Mughal Painting: Fusion of Persian and Indian Artistry

Introduction

The Mughal School of painting, flourishing during the Mughal Empire in India, melded Persian and Indian artistic styles, portraying themes of courtly life, nature, and religious narratives with exquisite detail. 

Common Themes

• It depicts the god glorifying the ruler and showcasing their lives, including hunting scenes, historical events, and court-related paintings excluding religious subjects.
• Naturalism with detailed observation of nature.

Common Technique:

• Introduced the technique of foreshortening, which made objects appear closer and smaller than they actually were.
• Influenced by European art with techniques like shading and perspective.

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Flourishing of Painting

Babur’s Era

• Babur’s wars hindered painting development. He supported the Persian artist Bihzad.

Humayun’s Era

• He was amazed by the Safavid artist traditions, so he invited master artists like Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd Us Samad.
• He laid the groundwork for a painting workshop called Nigaar Khana and initiated the project ‘Hamza Nama’, an illustrious narrative of Hamza’s adventures.

Akbar’s Era

• He established a department for paintings & document scribing, known as Tasvir Khana.
• Court painters: Dasvanth, Miskina, Nanha, Knha, Basawan, Manohar, Doulat, Mansur, Kesu, Bhim Gujarati, Dharam Das, Madhu, Surdas, Lal, Shankar Goverdhan and Inayat.
• He recognised Indian artists which initiated the ‘Indian influence’ in Mughal paintings.
• European painting was introduced in Akbar’s court by Portuguese priests.

Key Characteristics of Paintings 

• Use of 3D figures and application of foreshortening techniques and incorporation of calligraphy into their paintings.
• Shift of popular art ( lives of common people) to court art (scenes from court life).

Shah Jahan’s Era

• European Influence: Incorporated artificial elements and introduced unnatural stillness inspired by European influence.
• Significant Attention: To portraiture and various manuscripts were illustrated.
• Pencil Work: Discouraged the use of charcoal for drawing and promoted pencil sketching.
• Increase in the use of gold and silver in paintings, along with a preference for brighter colour palettes compared to his predecessors.
• Artists : Bichiter, Chaitaraman, Anup Chattar, Mohammed Nadir of Samarquand, Inayat, and Makr. 
• Manuscripts : Copy of Gulistan and Bustan of Sadi, and the Shah Jahan Nama in 1657.

Aurangzeb’s Era: 

He did not encourage the art of painting, which led to a decline in Mughal painting.

• Reduction in artistic quality, and migration of court painters to provincial courts in regions

Bahadur Shah’s Era: 

Displayed improved artistic quality, signaling a return to the former glory.

Post-1712 AD, Mughal painting once again began to deteriorate under the later Mughals.

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Conclusion

• The Mughal School of painting stands as a testament to the fusion of cultural influences, depicting an era of artistic splendor and sophistication that continues to inspire admiration and study.