If you are an ardent admirer of Indian paintings, then you will agree with as those Indian paintings, especially religious paintings like
Radha-
Krishna paintings, exude lively vibrancy. In these paintings, the colors are bold and rich, and the foliage is exuberant. There is the sense of sympathy with the entire natural world which is so inherent in Indian paintings. The miniatures of Mewar are especially famous of its traditional themes and depict the stories associated with Lord Krishna, the Ramayana and the ragas of Indian music.
History of Mewar
Mewar in the south of Rajasthan was the proudest of all the Rajput Kingdoms. The Ranas of Mewar were last of the Rajput rulers to accept Mughal lordship. To them, freedom was as precious as the air they breathe. They stoutly resisted the armies of Babur and Akbar; however, Chittorgarh fell in the year 1569 and a new capital had to be built at Udaipur. Mughal supremacy was finally accepted at the beginning of the 17
th century. There was a close interaction with the Mughal court in the times of Jahangir and Shah Jahan.
Timeless paintings of Mewar
The timeless paintings of Mewar bring to us a world of simplicity and belief. The themes are religious. They bring to us a reality which transcends the ephemeral and takes us to the deep essence of things. The feelings that come from a direct gaze on Indian paintings, especially Radha-Krishna paintings, can sweep away the rational structures that one has for appreciating the kind of cosmic dimensions of landscape, the macrocosmic understanding and you get through the detail in Indian painting and through the immediate experience that allows you to go through doors. It makes Indian painting that much more accessible to more people. Indian painting is all about the human experience.
Salient Features of Radha-Krishna Paintings
There is a marvelous continuous narrative in
Radha-Krishna paintings of Mewar. The past, the present, and future are all seen together in one encompassing vision. There is no concept of time where the past is no more and the future is yet to come. All actions occur simultaneously in an eternal time and space. While creating paintings an artist uses pictorial space almost as a walking journey. This walking journey is not just a question of one location to another, but it is a walking journey of his deepest emotions. It is the recreation of immortal states which the artist has internalized and then created a visual poetry. If you will see these paintings of India, you will realize that the painter is marvelously assured, simple yet very bold in his execution. The paintings are uncluttered with the ornamentation of too many details. They deal with the essence of the subject and present before us in its purity. The colors are saturated with the vibrancy of life which is inherent in these paintings. The appeal of these paintings is timeless and can compare with the best of the paintings of any age. One can see an outpouring of love in the exquisite paintings of Mewar on divine themes. The Geet Govindam, the Bhagavata Purana, the Rasikpriya, the Rasamanjri, the Satsai and many others are vividly depicted in these beautiful paintings.
In Mewar, one can see a profusion of Ragamala – garlands of paintings on the theme of ragas. Rags are classical Indian musical patterns. Their purpose is to transport a person entirely to feel a deep sensation of a particular emotion, ambiance, time of day and season associated with the raga. These paintings are meant to transport the viewer to the same plane of transcendent ecstasy as the ragas. If you too want to bring such a powerful painting in your home, then you can buy one from an online art gallery like Indian Art Ideas, which has an exuberant range of paintings on the religious theme.