Early Indian Art (~7000BC- 550AD)
Early Indian art consists of rock art, including engravings and paintings that depicted scenes of human life alongside animals and hunts with stone implements. Their style varied with the region and age, but the most common characteristic was the use of a mineral called geru, which is close to Iron Oxide. The Indus Valley Civilization, from 5000 BC to 1500 BC, although reputed as sophisticated, actually had very little interest in the public arts. A number of gold, terracotta, and stone figurines of girls in dancing poses reveal the presence of dances. There were also depictions of cows, bears, monkeys, and dogs. Mauryan art emerged in North India with the Maurya Empire. Famous artistic survivals are the large animals surmounting the Pillars of Ashoka, showing confident and boldly mature style. Other figures included vigorous, albeit crudely styled figurines.Buddhist art emerged after the Mauryans, with increasing emphasis on statues of the Buddha, which greatly influenced later Hindu and Jain religious figurative art. The Gupta period is regarded as the classic peak of North Indian art for all major religious groups. All surviving works are religious sculpture, the most famous of them being iconic carved Hindu deities, as well as the Buddha figure and Jain tirthankara.
Middle Kingdoms and the Late Medieval Period (~600AD- 1300AD)
The Chola period was known for bronze sculpture, lost-wax casting technique, and fresco paintings. This primarily southern style influenced the widespread growth of Jainism, alongside Hinduism. The Temples of Khajuraho were constructed by the Chandela clan and shed light on the socio-cultural and religious practices in Medieval India. Sexuality in modern interpretation is polarized.
Early Modern and Colonial Era (~1400- 1800)
It wasn't until the Mughal Empire that one observes emperors with patronage for the fine arts. The reign of Akbar, a leader hands-on with artists, brought Persian artists to the region. Indian elements were present in works from the beginning, mostly unique fauna. Paintings reflected vibrancy and inclusion that Akbar's kingdom brought, with Persian Miniatures, Pajput paintings, and the Pahari style of Northern India. Below is an example of this, done by a Palace artist depicting Akbar and his wife.
After Akbar's death, his son Jahangir took over. His son took a more individualistic approach, emphasizing the importance of solo-work instead of artist collaboration. He was succeeded by Shah Jahan, who contributed the Taj Mahal. His rule required more formal paintings with court scenes, in contrast to his predecessors. Below is a portrait of the Shah, done by another Palace artist
Following him, Aurangzed, an extreme orthodox, forcefully took the throne from Shah Jahan. His reign, with the ban of music and painting, made sure of art's decline in the north. In the South, unique styles still developed with metal casting, stone carvings, and paintings. The Bahmani sulmanate disintegrated into Deccan Sultanates centered at Bijapur. The Baridi Dynasty of Bidar saw the invention of bidri ware, cast from alloys of zinc mixed with copper, tin, lead, and inlaid with silver and brass. It was then covered with mud paste that turned the base metal black, giving the metalwork a more visible sheen. British Art had massive impact on Indian art. Western art became more ubiquitous, and the Company style of painting became the primary style; Romanticized, watercolor the primary medium to convey soft textures and tones. There were attempts at resisting cultural assimiliation. The Swadeshi movement gained momentum by 1905, and Indian artists attempted to resuscitate the cultural identity held down by the British. Reworked styles grew more aggressive, counters to the romanticized style of the Company.
Contemporary Art (~1900- Present)
In the year 1947, India became independent of British rule. Ara, Bakre, Gade, Husain, Raza, and Souza ounded the Bombay Progressive Artist's Group to establish Indian expression post-colonialism. Although soon dissolved, it was influential in changing the direction of Indian art. Prominent artists returned to painting and sculpture, including Nalini Malani, Sobodh Gupta, Vivan Sundaram, and Jitish Kallat. They found radical directions of expression. India today finds itself in an era of contextual modernism, finding ways to give way to eclecticism and cultural impurity. The piece below was done by S.H Raza in 1948, who used Watercolor and gouache to paint with abstract expression.