Miniature Painting Styles of Rajasthan :

As the name suggests, miniature paintings are colorful handmade paintings very small in size. One of the outstanding features of these paintings is the intricate brushwork which contributes to their unique identity. The colors used in the paintings are derived from various natural sources like vegetables, indigo, precious stones, gold and silver.

While artists all around the world convey their respective theme through their paintings, the most common theme used in the miniature paintings of India comprises of the Ragas or a pattern of musical notes, and religious and mythological stories. Miniature paintings are made on a very small scale especially for books or albums. These are executed on materials, such as paper and cloth. The Palas of Bengal are considered the pioneers of miniature painting in India, but the art form reached its zenith during the Mughal rule. The tradition of miniature paintings was further taken forward by the artists of various Rajasthani schools of painting, including the Kishangarh, Bundi Jaipur, Mewar and Marwar.

The miniature painting art form is famed across the world but in the Asian subcontinent art historians consider Rajasthan to be one of its cultural centres. Historians believe the Mughals to be the importers of miniature painting to India from Persia. Humayun’s team of Persian artists established the foundation of miniature art painting, while Akbar gave them patronage and had them train Indian artists to create art representing the royal Mughal life.

The Jain Influence :

Rajasthani miniature painting evolved from the Marwar-Mewar region, being initiated as illustration to Jain text in the 15th century. This is why these paintings show echoes of the art styles used in the Ajanta murals and Gujarat Jain art. The Jain art influence reached its peak in the 1555 AD Bhagavata paintings, and went on to inspire many different art styles in the region.

Rajput Paintings :

The royal courts of Rajputana gave birth to what is now known as Rajput painting. While different kingdoms had their own unique styles, common themes include depiction of Hindu epics, Krishna’s life, landscapes, and people. Miniature paintings were performed in manuscripts or single sheet form, so that it could be stored as an album. It was also painted onto palace walls, fort chambers, and havelis.

Materials Used :

The colours were completely natural, created from naturally occurring minerals, plants, conch shells, and even precious stones. Gold and silver were used for ornamental touches. Due to the tiny nuances of the art form, there is great care in the material used for paint and the surface to be painted. To this day, you can find squirrel hair brushes and completely natural ingredients used for paints.

Kishangarh Province :

Rajasthan’s Kishangarh province is famed for Bani Thani miniature paintings, an influence which is represented through exaggeration (long necks, large eyes, and long fingers) to often depict the divine love of Radha and Krishna. Raja Sawant Singh, an 18th century king gave great patronage to the art form, and it was his love for a girl named Bani Thani that inspired him to have himself portrayed himself as Krishna. Bani Thani addresses royal life in all its glory, including portraits, court life, music and dance, and important Hindu festivals like Holi and Diwali.

Marwar Miniature Paintings :

Marwar art represents a large amount of initial Rajasthani art. The miniature artwork is very vivid with the use of thick lines, clear facial expressions, sharp features and muscular figures depicted with bright hues. The Mughal influence was harmoniously blended with Indian sensibilities to depict Indian culture.

Bundi paintings :

Bundi paintings were significant in their rich portrayals of Krishna-Lila and Rasikapriya, and yet used Mughal influences. Additionally, the paintings depict local legends, events and village and royal scenes. The nuanced interplay of delicate lines and bright colours, as well as imaginary landscapes put Bundi art a league apart.

Kotah miniatures :

Influenced by Bundi paintings, Kotah paintings depicted the stories of Lord Rama and Krishna, but was much more varied in depicting festivals, hunting, nature and emotional situations.

                               These paintings are done with utmost care and in minute details, with strong lines and bold colours set in harmonious patterns. The miniature artists use paper, ivory panels, wooden tablets, leather, marble, cloth and walls for their paintings. Indian artists employed multiple perspectives unlike their European counterparts in their paintings. The colours are made from minerals and vegetables, precious stones, as well as pure silver and gold. The preparing and mixing of colour is an elaborate process. It takes weeks, sometimes months, to get the desired results. The brushes are required to be very fine, and to get high-quality results, brushes even to this very day are made from hair of squirrels. Traditionally, the paintings are aristocratic, individualistic and strong in portraiture, where the plush court scenes and hunting expedition of royalty are depicted. Flowers and animals are also the recurrent images in the paintings.

The Kishangarh province in Rajasthan is known for its Bani Thani paintings. It is a totally different style with highly exaggerated features like long necks, large, almond shaped eyes, and long fingers. This style of painting essentially depicts Radha and Krishna as divine lovers, and beautifully portrays their mystical love. Kishangarh miniature painting reached a peak in the eighteenth century, during the rule of Raja Sawant Singh, who fell in love with a slave girl, Bani Thani and commanded his artists to portray himself and her as Krishna and Radha. Other themes of Bani Thani paintings include portraits, court scenes, dancing, hunting, music parties, nauka vihar (lovers travelling in a boat), Krishna Lila, Bhagavata Purana and various other festivals like Holi, Diwali, Durga puja, and Dussehra.

Today, many artists continue to make miniature paintings on silk, ivory, cotton, and paper. However, with the passage of time, the natural colours have been replaced by poster colours. The schools of miniature have also been commercialized, and the artists mostly replicate the work produced by the old painters.