The Ancient Indian Art

From early petroglyphs to a flourishing contemporary art scene, India’s vibrant artistic legacy is the result of a variety of cultural influences.

Archaeologists discovered evidence of prehistoric rock art—carvings or drawings on cave rocks—in this area dating back at least 290,000 years. The oldest examples are the Bhimbetka petroglyphs found in central India. These consist of cupules, which are non-utilitarian hemispherical cup-shaped depressions that are hammered out of the rock surface. This type of rock art was the primary form of cave painting throughout the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, often depicting animal and human forms.

Hinduism continued to be a main focus of Indian art for centuries, as sculptures of deities like Shiva were commonly produced.The three biggest Art schools of ancient were : Gandhara School of Arts, Mathura School of Art, Amravati School of Art.

By the 16th century, Islam gained importance under the Mughal Empire and art production grew under Islamic rulers. During this time, the arts prospered and in 1631 construction began on the Taj Mahal.The Mughal arts comprise of the genres of manuscripts, jewellery, arms and armour, coins, decorative art and painting. We are fortunate to be able to present to you the overview of each genre with its particular Mughal style. Mughal art is a unique amalgamation of native Indian art with Iranian and European influences. This distinct style may be seen in the wide array of pieces on view in the ‘Islamic Arts of India’ exhibition.

British involvement in India began in the 18th century, during which time they established art schools to promote European styles. As a result, local art styles merged with foreign influences and traditional art forms were often romanticized or exaggerated to appeal to European buyers.

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British colonial rule had a great impact on Indian art. As a whole, the European advent was marked by a relative insensitivity to native art traditions; former Indian patrons of art became less wealthy and influential, and Western art became more ubiquitous as the British Empire established schools of art in major cities, such as the Bombay Art Society in 1888. The Company style of paintings, for example, became common, created by Indian artists working for European patrons of the East India Company . By 1858, the British government took over the task of administration of India under the British Raj. The fusion of Indian traditions with European style at this time became evident in architectural styles. Toward the end of the 19th century, rising nationalism attempted a conscious revival of Indian art.