Each era is unique in its special culture. In the same way, the art of India has constantly changed over the centuries. Art forms such as painting, architecture and sculpture have developed in this country.
The formation of art in the country of India
The art of India originates from prehistoric cave paintings. In general, the elements of Indian culture are a pure reflection of the mental attitudes of this country, which makes them more introspective. One of them is the idea of yoga about the importance of detachment from all distracting external influences and fleeting emotions. Therefore, the surrounding reality plays a secondary role in the country of India. The art of India is distinguished by the fact that the main attention in iconography is paid to the religious and metaphysical, even when elements of modern life are borrowed from ornaments, costumes, etc.
Features of the image of the world
The issue of the environment should be considered in the context of the aesthetics of this country, which does not accept superficial naturalism, realism or illusions. What really matters is the creation of truth, which involves perfect proportions. The art of medieval India is very simple, because nature itself was created complex and reasonable, and only thanks to signs and symbols it became possible to express it. That is why symbols play a decisive role here. Simplicity from this point of view does not bear any derogatory meaning, which could be observed in decadent art. It comes down to the development of a number of techniques for expressing the true meaning of objects or objects that the artist and sculptor captured.
The ways of depicting the surrounding reality in art always to a greater or lesser extent reflect the modern views of a particular era. Here we are not talking about the prospect, but the methods and means used to convey ideas to viewers who differed at different periods of time, from an aesthetic point of view, did not have any advantages over others in the country of India. Indian art is often very symbolic, especially in terms of conveying the nature of things.
Art of the 2nd century BC. - III in AD
In ancient art, in the period of II century. BC. - III in AD, you can find a certain emphasis on the social environment. Such artists as, for example, Amaravati, tried to object to reality. In their searches through symbols, they sought to present not only episodes from the life of the Buddha, but also, for example, the worship of Yaksha and trees, which was very common among the people at that time. But not all the art of ancient India was devoted to aspects of everyday life. Artists always strive to emphasize that external natural phenomena can cause only limited feelings. Nature, in their opinion, is rich in deep symbolic meanings. The art of ancient India is rich in traces of cosmology, which cannot be understood without reference to ancient Indian literature. Such features can be found up to the VI century in the murals of Ajanta and Bagh.
Indian culture VI - X centuries.
With the beginning of the Gupta era, new elements began to appear. Artists lost interest in man, but began to show it to the gods and their habitat. And even with such a shift in emphasis, they still paid attention to everyday life, although to a lesser extent. The image of nature has become more stereotyped. In the Vishnu-dharmottara-purana written during this period, you can find a special section on painting, which talks about how conventions should be observed. In the following centuries in art, we can observe mainly only topics dedicated to the gods, and very little - current at that time of life.
Art X - XIV centuries.
After the 10th century, in Indian painting, as well as in Buddhist manuscripts, very few elements of nature and modern life can be found. Ignoring the environment, the artists concentrated solely on Buddhist gods, goddesses and Mandalas. Since they had limited space at their disposal, the painters were content with the image of gods and goddesses. This fills the manuscripts that they illustrated with magical power, making them the object of worship of admirers in the country of India. The art of India is very original. The only external influences that the artists reckoned with were the beliefs of Tantric Buddhism. They were not concerned about either nature or the social conditions of that period.
Art of India XIV - XVI centuries.
By the end of the 14th century, artists had become a little more interested in the topics of surrounding social life. In their works, one can notice the manifestation of Muslim stereotypes in the image of all the foreigners who figured in them. This suggests that they had certain opinions about the Turks, who at that time controlled the northern and western parts of India. In their works, landscapes were depicted as a separate part of the composition, and not just as a background to specific scenes.
The visual arts of India provide a much more visual representation of people's lives than any other literary sources of that time. In the 16th century, this interest still persisted. Here for the first time appear, for example, images of specific residents of the countryside, farmers and shepherds, as well as women involved in daily household life. Nature has also become much more widely represented; full-scale illustrations of forests and wildlife have appeared. The art of India began to be filled with new meanings.