https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Painting_in_BiharPainting in Bihar - Revision history2026-08-20T01:40:18ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Painting_in_Bihar&diff=447424&oldid=prevVinod6176 at 09:23, 24 October 20252025-10-24T09:23:23Z<p></p>
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{{Empty section|date=May 2021}}2021-07-29T15:59:08Z<p><a href="https://en.bharatpedia.org/wiki/BP:AWB/GF" class="extiw" title="wp:AWB/GF">General</a> fixes, small copyedits, removed a {{Main}} red link and a redundant heading. {{Empty section|date=May 2021}}</p>
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== History ==<br />
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=== Prehistoric and Early ===<br />
[[Prehistoric]] [[rock painting]]s have been discovered in the [[Kaimur hills]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=|url=https://thevisitbihar.com/rock-cut-cave-tour/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Nawada]] and [[Jamui]]. A [[Neolithic]] settlement was also discovered in the thick of the [[alluvium]], over the bank of the [[Ganges]] at [[Chirand]].<ref>http://yac.bih.nic.in/Da-01.htm [[Prehistoric]] era in Bihar</ref> The [[rock painting]]s depict prehistoric lifestyle and natural environment.<ref>{{Cite web|title=heritage university|url=http://www.heritageuniversityofkerala.com/JournalPDF/Volume2/810-829.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The paintings display the sun, moon, stars, animals, plants, trees, rivers and are believed to represent love towards nature.<ref>{{Cite web|title=https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/newly-discovered-rock-art-heritage-kaimur-range-bihar-india-00996|url=|url-status=live}}</ref> The paintings also highlight daily life of the early humans in Bihar, displaying hunting, running, dancing, and walking.<ref>http://discoverbihar.bih.nic.in/pages/art_craft.htm#Rock%20Paintings {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205000953/http://discoverbihar.bih.nic.in/pages/art_craft.htm|date=2009-02-05}} Rock painting at Kaimur</ref><ref>{{Cite document|title=Ancient Asia journal|doi=10.5334/aa.12308|url=https://www.ancient-asia-journal.com/articles/10.5334/aa.12308/print/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[rock painting]]s in [[Bihar]] are not only identical to those in central and southern India, but also are similar to those in Europe and Africa. The rock paintings of Spain's [[Cave of Altamira|Altamira]] and France's [[Lascaux]] are almost identical to those found in Bihar.<ref>{{cite web|title=Archived copy|url=http://kaimur.com/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202172246/http://kaimur.com/|archive-date=2009-02-02|access-date=2008-12-01}} discovery of rock paintings</ref><br />
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=== Mauryan Era ===<br />
While we can be sure of Mauryan proficiency in Painting field based on the descriptions of [[Megasthenes]], unfortunately no proper representative has been found to date. Many centuries later, the paintings of the [[Ajanta Caves]], the oldest significant body of Indian painting, show there was a well-developed tradition, which may well stretch back to Mauryan times.<br />
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=== 17th to mid-20th ===<br />
{{Main|Patna Qualam}}<br />
Those who practiced this art form were descendants of [[Hindu]] artisans of Mughal painting. Facing persecution from the Mughal Emperor, [[Aurangzeb]], these artisans found refuge, via [[Murshidabad]], in [[Patna]] during the late 18th century. Though [[Patna Qualam]] was an offshoot of the well-known [[Mughal painting|Mughal]] Miniature Painting but Unlike Mughal painting, which focused on the royalty and court scenes, flag bearers of [[Patna Qualam]] were deeply influenced by daily life of common man. The [[Patna Qualam]] flourished in Bihar during the early 18th to mid-20th centuries. In Patna they came under patronage of local aristocracy and often [[Indophile]] scions of the early East India and started a unique form of painting which came to be known as the Company painting, or [[Patna School of Painting]].<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|title=Return of the 'Patna Kalam'|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/56522/return-patna-kalam.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515084815/https://www.deccanherald.com/content/56522/return-patna-kalam.html|archive-date=15 May 2019}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite news|title=Patna Kalam Painting- Origin and Characteristics|url=https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/patna-kalam-painting-origin-and-characteristics-1548754612-1|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425113316/https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/patna-kalam-painting-origin-and-characteristics-1548754612-1|archive-date=25 April 2019}}</ref> [[Patna School of Painting]] shared the characteristics of the Mughal painters, but whereas the Mughal style depicted only royalty and court scenes, the [[Patna]] artists also started painting [[bazaar]] scenes. They used [[watercolour]]s on paper and on [[mica]]. The style's subject matter evolved to include scenes of Indian daily life, local rulers, festivals, and ceremonies. This school of painting formed the basis for the formation of the [[College of Arts and Crafts, Patna]] under the leadership of Shri Radha Mohan.<br />
