Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ON
INDIAN ART
Dancing woman
2. PRAMANA- ( Proportion)
Pramana means correct knowledge of the proportion of different forms.
There should be harmonious division in the composition and measurement
of the form drawn. The correct sense of proportion is known as Prama.
If we going to paint a scene of Kashmir, we will have to know as to how we
can arrange lake, mountains and sky etc. on a small piece of paper or
canvas. After calculating we can say that this portion of paper will cover
lake, this much mountain and the rest sky. This space organization will be
done by our sense of proportion or Prama Shakti. Thereafter we use our
sense of proportion in color scheme, so as to what atmosphere can be
created be created by diff, colors. If a scene of sunset is to be painted, the
proper color scheme has to be chose. Some flying birds should also be
This Prama is not only in man by birth, but it is found in almost all the
living beings. We can feel Prama even in smaller creations. A little
murmuring sound in a jungle created by leaves of trees alert the dear at
once and his power of Prama starts working immediately and tell him
whether this murmuring sound is created by a lions movement or just by
some other casual animal.
Prama does not give knowledge of nearness and
distance only but it also decides as to how much exposure of a thing will
make it beautiful. It shows that Prama is not the yards, feet and inches of
mathematics but our innate consciousness which includes our inner and
outer world also. The more we use it the more it will be sharpened. If we
stop its use it will lose it sharpness.
We adopt the mysteries of variety and distinction of animals, birds and
human beings through Prama. What is the mystery in the tallness of man
and woman? A mans body should be seven and a half times. The length
of his face and seven times the length of the face of a woman. And what
is the difference in a god and a man can only be judged by Prama or the
sense of proportion.
3. BHAVA- (Expression)
Bhava is the representation of sentimental grace in portion and is the
action of feeling of form. Expression conveyed through form is Bhava.
Modifications of natural feelings under the influence of special
circumstances reflect in facial expressions and facial expression betray
of face. But the deepest expressions of the same are felt by heart only,
showing of disposition of posture only is not enough in a painting.
The Bhava is expressed in two ways i.e. overt and covert. We
can easily see the overt expression of sentiment by our eyes, but only
heart can feel its covert form.
We can, see the sentimental expression in the beauty of
the new flowers of spring, in weeping by covering ones eyes with hands ,
in wearing torn clothes and in the bowing of eyelids etc. But we cannot see
the covert form with eyes, we can understand the subtle meaning with
experience only.
Bhava gives expression to form and the Vyangya (Satire)
brings out the expression of gesture of feeling through the form. It is easy
to express Bhava in a painting through distortion but it is not easy to give
Vyangya to the same. For example how to know it that a certain pot
belongs to a poor man. It is just possible that the same pot might be there
with rich people also. Even broken pot can not suggest that it is of some
poor man. But a dirty and torn cloth placed by a side of the same can
express the reality. This is called Vyangya in the art of painting. It depends
upon the ability of the artist how he expresses the same. According to
Vachaspati Gairola three types of Bhavas are expressed through the
alteration of human body. First type is produced by seeing and hearing,
second type by speaking and doing some work and third type is produced
by some reaction on feelings or thought.
5. SADRASHYA- ( Similitude)
The painting may be true or imaginary but it ought to be proficient.
ABOUT THE
PAINTING
The painting personifies Ragini
Gujari, wife of Raga Dipaka
mesmerizing a pair of gazelles with
the music of her vina (a stringed
instrument like a lute).
Ragini Gujari, a young woman is
followed by a pair of gazelles,
which are besotted by her beauty.
The gazelles represent her lovers. This painting has
adopted the phenomena prevalent in summers in the
deserts of Rajasthan where the thirsty traveler often
glimpses shimmering lake brimming with water but as the
traveler moves towards the lake, it appear to recede.
Mislead by such mirages herds of deer travel for miles till
they lay down their lives. The deer thirst also called, as
mriga trishna is symbolic of love.
INDIAN PAINTING
Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in
Indian art.
The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of
pre-historictimes, the petroglyphsas found in places like
Bhimbetka, some of them from before 5500 BC.
India'sBuddhistliterature is replete with examples of texts
which describe palaces of the army and the aristocratic class
embellished with paintings, but the paintings of the
Ajanta Cavesare the most significant of the few survivals.
Smaller scale painting in manuscripts was probably also
practised in this period, though the earliest survivals are from
the medieval period.
CAVE
PAINTINGS IN INDIA
FRESCO PAINTINGS
It is an art form which is practiced all over the world.
These are usually done on walls of buildings,
or as in ancient times on rocks and caves.
These paintings are from the Buddhist period in the ancient
Ajanta Caves in present day Madhya Pradesh in India..
The paintings tells the story of Gautam Buddha and his
teachings in pictures.
These were painted by Buddhist monks who also illustrated
stories from the Jataka Tales.