UPSC Static Quiz – Art and Culture : 10 July 2024

Solution: b)

• The earliest examples of miniature painting in India exist in the form of illustrations to the religious texts on Buddhism executed under the Palas of the eastern India and the Jain texts executed in western India during the 11th-12th centuries A.D.
• The Pala dynasty came to power around 750 A.D. The Pala school of art first flourished in the Magadha region of Southern Bihar, the homeland of Buddhist religion. Not surprisingly, the majority of early Pala-period remains are Buddhist.
• The Pala painting is characterised by sinuous line and subdued tones of colour. It is a naturalistic style which resembles the ideal forms of contemporary bronze and stone sculpture, and reflects some feeling of the classical art of Ajanta.
• The Pala art came to a sudden end after the destruction of the Buddhist monasteries at the hands of Muslim invaders in the first half of the 13th century. Some of the monks and artists escaped and fled to Nepal, which helped in reinforcing the existing art traditions there.

Solution: d)

Unlike Mughal painting which is primarily secular, the art of painting in Central India, Rajasthani and the Pahari region etc. is deeply rooted in the Indian traditions, taking inspiration from Indian epics, religious texts like the Puranas, love poems in Sanskrit and other Indian languages, Indian folk-lore and works on musical themes.

The cults of Vaishnavism, Saivism and Sakti exercised tremendous influence on the pictorial art of these places. Among these the cult of Krishna was the most popular one which inspired the patrons and artists.

The Rajasthani style of painting including that of Malwa, is marked by bold drawing, strong and contrasting colours. The treatment of figures is flat without any attempt to show perspective in a naturalistic manner.

Solution: d)

It is a type of scroll painting mainly found in the Bhilwara district. The main themes of the phad paintings depict the deities and their legends and the stories of erstwhile Maharajas.

• Therefore, they depict the heroic deeds of a heroic figure, the daily life of a peasant, rural life, animals and birds, flora and fauna.
• These paintings are created using bright colours and subtle colours. The outlines of the paintings are first drawn in black and later filled with colours.
• Raw colours are used for these paintings. The unique features of phad paintings are the bold lines and a two-dimensional treatment of figures with the entire composition arranged in sections.
• The art of painting the phads is approximately 700 years old. It is said that it was originated in Shahpura, some 35 kms from Bhilwara in Rajasthan.
• The continuous royal patronage gave a decisive impetus to the art which has survived and flourished for generations.

Solution: a)

Apabhramsa School of Art

• This school traces its origin to Gujarat and Mewar region in Rajasthan. It was the predominant school of painting in western India during 11th to 15th century. The most common themes of these paintings were Jain and in the later period the Vaishanava School appropriated them too.
• The features of the human figures depicted in the paintings have fish-shaped bulging eyes; a pointed nose and a double chin.
• The animal and bird figurines in the paintings are represented as toys. The most famous example is of Kalpasutra and the Kalakacharya Katha from 15th century.

Solution: c)

With the decline of the Mughal Empire, many painters moved out to the courts of the emerging regional states such as Rajasthan, Deccan and Himachal.

Moreover, Nadir Shah’s invasion and the conquest of Delhi in 1739 resulted in the migration of Mughal artists to the Himalayan foothills to escape the uncertainties of the plains.

Therefore, the modern-day state of Himachal Pradesh attracted artisans. By the late seventeenth century this region had developed a bold and intense style of miniature painting called Basohli.

The most popular text to be painted here was Bhanudatta’s Rasamanjari. With the help of patrons, Kangra school of painting was found here.