4. History of Indian Arts

• ✓ (a) visual arts
• (b) performing arts
• (c) folk arts
• (d) classical arts

Answer: The arts of painting and sculpting are visual arts.

• ✓ (a) Kushana period
• (b) Gupta period
• (c) Rashtrakuta period
• (d) Maurya period

Answer: The Kushana period saw the rise of Mathura school.

Wrong pair: (3) Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Railway Terminus — Delhi

• It is a natural human instinct to want to share experiences, wisdom, and emotions. When that instinct results in a beautiful creation, it is acknowledged as 'Art'.
• The artist's power of imagination, sensibility, state of emotion, and skills are the crucial factors at the root of artistic creation.
• Artistic creations are of two types: 'Visual Arts' (Drik Kala) like painting and sculpting, and 'Performing Arts' (Lalit or Aangik Kala) like dance and music.
• Art is also categorized into 'Folk Art' (a spontaneous, natural expression of daily life) and 'Classical Art' (expressed within an established frame of consistent rules requiring prolonged training).

• Temples in Maharashtra built in the 12th-13th centuries are known as Hemadpanti temples.
• A significant characteristic of the Hemadpanti temple is its masonry. The walls are built without using any mortar; instead, stones are locked together using the technique of tenon and mortise joints.
• The outer walls of these temples are built in a star shape with a zigzag design, which creates an interesting effect of alternating light and shadow.
• The Ambreshwar temple at Ambarnath near Mumbai, Gondeshwar temple at Sinnar near Nashik, and Aundha Nagnath temple in the Hingoli district are a few fine examples of the Hemadpanti style.

• The Maratha style of painting is an example of an art style that began to develop in the latter half of the 17th century C.E.
• This style consists of coloured paintings that occur as murals and also as miniatures used in manuscripts.
• Murals of the Maratha style can be seen in old wadas at places like Wai, Menavali, and Satara in Maharashtra.
• The Maratha style was heavily influenced by the Rajput and European styles of painting. These paintings help us understand the lifestyle, attires, and customs of the time in which they were developed.

• The art market is an independent professional field where paintings, sculptures, and various antiquities are bought and sold.
• Assessing the exact monetary value of an art object requires immense knowledge of the era, style, and creator.
• Furthermore, special expertise is needed to ensure that an art piece is genuine and not a forgery.
• Because these evaluations rely heavily on recognizing styles, historical periods, and materials used, an expert with a deep understanding of art history is essential in the art market.

• The tradition of narrating stories from the Ramayana or Mahabharata with the help of wooden puppets and paintings is known as Chitrakathi or the Pinguli tradition.
• This tradition has deep historical roots, being mentioned in 12th-century texts like 'Manasollas' written by the Chalukya king Someshvara.
• The paintings are drawn on paper using colours made from natural substances, requiring 30-50 pictures to complete a single story, which are carefully handed down through generations.
• It represents a unique and rich part of India's cultural heritage. Since it is currently on the verge of extinction, it is necessary to preserve traditions like Chitrakathi to keep our ancient folk arts alive for future generations.

The tradition of folk styles of painting is ancient and closely resembles early rock paintings. Its features include:

• Origins: Rock paintings dating to stone ages have been discovered globally, including in Madhya Pradesh (like the Bhimbetka caves), Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Karnataka. These form the roots of folk painting styles.
• Themes and Colours: They usually depict human, animal, and geometric figures. Ancient paintings used black, red, and white colours made from natural substances. As human cultures transitioned from the stone age to agriculture, the style of portraying flora and fauna changed.
• Everyday Customs: Folk painting styles developed from customs such as decorating house walls and courtyards (Rangawali) by drawing various figures, or using panels of paintings to narrate stories.
• Notable Examples: The Warli painting and the Pingul or Chitrakathi traditions in Maharashtra are among the finest examples of folk style paintings. Artist Jivya Somya Mashe played a great role in making Warli style popular globally.

During the medieval period, under the patronage of Muslim sultanates, a new style of architecture emerged. Its features are:

• Blending of Styles: Persian, Central Asian, Arabic, and pre-Islamic native Indian architectural styles were blended together, creating the beautiful Islamic architecture of India.
• Kutub Minar: Located at Mehrauli near Delhi, it was started by Kutubuddin Aibak (12th century C.E.) and completed under Phiroz Tughluq. It is the highest minaret in the world at 73 meters (240 ft) and is a World Heritage Site.
• Taj Mahal: Built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Agra in memory of his queen Mumtaj Mahal. It is considered the paramount example of the beauty of Islamic architecture in India and is also a World Heritage Site.
• Gol Gumbaz: Built at Bijapur in Karnatak in the 17th century C.E., it houses the burial of Mohammed Adil Shah. It features a massive dome with a unique round whispering gallery where even a slight whisper can be heard everywhere.

Art history is an independent branch of knowledge, and arts (both classical and applied) offer numerous professional opportunities:

• Research and Journalism: Art historians can engage in dedicated historical research or work in the field of art journalism.
• Art Market: Experts are required to assess the exact value of an art object and to ensure it is genuine before it is bought or sold.
• Heritage Management and Cultural Tourism: Professionals can find opportunities in Museums and Archives Management, Library Science, Information Technology, Archaeological Research, and Indology.
• Applied Arts: Artistic creations combined with utility offer vast opportunities. These include Industry and Advertisement, Interior Design, Art Design of stage Backdrops (Nepathya), Art Direction for Films and Television, layout creation for books/magazines, and calligraphy.
• Design and Production: Opportunities exist in architecture, photography, computer graphics/animation, jewellery design, and creating artistic objects from metal, earthen pots, bamboo, and textiles.

Based on the Warli painting illustration provided in the textbook:

• (a) Depiction of nature: Nature is depicted using simple, geometric shapes. Trees, plants, the sun, birds, and animals are drawn with basic lines and forms that represent the natural surroundings.
• (b) Drawings of human figures: Human figures are stylized and drawn using two triangles joined at the tip representing the upper and lower body. The arms and legs are drawn as simple, dynamic stick-like lines, often shown holding hands in a circular dance.
• (c) Depiction of occupations: The painting captures the daily life of the community. Figures are seen engaged in occupations such as farming, hunting, carrying loads, and performing domestic chores.
• (d) Houses: The houses are depicted as simple square or rectangular structures with slanting roofs, representing the traditional huts made from natural materials like mud and thatch.