Information about Rajput Paintings in Rajasthan
In the 16th and 17th centuries, there was an extraordinary flowering of artistic expression at the courts of Rajasthan. An intense revival of Hindu devotionals brought about a vital link between poetry and drama, and painting, creating vivid pictorial narratives which were inspired by the literature and the dramas of the time. Rajasthan, or "Rajputana", included 20 feudal states in the heart of northern India. In a small tract that was 800 km (500 miles) long and 700 km (450 miles) wide, seven states contributed significantly to the impassioned fervour of court painting: Mewar, Bundi, Kota, Marwar, Bikaner, Jaipur and Kishangarh. Each of these courts produced a distinctive idiom, influenced of course by the royal patrons who commissioned these paintings, but also by the environment: by the undulating countryside, by the hills and shrubs, the deserts and forts and gardens in which this art form was nurtured. Forest paper: Paper was introduced into India i...