Year Level: 10 ……………………….. In this presentation we will be looking at the culture and art of India andmore specifically the paintings of Indian artists. By considering the culture of adifferent country we are able to appreciate the diversity of our own multiculturalcommunity and determine how this influences and affects our own art identity .

BY LAUREN STEVENSINDIA

INDIAINDIAN FLAG

LION OF SARNATH

PEACOCK

RUPEES (INDIAN MONEY)

LOTUS FLOWER

TIGER

- The Republic of India is a country with one of thelargest populations in the world, totalling1,014,003,817, with an enormous variety of racialtypes, cultures and languages.- India has an area of 3.3 million sq. km and isseparated from mainland Asia by the Himalayasthat are the highest mountain ranges in the world.- Hindi is considered the national language andEnglish is used mainly as a language for officialcommunication.- The Hindu religion is the major religion of Indiaand evolved more than 4,000 years ago.

- The Indian flag was designed as a symbol of freedom. The saffron standsfor courage and sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation, the white, for purityand truth and the green for faith and fertility.- The National emblem of India is a replica of a statue called the Lion ofSarnath. The lions portrayed symbolise power, courage and confidence. Thenational bird of India is the Peacock, the national flower is the Lotus and thenational animal is the Tiger.- Art is important to Indian culture, as it has been used throughout history topass on the traditions and folk stories of the past to all people, not just thosewho are literate.

BANYAN TREE

BATIK PAINTINGSBatik is a painting stylecommonly used in Indian Art.These paintings usually telltraditional stories. When aBatik painting is made, hotwax is first applied to thefabric in a design of the artistchoice. The fabric is theneither dipped in ink or paintedwith ink over the wax. Thewax acts as a resistant,preventing the dye fromreaching the fabric where ithas been applied. Thistechnique can be applied inlayers with different colours.

EXAMPLES OF INDIAN BATIK PAINTINGS

This is a typical example of a Batik painting. It portrays a traditional Indian theme and references to the Indian lifestyle, for example the position the woman sits in is a yoga pose also the woman is seated on a lotus flower, a symbol used repeatedly in classical Indian art, representing such things as purity and peace.

TRADITIONAL SCULPTURE

GANESH THE SCRIBE

ORNATE ALTER

Sculpture is often used in Indian culture as a meansof depicting various gods (for example Ganesh)worshiped within the religions of India, e.g. Hinduand Buddhist religions.

5 HEADED HUNAMANA

EXAMPLES OF TRADITIONAL SCULPTURE

FISHERMAN

STORIES - OIL

PAINTING

GAMES - OIL PAINTING

ANJOLIE ELA MENON

Anjolie Menon is one of India's mostaccomplished painters. Her paintingsshow a deep awareness of the humancondition. This is expressed throughher portrayal of Indian people and thehuman figure generally, which is areoccurring theme in her work.Through such paintings Anjolie Menonalso explores feminine consciousnessand the position of women in Indiansociety.

ANJOLIE ELA MENON

EXAMPLES OF MENONS PAINTINGS

A dominant feature of Menons work is also her strong use ofcolour. It is through the use of colour that she is able toexpress emotional qualities, for example she says "It is withcolour that one sings, with colour that one plummets to thedepths of sorrow and pain."(www.artsindian.com/anjolieelamenon/pipc/interview1.shtml).Menon has lived in and been influenced by many countriesother than India, such as England, France and Russia.

In this painting we can see many references to India.Some of these include the tiger, which is the nationalanimal of India and also the body of the man in thebackground that is painted purple, a reference to themany different colours gods are portrayed as intraditional Indian art. Both the men are placed in boxes,which could be a comment on people being categorizedby their race, as one is clearly Indian and the other isAnglo-Saxon.

MAGICIANS STORY - OIL PAINTING

FESTIVAL - OIL PAINTING

BRIEF ANALYSIS OF MENON’S PAINTINGS

This painting consists of three large triangular shapes on abright textured, purple surface. The triangle shape movesacross the canvas as though it is one shape depicted as it falls.The background of this painting is textured through a series ofgestural marks, which consist of dots, squiggles and sectionsof colour. As is suggested through the title 'Festival' thispainting makes reference to the nature of the many festivalsthat take place in India, e.g. the feelings created by thesefestivals, as it captures their bright, swirling and energeticnature.

