Keywords: Indian art, Indian artist, Mughal art, Mughal paintings

On the Road to History: An exposition to Mughal Art

Poetry fettered, fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish - William Blake Mention the Mughals and most people will think of the great contributions they have made in the fields of art, architecture, paintings, cuisine, astronomy, et al. The Indian sub-continent prospered immensely under their reign. Although the land the Mughals once ruled has separated into what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, their influence can still be seen widely today, in the form of art, palaces, tombs and forts created or built during the dynasty. Mughal painting is a particular style of South Asian painting. It is generally confined to miniatures that are used as book illustrations or as single pieces of work intended for albums. Mughal paintings evolved from Persian miniature painting while simultaneously borrowing influences from Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist art. It developed largely in the court of the Mughal Empire and other Indian courts.

Development and Evolution

The Mughal style of art and paintings took shape during the reign of Humayun and flourished greatly under Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, all of whom were inspired by Persian art. Upon his return in exile, Humayun invited two Persian artists - Mir Sayyid Ali and Abu-us-Samad to join him in India. This led to the creation of two of the earliest examples of the Mughal art style - the Tutinama ('Tales of a Parrot') Painting and Princess of the House of Timur. The most popular themes in Mughal paintings were portraits, court scenes, hunting events and depictions of battle.

Mughal painting by Mir Sayyid Ali

Art prospered largely under Akbars reign. The work done during this time was supervised by the Persian artists mentioned above. Akbars interest in the Ramayan, Mahabharat and Persian epics was reflected in the paintings produced during that period. A few famous paintings of this time are the Kalilah-wa-Dimnah and Anwar-e-Suhayli. Jahangirs support and encouragement of art forms, especially paintings, led to advances in the techniques used, including refinement in brushwork and the use of much lighter and subdued colours. Portraits of Jahangir and images from his life were the focus of several pieces as were scenes from nature. The pictorial illustration of the Jehangir-nama, the biography of Emperor Jahangir, is one of the most famous examples of Mughal art from his reign.

Portrait of Jehangir by Abul Hasan

Decline
Mughal art saw a decline during the reign of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. The efforts of Jahangir were sustained, to some extent, during Shah Jahans period but the paintings produced largely depicted musical parties, lovers and similar themes. Aurangzebs indifference towards art led to the ultimate decline of Mughal art. Though it did resurface during the time of Muhammad Shah, it soon lost ground, due to diminishing support, to another evolving style the Rajput school of art. Though the style faded in prominence following Aurangzebs reign, Mughal style miniature paintings are still being created today by a few Indian artists in Rajasthan. Some skilled artists like Rafi Uddin and Saif Uddin have produced remarkable works combining both classic and modern effects. This is helping keeping alive the Mughals commendable contribution to Indian society, art and culture.

Some references http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/396178/Mughal-painting http://www.india-crafts.com/paintings/mughal-painting.html http://www.enotes.com/topic/Mughal_painting http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-art/paintings/mughal.html http://www.indianetzone.com/1/mughal_painting.htm