Art, Folk Art and Classical Art
Grandmother draws rangoli, a neighbour uncle sings and a teacher sketches a fine picture. Each one puts something from the heart in a beautiful form; that is art.
When the natural urge to share experience, wisdom and emotion results in a beautiful creation, it is called art. The artist’s imagination, sensibility, emotional state and skill are its root factors.
Key idea 1 : Visual and performing arts — Artistic creation is of two kinds. First is visual arts, like painting and sculpture; second is performing arts (lalit or aangik kala), like music, dance and drama. Prehistoric rock art has been found at many places in the world; it shows that visual arts are as old as the Stone Age.
Key idea 2 : Folk art and classical art — Folk art is a tradition continuing from prehistoric times. As it is a natural part of people’s living, it is spontaneous and created through participation of members of a group. Classical art is expressed within an established frame of rules and mastering it needs long training.
Key idea 3 : Style in art — An artist’s own method of working is his style. If many artists use one style for a long time it becomes a tradition and settles as an ‘art style’. A style marks a period and region and helps study art history. E.g. the Maratha style of painting began to develop in the later half of the 17th century; it is seen in murals of old wadas at Wai, Menavali and Satara and it was influenced by Rajput and European styles.
- Easy : A cave drawing by prehistoric man — which kind? — Visual art.
- Medium : A festival dance done by the whole village? — Folk art.
- Exam-type : Classical singing learnt over years? — Classical art.
In the figure: Art is divided in two kinds and two traditions.
Folk = people’s participation; classical = rules and training.
Folk art is not lesser art; its tradition goes back to prehistoric times.
Memory clue: Visual + performing; folk + classical. Memory clue: "See, perform; people, rules".
Spot the difference
| Point | Folk art | Classical art |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Spontaneous | Rule-bound |
| Creation | By group participation | By trained artists |
| Learning | Through living | Long training |
Practice questions
- 1What is art?
- 2State two kinds each of visual and performing arts.
- 3Why is folk art spontaneous?
- 4What is needed for classical art?
- 5What is an art style?
- 6Write the features and places of the Maratha style.
- 7Why is style useful in studying art history?
- 8Compare one folk art and one classical art of your area with examples.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Sharing experience, wisdom and emotion through a beautiful creation.
- 2Visual: painting, sculpture; performing: music, dance.
- 3It is a natural part of people’s living.
- 4A frame of fixed rules and long training.
- 5A method adopted by many artists over a long period.
- 6Coloured murals; Wai, Menavali, Satara; Rajput-European influence.
- 7Because style shows period, region and way of life.
- 8The student takes local examples.
Visual Arts: Painting
Seeing Warli pictures drawn on a house wall or old paintings on the wall of a historic wada tells how people of that time lived and what they wore.
Paintings are two-dimensional: sketches and coloured pictures on surfaces like rock, walls, paper, canvas or earthen pots. The mural of Bodhisattva Padmapani in the Ajanta caves is counted among the finest examples of painting.
Key idea 1 : Folk painting styles — Stone Age rock paintings are found in many countries. In India rock painting sites are in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; Bhimbetka paintings are famous and it is a World Heritage site. They use black, red and white colours made from natural substances and show humans, animals and geometric figures. Decorating house walls and courtyards with rangoli and telling stories with panels of pictures developed regional folk styles; Warli and Pingul/Chitrakathi of Maharashtra are fine examples.
Key idea 2 : Classical styles and miniatures — Ancient texts mention 64 arts and call painting ‘alekhyam’. It has six aspects (shadanga): roopbheda, pramana, bhava, lavanyayojana, sadrushyata, varnikabhang. Early manuscript miniatures show Persian influence; the Deccan miniature style grew under patronage of the Deccan Sultanates, and in Akbar’s time the Mughal miniature style grew from a blend of Indian and Persian styles.
Key idea 3 : Western style and art education — In the British period Indian artists came under European influence; exact portrayal of the object is the mark of this style. The Scottish artist James Wales ran an art school at Shaniwar Wada, Pune, in the time of Savai Madhavrao Peshwa; Gangaram Tambat, a Marathi artist, worked with him. The J. J. School of Art and Industry, established in 1857, taught European style; Pestonji Bomanji made replicas of Ajanta paintings.
- Easy : Bhimbetka paintings — which type? — Rock/folk paintings.
- Medium : Padmapani at Ajanta — what? — Classical mural.
- Exam-type : Exact portrayal — mark of which style? — European.
In the figure: Chronology of painting styles.