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=== Post Independence ===<br />
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== Vernacular ==<br />
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=== Mithila Painting ===<br />
[[File:Devi4.jpg|thumb|Artist doing [[Mithila painting]]]]<br />
{{Main|Mithila painting}}<br />
One is [[Mithila painting]], a style of Indian painting used in the [[Mithila (region)|Mithila]] region of Bihar.Traditionally, painting was one of the skills that was passed down from generation to generation in the families of the [[Mithila (region)|Mithila region]], mainly by women. Painting was usually done on walls during festivals, religious events, and other milestones of the life cycle, like birth, [[Upanayanam]] (the sacred thread ceremony), and marriage.<ref name="Carolyn Brown Heinz 2006, pp. 5-33">Carolyn Brown Heinz, 2006, "Documenting the Image in Mithila Art", Visual Anthropology Review, Vol. 22, Issue 2, pp. 5-33</ref> Mithila painting was traditionally done on huts' freshly plastered mud walls, but today it is also done on cloth, handmade paper, and canvas. Famous Mithila painters have included Smt Bharti Dayal, [[Mahasundari Devi]], the late [[Ganga Devi (painter)|Ganga Devi]], and Sita Devi. Mithila painting is also called [[Madhubani art]]. It mostly depicts human beings and their association with nature. Common scenes illustrate deities like [[Krishna]], [[Rama|Ram]], [[Shiva]], [[Durga]], [[Lakshmi]], and [[Saraswati]] from ancient epics. Natural objects like the sun, moon, and religious plants like [[tulsi]] are also widely painted, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. Generally no space is left empty.<ref name="Carolyn Brown Heinz 2006, pp. 5-33" /><br />
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=== Tikuli Painting ===<br />
[[File:TIkuli_Art_by_Ashok_Kumar_Biswas.jpg|thumb|Tikuli painting by Ashok Kumar Biswas]]<br />
The making of Tikuli involves melting of glass, blowing into a thin sheet and making and adding traced pattern in natural colors. Afterwards it is embellished with gold foils and jewels. The glass get melted down in the furnace and then blown in the form of a balloon. On cooling, a special tool was used to cut it into a definite shape. Then the golden work was pasted on it. Then after, the images of God and Goddess were engraved with the help of bamboo pencil. The process involved around seven to ten days and several skilled hands to craft a Tikuli Painting. This art form acquired fame and glory during Mughal era and spread overseas too.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tikuli Painting – UMSAS|url=http://umsas.org.in/tikuli-painting/|access-date=2021-05-07|language=en-US}}</ref><br />
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=== Manjusha Painting ===<br />
{{Main|Manjusha Painting}}<br />
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Manjusha painting, a thick line is used and the hair is shown not with lines but with colors. There is a tradition of showing the five sisters of the poisonous together in a snake-form. Where the character has to show domination, the hair is kept open. The pictures depict Bihula with her open hairstyle and a portrait of Manjusha or Nag in front of it, while the drawing of Mansa depicts the nectar Kalash in the right hand of the goddess and the picture of Nag in the left hand. Embellishments are predominant in women's clothes. Pink, yellow and green colors are mainly used in painting. In some cases, the common auxiliary colors associated with these three colors, such as green and orange, are also used. Black color is used in the human shape to bring out the snake-venom. These colors have esoteric and symbolic meanings. The pink and yellow colors signify excitement and exuberance, while green is a symbol of gloom and growth. The traditional artist of Manjushapainting, Chakravarti Devi used natural colors. But now posters, water, oil and ‘acrylic color’ are being used.<br />
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=== Patna Qualam ===<br />
[[File:Shiv_Lal.jpg|thumb|Tamtam (Horse-drawn carriage) -by Shiv Lal]]<br />
{{Main|Patna Qualam}}Patna Kalam is regarded as an off-shoot of [[Mughal painting]], with influences from Persian and Company (British) styles.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Patna Kalam - Patna School of Painting Bihar India|url=http://www.bharatonline.com/bihar/art-craft/patna-kalam.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225175434/http://www.bharatonline.com/bihar/art-craft/patna-kalam.html|archive-date=25 December 2018|access-date=2018-12-25|website=www.bharatonline.com}}</ref> The portraits can be clearly seen having colours and linings from Mughal style, and the shading can be seen to be adopted from the British style.<ref>{{Citation|last=Rajya Sabha TV|title=RSTV Documentary - Patna Kalam|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N15kNy4i6co|access-date=2018-12-25}}</ref> Diverging from the Mughal and Persian style of wide and exquisitely decorated borders, Patna Kalam primarily focused on the subject of the painting. Their main subjects were common man, local festivals, ceremonies, bazaar scenes, local rulers, and domestic activities. The paintings were done on diverse surfaces such as paper, mica, and even ivory diskettes, that were used as brooches.<ref name=":12"/><br />
