Indian & South Asian Paintings

India and South Asia boast complex and illustrious traditions of painting. These works are as visually diverse and rich as the cultures they encompass. India’s painting tradition has been traced back more than 30,000 years to cave murals and continues through the end of the Medieval period (8th-10th century B.C.). During this period, miniature paintings on palm leaves are prominent and often feature Buddhist and Hindu iconography.

India’s painting tradition further evolved with the institution of colonial British rule during the 19th century. Cultural cross-pollination occurred as fewer Indian aristocrats could afford native artist commissions and the British Empire established schools in major cities. This developed a new style of Indian art paintings known as “Company” school, named in reference to the British East India Company. Company school paintings often feature native people in their traditional garb depicted in a romanticized manner characteristic of European painting in this era.

Quick Facts

• The British Raj of the 19th century fused indigenous Indian and European sensibilities. Contemporary painters such as Atul Dodiya and Subodh Gupta continue the exploration of Indian identity among increasing cultural interchange
• Neolithic cave paintings from the Vindhya mountain range offer scenes of humans living alongside animals and hunting using crude stone implements
• Indian cave murals were typically rendered using a powdered mineral known as geru, a type of iron oxide