Jivya Soma Mashe, an artist of Thane district, played a big role in making the Warli style popular; he received the Padma Shri in 2011. The Chitrakathi tradition is mentioned in ‘Manasollas’ by the 12th-century Chalukya king Someshvara; Gangaram Tambat’s drawings of the Verul and Karle caves are preserved at Yale University in the USA. (As per the textbook; check with the book)
Rock → wall → miniature → European.
Miniatures are not just small pictures; they are pictures of specific style used in manuscripts.
Memory clue: Painting = two-dimensional. Memory clue: "Rock, wall, page, canvas".
Spot the difference
| Style | Where / when | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Warli | Maharashtra (Thane district) | Folk style, wall paintings |
| Mughal miniature | Akbar’s time | Indian-Persian blend |
| European | British period | Exact portrayal |
Practice questions
- 1What is painting?
- 2Which colours and figures were in rock paintings?
- 3Write briefly about the Warli style.
- 4What is the Chitrakathi tradition and why should it be preserved?
- 5Which are the six aspects of painting?
- 6How did Deccan and Mughal miniature styles develop?
- 7Explain the link between James Wales and Gangaram Tambat.
- 8Write the importance of J. J. School in your words.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Two-dimensional sketches and coloured pictures.
- 2Black, red, white; humans, animals, geometric figures.
- 3Folk style of Maharashtra; made popular by Jivya Soma Mashe.
- 4Telling Ramayana-Mahabharata stories with pictures; it is vanishing.
- 5Roopbheda, pramana, bhava, lavanyayojana, sadrushyata, varnikabhang.
- 6Under Sultans’ patronage; under Akbar from Indian-Persian blend.
- 7Wales ran art school in Pune; Tambat worked with him.
- 8Teaching of European style and work of Ajanta replicas.
Sculpture and Architecture
We shape a clay Ganesha idol by hand and old temples or forts are made of stone. Idols and buildings are both three-dimensional, so their history can be seen together.
Sculptures are three-dimensional: images, statues, pots and objects with artistic embellishment. They are carved in rock, cast in metal with moulds, or formed in clay by hand or with moulds.
Key idea 1 : Sculpture: folk and classical — Making clay images has continued from Harappan times till today; Ganesha idols, Gauri masks, bulls of Bailpola and veergals are examples of folk sculpture. Harappan seals and stone and bronze statues show a tradition more than 5000 years old. In the Mauryan period the tradition of large sculptures began with Ashokan pillars; the lion capital of the Sarnath pillar is India’s national emblem. Gandhara style (2nd century BCE; Greek-Persian influence) and Mathura style of Kushana period; Mathura laid the base of Indian iconography; in Gupta period rules of iconography were fixed; under Chola patronage (9th to 13th century) bronzes like Nataraja and Shiva-Parvati were made.
Key idea 2 : Caves and temple architecture — The tradition of rock-cut caves began in India in the 3rd century BCE; a cave is a union of architecture and sculpture. The Kailasa temple at Verul is a unique monolithic sculpture carved out of one rock. The stupas of Sanchi and Bharhut and the Borobudur stupa in Indonesia (8th-9th century) show Buddhist tradition. Temple architecture began in the 4th century in the Gupta period and reached its peak by the 8th century. Styles are known by the tower (shikhara): Nagara of the north, Dravida of the south, and Vesara a blend of both; Bhoomija of Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra resembles Nagara.
Key idea 3 : Hemadpanti, Islamic and Indo-Gothic — Temples of the 12th-13th century in Maharashtra are called Hemadpanti; outer walls are star-shaped and stones are joined without mortar by tenon-and-mortise. E.g. Ambreshwar at Ambarnath, Gondeshwar at Sinnar, Aundha Nagnath in Hingoli. In the medieval period Persian, Central Asian, Arabic and Indian styles mixed to make Indian Islamic architecture: Qutub Minar near Delhi, Taj Mahal of Agra, Gol Gumbaz of Bijapur in Karnataka. In the British period Indo-Gothic style came: churches, offices, railway stations; Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai is its finest example.
- Easy : Temple carved out of one rock? — Kailasa, Verul.
- Medium : How to tell by shikhara? — Nagara, Dravida, Vesara.
- Exam-type : Star-shaped walls, no mortar? — Hemadpanti.
In the figure: Types of temple styles.
Ajanta and Ellora caves became World Heritage in 1983; Borobudur stupa in 1991; Qutub Minar is 73 metres high and its construction began under Qutbuddin Aibak and was completed under Firuz Shah Tughluq. (As per the textbook; check with the book)
Nagara north, Dravida south, Vesara both.