FITTH ARRIVAL - OIL PAINTING

COMPLAMENTRIES - OIL PAINTING

HORSES - OIL PAINTING

M.F.HUSAIN

M.F.HUSAIN B.1915

M.F.Husains paintings have been influenced by his many different interests. These include rustic Indian folk art, calligraphy and commercial cinema. Also many artists have influenced Husains painting style and selected themes. For example his confident lines and pure colours come from his admiration of Expressionist painters like Oskar Kokoschka and Emil Nolde. Husain is also influenced by Picasso in his choice of themes. This is apparent in ‘Fifth Arrival’ where the horses depicted resemble those used by Picasso in a painting called ‘Gurnica.’

In ‘Fifth Arrival’ horses race across the canvas and we are left with the impression that they may not still be their if we look away. This impression is created through the expressions and body language of the horses and the woman and also through Husain expressive lines, for example in the horses legs. A sense of movement is also achieved through the blurred background, where all that remains defined is the horses shadows.

LAXMAN SHRESHTHA

UNTITLED OIL PAINTINGSUNTITLED WATERCOLOURS

Abstract painter Laxman Shreshtha principally explores colour and geometrical shapes, for example the windows and triangles used in the examples shown. Many other painters have influenced him, most significantly though, the abstract expressionist painter Rotho. Rotho inspires Shreshtha through his use of colour and his removal of unnecessary forms. Shreshtha artworks have evolved from using a variety of colours on a canvas, to one colour per artwork, where all the hues and tone of

that colour are explored.

“I want to understand each one of these hues and have the intelligence and strength to use each one of them. “ Shreshtha.

The painting shown above is Shreshtha’s reaction to his environment, specifically the Himalayan ranges. Through the potential colours have to express emotions and the purity of geometrical shapes, this landscape describes a sense of spiritual awareness of the land. The colours in this painting, as in many other paintings of Shreshtha describe not only the physical nature of the land but more so the feeling the land leaves with it’s viewer.

interview with Adhay Sardesai.Art In India Magazine

EXAMPLES OF VARMAS OIL PAINTINGS

B. 1848 D.1906

The major theme of Vama’s work is female portraiture, illustrated in the examples shown. The majority of these women are Indian, but are not always depicted in traditional Indian attire or environments. Often they are portrayed as wealthy European or English women through their poses and the activities they are depicted as being involved in, e.g. a woman sitting on a sofa fixing her hair. Also the the colours used in Vama’s paintings are reminiscent of traditional European artworks, e.g. glowing muted hues.

RAVI VARMA

Most noticeably these paintings lack the influence of traditional Indian folk art, e.g. symbols of mythology and religion. Instead they capture the traditions of the Western world, e.g. women as the passive homebody, as opposed Indian art where woman would be used in artwork to symbolise fertility, etc.

99

• GHDF

S.H.RAZA

KALIYAN - OIL PAINTING

FERTILITY - OIL PAINTING

CONVERSATION - OIL PAINTING

Raza integrates signs and symbolsof Indian mythology, for examplethe significance of certain colourslike red, black and yellow andseeks to capture the essence ofIndia. His themes also explore thetraditions of Hindu philosophiesand the traditional artworks used torepresent these.

EXAMPLES OF OIL PAINTINGS BY RAZA

‘Fertility,’ an oil painting by Raza, is a strong, abstract image. It concentrates on solid geometrical shapes and colours which include black, green, blue and white. As with traditional Indian paintings this artwork incorporates a painted frame, which becomes the art also. The center of the painting is clearly defined and all the lines in the painting emerge from this point. Considering the title ‘Fertility,’ the solid spine could represent a starting point of life from which all other life emerges.

JESUS - OIL PAINTING

WOMAN - OIL PAINTINGSEATED WOMAN -

OIL PAINTING

JAMINI ROY

SWAANAYANESHA - OIL PAINTING

JAMINI ROY

The art of Roy is inspired by both traditional Indian folk and village arts & Western methods of painting. These examples illustrate this appropriately, e.g. many of his themes are around Jesus who is a Christian icon in Western society, however Roy applies aspects of traditional Indian arts, e.g ‘Christ’ where he has incorporated a mosaic texture and Indian symbols.

EXAMPLES OF ROYS PAINTINGS

‘Swaana Yanesha’ typifies Jamini Roys painting style. It is again a combination of Western and Eastern ideas. The subject matter depicts a traditional Indian god & the colours used are also reminiscent of those used in traditional Indian painting. However the style Roy has selected to portray this theme in is styalised and abstract in nature, typical of modern, Western paintings.

CHRIST - OIL PAINTING

B. 1887 D.1972

LOTUS SELLERS - OIL PAINTING

VILLAGE GIRLS - OIL PAINTING

N.S.BENDRE

EXAMPLES OF

BENDRES OIL

PAINTINGS

Bendre is an artist who is a pioneer of Indian modern art. His painting style is influenced by Cubism, Expressionism and Abstraction and various other trends in mainstream European Modernism. However the themes of his paintings explore everyday situations of Indian life.

