Unit 1: Phases of art in the Indian subcontinent
Art Appreciation notes · PTU syllabus (BSTD 404-20)
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Unit summary
Indian art has developed over five thousand years, shaped by beliefs, rulers and contact with other cultures. This unit covers the basis of art in the Indian subcontinent, the phases of Indian art history and a comparison of Oriental and Occidental views of art.
After this unit you can
- Explain the basis of Indian art
- Trace the phases of Indian art history
- Compare Oriental and Occidental views of art
- Relate art history to textile design
PTU syllabus topics
- The basis of art in the Indian subcontinent
- phases of art history and their development
- comparative study of Oriental and Occidental views of art
- 1
Indus Valley
Seals, terracotta, bronze dancing girl
- 2
Mauryan
Polished stone pillars, Sanchi stupa
- 3
Gupta
Classical sculpture, Ajanta frescoes
- 4
Medieval
Temple sculpture, manuscript painting
- 5
Mughal
Miniatures, Islamic architecture
- 6
Modern
Bengal School and beyond
Topic 1
The basis of art in the Indian subcontinent
- Religion and philosophy
- Art as devotion and expression of the divine
- Shilpa Shastras
- Canonical texts on proportion, iconography and architecture
- Rasa theory
- Art evokes emotional states (rasas) in the viewer
- Six limbs of painting (Shadanga)
- Form, proportion, emotion, grace, likeness, colour
- Symbolism
- Lotus (purity), tree of life, mudras, colours with meanings
- Patronage
- Kings, temples, guilds and merchants
Topic 2
Phases of Indian art history
- 1
Prehistoric
Bhimbetka rock paintings
- 2
Indus Valley (about 2500–1900 BCE)
Seals, Dancing Girl bronze, Priest-King, terracotta
- 3
Mauryan (3rd century BCE)
Polished Ashokan pillars, Lion Capital of Sarnath
- 4
Shunga and Satavahana
Stupas — Bharhut, Sanchi gateways
- 5
Kushana
Gandhara (Greco-Buddhist) and Mathura schools
- 6
Gupta (4th–6th century) — classical age
Sarnath Buddha, Ajanta, Deogarh temple
- 7
Medieval
Temple architecture — Pallava, Chola bronzes, Khajuraho, Konark
- 8
Indo-Islamic and Mughal
Miniatures, Taj Mahal, inlay work
- 9
Rajput and Pahari
Regional miniature schools
- 10
Colonial and modern
Company painting, Raja Ravi Varma, Bengal School, Progressive Artists' Group
Topic 3
Oriental and Occidental views of art
Purpose
Spiritual, symbolic, devotional
Often naturalistic, humanist, individual expression
Representation
Idealised forms; multiple viewpoints; flattened space
Realism; linear perspective (Renaissance); anatomy
Artist
Often anonymous craftsman within tradition
Named individual genius
Time and space
Continuous narrative in one frame
Single moment; one viewpoint
Colour
Symbolic, flat
Modelled with light and shade (chiaroscuro)
Key terms
- Shilpa Shastra
- Ancient Indian treatise on arts and architecture
- Rasa
- Aesthetic emotion evoked by art
- Gandhara school
- Greco-Buddhist sculpture of the north-west
- Gupta period
- Classical age of Indian art
- Linear perspective
- Western technique for depicting depth
Quick revision
- Religion, Shilpa Shastras, rasa, Shadanga, symbolism, patronage.
- Prehistoric to modern phases with examples.
- Oriental vs Occidental views.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.What are the Shilpa Shastras?
- Q2.Name the six limbs of Indian painting.
- Q3.What is the Lion Capital of Sarnath?
- Q4.Distinguish Gandhara and Mathura schools.
- Q5.Why is the Gupta period called classical?
- Q6.Give two differences between Oriental and Occidental art.
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Describe the phases of Indian art history.
- Q2.Compare Oriental and Occidental views of art.
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