On the Road to H istory: An exposition to M ughal 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 whatisnow 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 paintingis 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 paintingstook shape during the reign of Humayun and flourished greatly under Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, all ofwhom 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 artstyle - the Tutinama ('Tales of a Parrot') Painting and Princess of the Houseof Timur. The most popular themes inMughal paintingswereportraits, court scenes, hunting events and depictions of battle.
Mughal painting by Mir Sayyid Ali
Art prospered largely under Akbar’s reign. The workdone during this time was supervised by thePersian artists mentioned above. Akbar’s 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. Jahangir’s 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 Jahan’s period but the paintings produced largely depicted musical parties, lovers and similar themes. Aurangzeb’s 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 stylefaded in prominence following Aurangzeb’s 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