B.1910 D.1992

‘Lotus sellers’ is a classic example of Bendres technique. In this painting three women sit dressed in traditional Indian clothing selling lotus flowers (national flower of India). This scene is typical of the streets of India, where traders sit along the streets edge selling their goods. The colours in this painting are highly representative of India also and mimic the colours used in traditional Indian paintings. Interestingly though this artwork is painted in a technique developed in Europe, namely Expressionism, where colours are used to express emotions.

RESOURSESBOOKS• CULTURES OF THE WORLD - Edited by Melvin Ember and Carol R Ember. MacMillian

Compendium. Published by MacMillian Library Reference 1996.

• ETHNIC DRESS - Written by Frances Kennet & Caroline MacDonald Haig. Published by Reed International Books Limited 1995)

• IMAGES OF INDIA - Written by Sophie Baker, Introduced by Dervla Murphy. Published by the Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited 1989.

• INDIA LIBRARY OF NATIONS - Published by Time-Life Books B.V all rights reserved 1986.

• ASIAN ART - An Illustrated History of sculpture, painting and architecture.

• THE ART OF INDIAN ASIA (VOL 1&2) - Written by Joseph Campbell. Published by Princeton Uni Press 1955.

• India - Art and Culture 1300-1900- Written by Stuart Cary Welch. Published by Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

• The flame and the lotus - Written by Martin Lerner. Published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers.

INTERNET• MODERN INDIAN ART, Contemporary paintings/sculptures -

http://theory.tifr.res.in/bombay/leasure/art/index.html.• ARTISTS ARTS & CULTURE, Indian Artists - http://dir.123india.com• ART IN INDIA - http://www.artindiamag.com/index.html• ARCHIVE OF PROFILES, INDIAN ART CIRCLE - http://www.indianartcircle.com

ART RESPONSE1.

Research five different Indian gods and collect visual references. Look at the waythe Indian artists combine different forms together, e.g. animals with people.Referring to these, invent your own "God." That is, a merger of different things youbelieve in, e.g. your favorite animal combined with your favorite movie star, sitting onyour favorite armchair. Paste your references in your journal and after completing aseries of sketches, complete a finished drawing in gray-lead pencil on A3 paper.

EXAMPLES OF INDIAN GODS

DIPICTED IN INDIAN ART

GANESH GAYATRISHIVA

2.

Research and collect examples of traditional Indian sculptures. Using these, the references found for the previous task and your final drawing for task one, create a three dimensional sculpture. As in task one, this sculpture will depict a ‘god’ you have invented. Place the reference material for the sculpture in your journal and complete relevant sketches in you journal also. The finished sculpture is to be completed in clay and stand between 20-30cm high.

EXAMPLES OF TRADITIONAL INDIAN SCULPTURE

3.

Research and collect 5-10 different portraits of Indian people (photographs and/orpaintings). Look at the markings they have on their faces and bodies, e.g. bindies,jewelry and tattoos. Look at different ways they dress, e.g. turbans and saris. Pastethese references into your journal. Using these to help you, draw a self-portrait of whatyou would look like adorned as an Indian. Leave your facial structure as it is, but addaccessories to it. You will need to complete several sketches of your self-portraitshowing different Ideas about what you will add to and around your face. The finishedpiece can be sketched out in pencil, but is to be rendered with coloured pastel on an A3sheet of paper.

EXAMPLES OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND

PAINTINGS SHOWING INDIAN DRESS AND DECORATION

4.

• Research and retain an example of both an Indian and an Australian traditional landscape.

For each example:

• Give the title, artist, medium (materials), date the work was produced and state which country it was produced in.

• Write 200 words describing the subject matter (what you can see), any influences you can determine, the style it is painted in (I.e. realistic, abstract), state if the painting is religious, mythical, symbolic, narrative.

At the end of these two descriptions...

• Write one paragraph of approximately 100 words stating the overall differences between the two landscapes. Compare the differences between what each artist has concentrated on, the differences between the painting styles of the artists, the differences between the types of perspectives used, etc..

5.

• Find at least 5 examples of portraits portrayed in Indian paintings that are painted in a traditional technique an paste these into your journal.

•Find a photograph from a magazine of a person you would like to draw and paste this into your journal.

•Looking carefully at the traditional Indian portraits and apply this technique to your photograph. Some things you might add could be patterns, black outlines, brighter colours, etc.

•You can sketch this artwork out in pencil on A2 paper, but it must be finished as a coloured painting.