Miniature Painting - Stunning Art Supplies & Tips

Small Views of the Big World

India has a long and glorious heritage of illustrating palm-leaf manuscripts. The illustrators adopted the Persian miniature style and enriched their own artistic vision. Today, miniature art flourishes in cities like Jaipur, Kishangarh, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Bundi and Udaipur.

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The Making

This is a distinct art form with its own unique character, distinguishing it from the other art of the Mughal era. The artists paint on layered handmade paper called wasli. They sketch the outline in black or brown, followed by careful colouring. The tiny motifs are painted using fine-tip brushes made from camel or squirrel hair. The colours are extracted from peepal fruit, palash flowers and leaves, as well as gold and silver. The paintings are burnished with agate for its sheen.

The Legacy

In 1555, Mughal king Humayun introduced the art form in India. He learnt of the art when he was in exile in Persia, and brought back miniaturists along with him when he returned. Intercultural exchanges with Rajput rulers brought about another evolution. Maharaja Jai Singh II encouraged beautiful paintings of Radha and Krishna. The painters used the picturesque Rani Sisodia Garden in Jaipur as a backdrop for their paintings. This marked the start of the Jaipur gharana, or Jaipur School of miniature art.

Memory Vault

Some aspects of the 18th century masterpiece, Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana, have been depicted through miniature paintings. Contemporary coffee-table books showcase these and give it a populist spin. It expands work on miniature paintings from mythological and divine tales to narratives of intimacy.

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