Sanchi stupa is of Ashoka’s time but its sculptures are believed to be later additions.
Memory clue: Three-dimensional = sculpture. Memory clue: "Carve rock, cast metal, shape clay".
Spot the difference
| Style | Feature | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nagara | North Indian tower | Bhoomija is similar |
| Dravida | Gopura of south | South India |
| Hemadpanti | Star-shaped, no mortar | Gondeshwar, Sinnar |
Practice questions
- 1What is sculpture?
- 2Give examples of folk sculpture tradition.
- 3State the importance of Mathura style.
- 4How is a cave a union of architecture and sculpture?
- 5State differences between Nagara, Dravida and Vesara styles.
- 6Write the features of a Hemadpanti temple.
- 7Write features of Indian Islamic architecture with examples.
- 8Write examples of Indo-Gothic style and why it came up.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Three-dimensional images, statues, pots etc.
- 2Ganesha idols, Gauri masks, Bailpola bulls, veergals.
- 3Mathura laid the base of Indian iconography.
- 4Sculpture in entrance, pillars, images; architecture in structure.
- 5Nagara northern, Dravida southern with gopura, Vesara blend.
- 6Star-shaped walls, stones locked without mortar, light-shadow effect.
- 7Blend of styles; Qutub Minar, Taj Mahal, Gol Gumbaz.
- 8CSMT, churches; British building needs.
Performing Arts, Applied Art and Careers
At weddings we watch lavani, kirtan or jagar-gondhal; and someone designs the invitation card and the decorations. So art is performed and also put to use.
Song, instruments, dance and drama are performing arts. Art made with a purpose of utility is applied art.
Key idea 1 : Folk and classical performing arts — Folk songs, instruments, dances and theatre mark each region; in Maharashtra examples are Koli dance, Tarapa dance, Dashavatar of Konkan, Powada, Keertan, Jagar-Gondhal, which grew as part of festivals and social life. In classical arts Bharatmuni’s Natyashastra is believed to be the earliest text on music and theatre. Nine rasas: shringar, hasya, beebhatsa, raudra, karuna, veer, bhayanak, adbhut, shant. Two branches of Indian classical music: Hindustani and Carnatic; dances: Kathak, Lavani, Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Mohiniattam.
Key idea 2 : Festivals and experiments — After independence festivals of music and dance are organised to take art to common people; the Savai Gandharva festival of Pune is famous. Lately fusion experiments cross limits of a traditional style; Pt. Uday Shankar made a new style by blending Indian classical dance with European opera and including folk dances. So the scope of performing arts keeps growing.
Key idea 3 : Applied art and opportunities — Applied art: advertising, interior design, stage design, art direction for film and television, book layout, calligraphy, greeting and invitation cards, architecture, photography, computer graphics, artistic objects of metal, clay, bamboo, glass and textile. Trained people and planning are needed; the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad is world renowned (online course since 2015). Art historians can work in journalism; the art market needs experts to judge value and authenticity; fields are heritage management, cultural tourism, museums and archives, library science, archaeological research, Indology.
- Easy : Designing a wedding card — what? — Applied art.
- Medium : Powada — which type? — Folk performing art.
- Exam-type : Checking authenticity of an art object — whose job? — Art history expert.
In the figure: Opportunities linked to art.
Perform + use = career.
Studying art is not only becoming an artist; there are many options like design, journalism, museums.
Memory clue: Nine rasas. Memory clue: recite them in this order as one line.
Spot the difference
| Type | Examples | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Folk performing | Powada, keertan, dashavatar | Festival and social life |
| Classical performing | Kathak, Bharatanatyam | Formal presentation |
| Applied art | Advertising, graphics | Utility and income |
Practice questions
- 1Give examples of folk performing arts in Maharashtra.
- 2Who wrote the Natyashastra?
- 3Write the names of the nine rasas.
- 4Which are the two branches of Indian classical music?
- 5What new experiment did Uday Shankar do?
- 6What is applied art? Give two examples.
- 7What professional opportunities exist in the field of arts?
- 8Explain why an expert is needed in the art market.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Koli dance, Tarapa dance, Powada, Keertan, Dashavatar.
- 2Bharatmuni.
- 3Shringar, hasya, beebhatsa, raudra, karuna, veer, bhayanak, adbhut, shant.
- 4Hindustani and Carnatic.
- 5Blend of Indian classical dance and European opera.
- 6Art with utility purpose; advertising, graphics.
- 7Journalism, art market, heritage management, museum, design.
- 8Because deep knowledge of art history is needed to judge value and authenticity.