals, many example

Toy Cart, Indus Valley Civilization, 2500 B.C.-1750 B.C.

A major part of this gallery

comprises of the Mohen-jo-Daro
antiquities excavated by Sir John
Marshall in 1922. It has on display
interesting remains of the material
culture of that period like the
fishing hooks, spindles, arms,
ornaments, weights and
measures from the various Indus
Valley sites. This gallery is
designed mainly from the
educational point of view

-cart below

jewells

Dancing girl