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II. Pahari miniature painting: style and aesthetics Pahari paintings represent a synthesis of classical Indian elements and the innovative trends introduced by the Mughals. It displays an unparalleled charm, which depends equally on the subjects and the modes of expression. Pahari paintings excel in the female figures, which were generally conceived as the embodiments of youth, beauty and emotive sentiment. Several physical types have been evolved in the course of the 17th and 18th centuries. The most characteristic and most favoured type of the Kangra style of the late 18th century, nevertheless, sets the trend for practically all other styles of the same period and thereafter. This ideal physical type is slender and elegant, radiating infinite charm, sensitiveness and refinement. Their delicate and fluid movements of irresistible grace, are further enhanced by the flowing lines of their drapery. The figures almost invariably appear in profile which highlights the fine facial features and the character, and yet all are deliberately depicted in a simplified and abstract way rather than in realistic details. Feelings are revealed not by the facial expressions, but by gestures, by articulation and the stance of body and limbs. Epic and romantic events unfold themselves with vitality, with chivalrous joy and mystic rapture dear to a Rajput's heart, against the background of nature, which is presented in a most sympathetic and romantic way, or against the setting of a fairy-tale palace of the Rajput court or a simple village yard. The colour-scheme, that was bright, vivid and contrasting in the early phase, became toned down in the style of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, to become soft, cool but brilliant and cheerful. This dominant type of colouring shows a perfect sense of tonality and a frank brilliance in its flatness and smoothness, applied not to create volume or shade, but to brighten the areas explicitly defined by clear outlines. At the zenith of its refinement, Pahari painting presents a pure melody of flowing lines and glowing colours, breathing out a sense of space, tranquillity and poetic sentiment. Even the unfinished pictures and sketches reveal their own charms, in the free-hand movement of sensitive and spontaneous lines. Thin and swiftly applied dabs of faint colours, added here and there to guide the final composition, frequently enliven the unfinished pictures and give them an extraordinary opaque tint and a dream-like quality. Delicately drawn figures of heroes and heroines form the focus and pivot of the pictures. Their variant moods are expressed by the turn of their head, the stance of their limbs and the gestures of their sensitive hands. Besides, both animated and unanimated components of the entire surroundings are designed to reflect, or even emphasise, their moods and circumstances. Nature, in particular, has a profound effect on man, and this perpetual relationship is constantly underlined. Seasonal changes, flowering or desolate landscapes ( 8, 9), gathering clouds ( 6, 13), rain, storm, flashing and lightning ( 10, 12), a dark wood glittering with fire-flies (14), a tree or trees entwined with creepers (2), birds gathering twigs (8), a pair of doves (11), a flight of cranes (10), a perching papiha bird ( 14), a lone peacock (13), or loving pairs of them (14), all belong to the traditional Indian language of symbol, rendered in visual forms through these seemingly decorative details. The same applies to man-made surroundings and their unanimated accessories. A particular type of robe (4), the application of jewellery (4, 5, 7), a reflecting mirror (4), a single cup of wine or two, a tray of fresh fruits (4), a withered or freshly made garland (6), flasks of perfume and cosmetics ( 5, 7), an open or closed door or shutter of a building (12, 14), a prepared bed (6), a smouldering brazier (15), all tell their story and intensify the moods of the main characters and the emotional atmosphere of the entire scene. The figures and their surroundings are thus one, united and complimentary to one another in their sentiments and in their aesthetic revelation. | |
