Colours of expression: Indian Painting (Part-I)

In the first instalment of this riveting visual presentation, Dr. Krishna guided the audience through ten thousand years of mural paintings–ranging from Bhimbetka to the caves of Ajanta and Ellora. She explained that her lectures were a celebration of India’s colourful and diverse artistic expression and were hence titled, the ‘Colours of Expression’. She spoke at length of the interdisciplinary nature of Indian painting. Indian painters were not just painters but also sculptors, architects and craftsmen. Just as the Natyashastra offered the common base for the practice of ‘sangita’ in the subcontinent, painting shared certain techniques, rules of proportion and an ethos that permeated a pan-Indian geography. Dr. Krishna described how Indian murals, and paintings in general, were devoted to sacred objects and hence, were an act of self effacement. An artist would not claim the art as their own by marking it with a signature, they would perform in service of a greater ideal. This unique cultural ethos is at the core of most Indian paintings. Briefly commenting on conservation efforts, Dr. Krishna clarified that it was indeed possible to restore ancient paintings to their original state, given that the correct traditional ingredients were used. This observation underscored the importance of preserving ancient painting techniques and technologies as much as the finished product. A true loss of essence is in the loss of knowledge about painting, including its methods, ingredients and guiding philosophy. Although Dr. Krishna insisted that she had offered only a fleeting glimpse of ancient mural painting in India, the audience received an educated in the true appreciation of art and the experience of an aesthetic that is beyond what the eye can see.

Colours of expression: Indian Painting (Part-II)

In her second lecture, Dr. Krishna took the audience through a tour of miniature paintings and folk art in India. From ancient buddhist illustrations to the Mughal sultanate and all the way to Tanjore and Mysore paintings, Dr. Krishna described the subtle details of style, subject matter and use of colour that had transformed over time. She even paid a brief visit to Company paintings and Kalighat paintings in this journey. Her focus remained on demonstrating how cultures borrowed styles and techniques from each other while offering their own fresh artistic expressions. She demonstrated how paintings offer us perspective on beauty standards in the past and the figures of ideal bodies, that are in stark contrast to today’s prejudices. Dr. Krishna also discussed how political regimes and social relations affected the modes and modalities of paintings, revealing political commentary in the fine print. During the Q&A session, Dr. Krishna addressed the question of a ‘lack of realism’ in Indian paintings. She explained that the subjects of Indian paintings were mostly sacred and hence, subscribed to ‘ideal’ imaginations in art. Since the ideal does is not a reproduction of reality, we see that Indian paintings deliberately avoid realistic styles of expression. She also described how folk paintings were born from ritual and hence, formed the expression of the unique experiences of the people and how they perceived art and colour. Dr. Krishna’s lectures left one awestruck at the sheer prowess of painting skill in ancient India and an appreciation for an oft taken for granted art form in India.