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A distinguishing characteristic of Patna Kalam is lack of any landscape, foreground or background. Another characteristic was the development in the shading of solid forms. Patna Kalam paintings are painted straightway with the brush without marking with pencil to delineate the contours of the picture and the procedure of painting is popularly known as 'Kajli Seahi.'<ref name=":22"/><br />
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== Artist ==<br />
<br />
{{Empty section|date=May 2021}}<br />
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== Schools ==<br />
[[College of Arts and Crafts, Patna]] - The School is an important center of [[fine arts]] (especially [[Patna Qualam]]) in [[Bihar]].<br />
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== Notes ==<br />
{{reflist|30em}}<br />
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== References ==<br />
<br />
* Blurton, T. Richard, ''Hindu Art'', 1994, British Museum Press, {{ISBN|0 7141 1442 1}}<br />
* Chakraverty, Anjan, ''Indian Miniature Painting'', 2005, Lustre Press, {{ISBN|8174363343}}, 9788174363343<br />
* [[Roy C. Craven|Craven, Roy C.]], ''Indian Art: A Concise History'', 1987, Thames & Hudson (Praeger in USA), {{ISBN|0500201463}}<br />
* Harle, J.C., ''The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent'', 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press Pelican History of Art, {{ISBN|0300062176}}<br />
* {{Cite web|last=Sardar|first=Marika|title=Islamic Art of the Deccan|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/decc/hd_decc.htm|access-date=2019-02-03|website=Metropolitan Museum of Art}}<br />
* "Miniature painting", [https://web.archive.org/web/20130318231813/http://ccrtindia.gov.in/miniaturepainting.htm Centre for Cultural Resources and Training], Indian Government<br />
* "Modern Indian painting", [http://ccrtindia.gov.in/modernindianpainting.php Centre for Cultural Resources and Training], Indian Government<br />
* "Wall paintings", [http://ccrtindia.gov.in/wallpaintings.php Centre for Cultural Resources and Training], Indian Government<br />
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== Further reading ==<br />
<br />
* {{cite book|last=Havell|first=E. B.|url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924016181798#page/n9/mode/2up|title=Indian sculpture and painting|publisher=John Murray, London|year=1908|author-link=E. B. Havell}}<br />
* {{cite book|last=Coomaraswamy|first=Ananda K.|url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924022942993#page/n3/mode/2up|title=Viśvakarmā; examples of Indian architecture, sculpture, painting, handicraft|publisher=London|year=1914|author-link=Ananda K. Coomaraswamy}}<br />
* {{cite book|last=Havell|first=E. B.|url=https://archive.org/stream/handbookofindian002882mbp#page/n5/mode/2up|title=A Handbook of Indian Art|publisher=John Murray, London|year=1920|author-link=E. B. Havell}}<br />
* ''Indian Painting'', by [[Percy Brown (scholar)|Percy Brown]]. Published by Y. M. C. A. publishing house, 1960.<br />
* ''Indian Painting'', by Philip S. Rawson. Published by P.Tisné, 1961.<br />
* ''Indian Painting: The Scene, Themes, and Legends'', by Mohindar Singh Randhawa, John Kenneth Galbraith. Published by Houghton Mifflin, 1968.<br />
* ''Indian Painting'', by Douglas E. Barrett, [[Basil Gray]]. Published by Skira, 1978. {{ISBN|0-8478-0160-8}}.<br />
* Kossak, Steven. (1997). [http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/12335/rec/74 ''Indian court painting, 16th–19th century.''] Metropolitan Museum of Art. {{ISBN|0-87099-783-1}}<br />
* {{cite book|author=Lerner, Martin|url=http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/105494|title=''The flame and the lotus: Indian and Southeast Asian art from the Kronos collections''|publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art|year=1984|isbn=0-87099-374-7|location=New York}}<br />
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=McSbSMhArFgC&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=Indian+Painters&source=web&ots=HlLdxBFx6t&sig=bm6eOa8pDKxt3cxFcbOm3ce2Fbc&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPA2,M1 ''A History of Indian Painting: The Modern Period''] by Krishna Chaitanya. Published by Abhinav Publications, 1994. {{ISBN|81-7017-310-8}}.<br />
* [http://www.ramayanabook.com/ Ramayana by Valmiki illustrated with Indian miniatures from the 16th to the 19th century], Diane de Selliers Publisher, 2011, {{ISBN|978-2-903656-76-8}}<br />
* {{cite book|author=Welch, Stuart Cary|url=http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/80045/rec/1|title=''India: art and culture, 1300-1900''|publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art|year=1985|isbn=978-0-944142-13-4|location=New York}}<br />
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== External links ==<br />
{{commons category|Paintings from India}}<br />
<br />
* [http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_ajanta.asp Archaeological Survey of India]<br />
* Refer [https://artmessy.com/indian-art-forms/ Indian Art Forms]<br />
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; Online exhibits<br />
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* [http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mugh_2/hd_mugh_2.htm Metmuseum.org]<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Indian Painting}}<br />
[[Category:Indian painting| ]]<br />
[[Category:Indian art|painting]]<br />
[[Category:Culture of Bihar]]</div>imported>John of Reading