Indian folk painting styles

Madhubani Painting

Also known as Mithila Painting, Madhubani is an art form that originated in

the Madhubani district of Bihar.

It is not a modern art form, Madhubani Paintings have been in practice

since Satya Yuga (in Hinduism there are four yugas, and Satya Yuga is the
first of all four and lasted for 1,728,000 years).

These paintings are mostly practiced by women and they use geometrical
shapes in the paintings. Madhubani paintings are devoted to god, flora,
and fauna.

There is often a representation of god surrounded by women, trees, and

nature in this art.

This illustrates their desire to be one with the god self.

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2. Miniature Painting
This art form originated around the 16th and 17th centuries during the
Mughal era, but Miniature Paintings’ history can be traced a long time back
to the 7th century.

The name miniature is because of its size, and the components of this art
form are mainly the scenes of courts, hunting, battlegrounds, receptions, etc.

The paintings include three different art styles: Indian, Persian, and
Islamic.

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3. Warli Painting
Warli Painting is considered one of the oldest Indian art forms as it originated
in 2500 BCE by the Warli tribe – a tribe that lives in the region of western
ghats of India, mainly in the district of Nasik and Thane of Maharashtra state.

The tribal people show the day-to-day activities in their paintings like
weddings, farming, praying, hunting, dancing, etc.

The minimalism of Warli Paintings tells everything about this art form as you
will see the usage of squares and triangles in white color over the yellow,
brown, or red sheet.

4. Pattachitra
Pattachitra in Sanskrit means ‘image on canvas’ as Patta implies canvas and
Chitra implies image or painting.

Pattachitra or Patachitra originated in the Indian states of Orissa and West

Bengal and dated back around the 5th or 7th century.

The main theme of this art form is mythology and another fact is that most
of the paintings are influenced by the Vaishnava cult. And this is the reason
why you see Lord Krishna in them.

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5. Kalamkari Painting

‘Drawings with the pen’ or ‘pen-art’ is what Kalamkari means. This art form
originated in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Kalamkari paintings can be made in two different styles: Machilipatnam style

and Srikalahasti style.

Both styles originated in Andhra Pradesh, but from different states; the
former is from Machilipatnam (and hence the nomenclature) and the latter
from the Chittoor district.

Machilipatnam style is a block-printed art form while the Srikalahasti style is

all about using the pen freely on a fabric.

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6. Phad Painting

The 30 or 15 feet-long piece of canvas or fabric on which the painting is

made is called the ‘phad’ hence the name of the art form is Phad.

It originated thousands of years ago in the state of Rajasthan. The stories of

the battles, hunting, and adventures are used to paint with colors like red,
yellow, and orange.

Phad also depicted the folk deities Pabuji and Devnarayan.

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7. Tanjore Painting
Tanjore or Thanjavur Painting originated in the Thanjavur district of Tamil
Nadu back in 1600 AD.

This traditional Indian art form was first painted under the Chola regime
and flourished by the Nayakas of Thanjavur.

Tanjore paintings’ style is similar to the Maratha, Deccani, and European

styles. The painting is made on Palagai Padam, a colloquial for the wooden
plank, on which the gold foil is used in a manner that makes this art form
opulent.

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8. Kalighat Painting
Also known as Bengal Pat, Kalighat Painting originated around the 19th
century in the Kalighat in Kolkata, West Bengal.

The paintings are made on the cloth or patta and at first, themed as
mythology where gods and goddesses were depicted, but then the artisans
started to use this form of art for social reform.

Kalighat paintings were used to raise awareness among the public by

creating art pieces like a priest with an unchaste woman or a cop taking
bribes.

9. Gond Painting
One of the largest tribes in India, the Gond tribe which lives in Madhya
Pradesh, originated the Gond painting 1400 years ago.

This traditional art form looks like it is a gift by the Gonds to mother
nature as these paintings depicted only the flora and fauna.

