PAINTING
Unit – II (A) Mughal School of Miniature Painting / Introduction & Origin and Development of Mughal School
Mughal Miniature Painting
Mughal school of Art was not a new style in itself but it was the same Indian School of Art, well refined and polished by the Persian Artist with the help of Indian Artist.Mughal Art is a mixture of Indian (Rajasthani) Art and Persian Art.
The origin and development of Mughal Art
The beginning, rise and fall of Mughal painting are associated with the beginning, rise and fall of Mughal Empire. A new culture of painting developed under the protection of the Mughal rulers of Timur dynasty. Babar was the founder of Mughal Empire in India. Babar was not only a brave soldier and an able commander but he also had a great liking for painting. Babar was mostly in the battle field and his son Humayun had to spend thirteen years in Banish in Iran after pushed out by Sher Shah Suri from India. Humayun was also busy in battles but he got the painting of ‘Dastan-E-Amir Hamza’ done in his time. Humayun’s only son Emperor Akbar was keenly interested in the Art of Painting and Architecture. His era is called golden period of Mughal Art. A large number of Indian Artists from all over India were recruited to work in his court.
There are many manuscripts that were illustrated in his time. They are:
(1) The Razma Nama (Mahabharat) (2) The Ramayana- translated in Persian and painted
(3) The Akbar Nama (4) The Ain-e- Akbari (5) The Hamza-Nama, etc.
Jahangir, son of Akbar, was a great lover of Art and Nature. The Mughal miniatures reached a very high level of excellence in this period. Under Jahangir’s patronage, painting acquired greater charm, refinement and dignity. He had great fascination for nature and took delight in the portraits, birds, animals and flowers.
Shahjahan was a lover of Architecture. The Art of painting saw a downfall in the time of Shahjahan. Aurangzeb came as a fanatic Muslim ruler. He was a bitter enemy of painting and music. He did not patronize any Art. Culture lost its vitality and finally declined a rich style of painting;
Aspiring young Artists came to Delhi to learn the art of painting from the Mughal master painters and they together with older Artists from the Mughal court spread the Mughal manner to distant parts of India known as Provincial Mughal Schools where Mughal and local painting styles fused.
The main centers were Oudh, Hyderabad, Faizabad, Murshidabad and Patna where a weakened Mughal style flourished.
Babur → Humayun → Akbar → Jahangir → Shahjahan → Aurangzeb → Bahadur Shah Zafar
Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 12 Painting Mughal Miniature Painting Worksheet
