Indian Paintings & Art Forms

The Vishnudharmottara Purana contains the 'Chitrasutra', which is considered the earliest treatise on the art of painting.

Madhubani painting, also known as Mithila art, originates from the Mithila region of Bihar.

The Bodhisattva Padmapani is a celebrated fresco found in Cave No. 1 of the Ajanta Caves, dating back to the 5th century AD.

Warli art is a traditional folk art practiced by the Warli tribes inhabiting the mountainous and coastal regions of the Maharashtra-Gujarat border.

Tanjore (Thanjavur) painting is characterized by the use of gold foils and encrusted semi-precious stones, typically depicting deities.

Pattachitra is a traditional cloth-based scroll painting from Odisha, often depicting mythological themes related to Lord Jagannath.

Abanindranath Tagore founded the Bengal School of Art to promote a pan-Indian style of painting, moving away from Western academic realism.

Phad painting is a religious scroll painting style from Rajasthan, traditionally used to narrate the stories of local folk deities like Pabuji and Devnarayan.

Miniature painting flourished significantly during the Mughal period, blending Persian, Indian, and European influences.

Kerala Murals are a distinct style of wall painting famous for their vibrant colors, often found in temples and palaces across Kerala.

Kalamkari is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile produced in the Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam regions of Andhra Pradesh.

The Bundi School is a prominent sub-school of the Rajasthani School of painting, known for its focus on nature and courtly themes.

Raja Ravi Varma is renowned for his mastery over European academic realism applied to Indian mythological and social themes.

Cheriyal scroll painting is a stylized version of Nakashi art, native to the modern-day state of Telangana.

Pithora painting, practiced by the Rathwa and Bhil tribes, traditionally uses only five basic natural colors to depict ceremonial themes.

The Basohli School is the earliest school of the Pahari miniature painting tradition, characterized by bold colors and intense facial expressions.

The Jadu Patuas (or magic painters) are a community of traditional scroll painters from the Santhal tribe of Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Gond art is known for its distinct patterns made of dots and dashes, which create texture and movement within the figures.

The Hamzanama (Dastan-e-Amir Hamza) was commissioned by Emperor Akbar and is a foundational work of Mughal miniature painting.

Saura art is a wall mural style from Odisha, practiced by the Saura tribe, known for its intricate 'fishnet' grid patterns.

Manjusha art is a folk art form from the Bhagalpur region of Bihar, traditionally depicted on boxes made of bamboo, jute, and paper.

The Kangra school is a prominent sub-school of the Pahari painting tradition, known for its soft colors and graceful feminine figures.

Thangka is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton or silk, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala.

Alpona is a traditional Bengali art form where patterns are drawn on the floor using a paste of rice flour and water, often during festivals.

The Bagh caves, situated on the banks of the Bagh River in Madhya Pradesh, contain mural paintings similar to those in Ajanta.

Maqbool Fida Husain was a founding member of the Progressive Artists' Group and is globally celebrated for his dynamic paintings of horses.

Kavad is a portable wooden temple or shrine with multiple panels that narrate stories from epics, used by itinerant storytellers.

Pithora paintings are ritualistic murals created by the Bhil and Rathwa tribes of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to appease deities.

Nainsukh was a master painter of the Guler-Kangra school of Pahari painting, renowned for his distinct naturalistic style.

Amrita Sher-Gil, influenced by both Western Post-Impressionism and Indian frescoes, is known for her poignant portrayals of rural Indian life.

Aipan is a traditional folk art of the Kumaon region in Uttarakhand, typically drawn on walls and floors using ochre and rice paste.

Under Jahangir, Mughal painting focused on nature, portraits, and scientific observation, moving away from the purely epic-narrative style of Akbar.

The Sittanavasal caves are famous for their Jain frescoes from the 7th-9th centuries, located in the Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu.

Godna (tattoo) painting is a folk art of Bihar traditionally done on the skin but now practiced on paper and fabric using natural pigments.

Tanjore paintings are characterized by rich colors, gold foil applications, and the inlay of semi-precious stones, often depicting deities.

Kalighat painting emerged in the vicinity of the Kalighat Kali Temple in Kolkata, known for its bold lines and social commentary.

Talapatrachitra is the traditional art of engraving and painting on palm leaves, a technique preserved for centuries in Odisha.

Abanindranath Tagore founded the Bengal School of Art and was instrumental in moving away from Western realism to revive Indian classical traditions.

Sohrai paintings are done by women in the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand during the Sohrai harvest festival.

The Jogimara cave paintings in Chhattisgarh are considered some of the earliest specimens of Indian painting, predating the Ajanta murals.

The Jain School, also known as the Western Indian style of painting, is known for its distinct manuscript illustrations including the Chaurapanchasika.

Pithora paintings are ritualistic murals done by the Rathwa and Bhil tribes of Gujarat and parts of Madhya Pradesh.

Abanindranath Tagore, the founder of the Bengal School of Art, painted 'Bharat Mata' as a symbol of Indian nationalism.

Ardh-Chitra or Chitrakar art is a scroll painting tradition from West Bengal, often performed by wandering minstrels.

The Guler school is noted for its refined elegance and the depiction of women with soft, rounded facial features.

Chitrakathi is a traditional art form of Maharashtra where painters narrate stories using a series of pictures.

The Tutinama was commissioned during the early reign of Akbar and marks a significant fusion of Persian and Indian artistic styles.

The Badami cave paintings (dating to the 6th century) were created under the patronage of the Chalukya dynasty.

The Srikalahasti style of Kalamkari is famous for its hand-drawn religious themes using a bamboo pen and organic dyes.

Tanjore paintings are primarily religious in nature, focusing on the depiction of Krishna, other deities, and mythological scenes.