The components are made using acrylic paints but earlier the artisans would
use colors derived from leaves, cow dung, plant sap, colored soil, etc.

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10. Mysore Painting

Mysore painting is an invaluable style of traditional South Indian
painting that developed in and around the city of Mysore in the state of
Karnataka.

This art form was encouraged and favored by the Mysore emperors. Mysore
paintings often include stories from Hindu gods and goddesses and Indian
mythology, as do many other ancient and classical forms of art in India.

Mysore paintings stand out from other art forms because of their beauty,
texture, and subtlety.

11. Rajput Painting

Rajput painting, also known as Rajasthan art, was particularly popular in the
17th century in Rajputana, a region in northern India.

Artists educated in the Mughal miniature tradition, who had been expelled
from the royal Mughal court, created styles that drew inspiration from
regional painting traditions, particularly those depicting the Hindu sacred
epics Mahabharata and Ramayana.

It covered a variety of subjects but featured portraits of the royal family

—often hunting or of their everyday lives—from epics or stories from Hindu
mythology, as well as particular stylized depictions of unknown persons,
which were generally well-liked.

Processing of certain minerals, plant sources, shellfish, and even valuable

stones were used to extract the color. Silver and gold were used.
12. Cheriyal Scrolls

The Nakashi family has been practicing this extinct art form for many
generations, and it has origins in the former Telangana.

The long scroll tradition and Kalamkari art both had an impact on the
Cheriyal scrolls, a far more stylized form of Nakashi art.

Each scroll has about 50 of them, similar to modern comic panels. Their use
of vivid colors and colorful imagination stands in sharp contrast to the
traditional rigor of Tanjore or Mysore paintings.

Saints traveled the region singing or reading the epics, and these 40–45 foot
scrolls, which show the Puranas and epics, provided the required visual
support.

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13. Mughal Painting

It is exclusively made as miniatures for book illustrations or as solitary pieces
to be stored in albums. Mughal painting, a distinctly South Asian art form, is
mostly North Indian painting (more precisely, modern-day India and
Pakistan).

The origin of this art style during the 16th and 18th centuries at the court of
the Mughal Empire was a Persian miniature painting, which also had some
Chinese influences.

Paintings have regularly depicted battles, tales, hunting scenes, animals,

royal life, mythology, and other subjects.

The Muslim Mughal monarchs are credited with spreading Muslim (and
notably Persian) arts and traditions throughout South Asia.
14.

Pichwai Painting

The term “Pichwai,” which is derived from the Sanskrit words “Pichh” for
“back” and “wais” for “hanging,” refers to large holy Hindu painted
paintings, generally on fabric, that portray Krishna.

It translates as “that which hangs from the back.” The Shrinathji Temple in
Nathdwara, Rajasthan, is one of several Pushtimarg-style Hindu temples
where they are most commonly made to hang.

They hang behind Shrinathji, a localized representation of Krishna who

serves as the center of Pushtimarg devotion, to symbolize his activities.
Aurangabad was another location related to them.

Pichwais are written for a purpose other than aesthetics: to communicate

Krishna tales to those who cannot read or write.

The collections of diverse images in temples are updated in line with the
calendar of god-honoring feasts.

15. Kerala Mural

Murals refer to the Hindu mythology-themed frescoes in Kerala. Mural
painting traditions are prevalent across Kerala, home to many of India’s
ancient temples and palaces.

The majority of them date to the ninth through the twelfth century CE, when
this style of art was supported by the royal class.

Despite receiving the support of several monarchs, Kerala’s native mural

artists endured extreme hardship and even faced extinction under British
control.

Major temples in Kerala experienced a rebirth of their mural traditions

following India’s independence in 1947.

It is believed that the paintings of Tiruvanchikulam and the Thirunanthikarai

Cave Temple, which is now a part of Tamil Nadu, are the earliest known
examples of Kerala’s unique mural style.