My way of understanding
“Pahari" miniature painting
by Prabal Pramanik
Many years ago, in 1964, when I first visited the miniature art gallery at British Museum
in U.K. I had my first impression of “Pahari” or “hill” painting on
miniature format. My mother took me there many times and explained the paintings to me.
My mother, a scholar of classical Indian literature and aesthetics was a very competent
person to explain the nuances of the miniature paintings done in hill area of north
western India in 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
One aspect of this art that is termed “Pahari” meaning “hill” is
clear.
No “Pahari” school of art originated in “Pahar” or hills. This art was
practiced by artists and the families of artists who had for had migrated from other areas
to the hilly region of north western India seeking patronage of the feudal chiefs and
princes.
Miniature painting was done in India long before the use of paper came into force.
Paintings were done in small format on “Tad” or tody palm leaves. Such paintings
often accompanied text in the time of Pala and Sen kings of Bengal. “Pata
chitra” and similar work also prevailed indifferent parts of India.
Such paintings on “tad” leaves are still done in a traditional way in Orissa.
Painting was done on “Ganjifa” cards in eastern India and also in southern
India. Perhaps “Ganjifa” cards were produced in other parts of India too as card
playing is a habit that travels along with man.
Rajasthan, traditionally produced miniature paintings long before miniature painters came
to the hill area of north western India. In each area, the artists used locally available
materials mostly to make the colours. In each place, repetitive art-works by the students
of established masters created “Shailis” or schools of art.
Persia has a rich tradition of miniature painting and artists from Persia came to Mughal
courts and worked there in their own way. They introduced their own way of painting
miniatures and influenced the trend of “miniature painting” that was patronized
by the “Mughal” court.
At any time of history, when due to political uncertainty, turmoil or any other reason,
the artists lost the patronage of the feudal rulers, the artists migrated to other
kingdoms or fiefdoms in the hope of new patronization.
We must remember one important point, even if an artist moves from one place to another
place, his style of art does not change. An his style of art is an integral part of his
thoughts, and his style travels with him.
In history, it is common and customary to label any art piece or artifact after the name
of the place from which it was procured. So art pieces made by artists or their family
members at any given place they worked in carrly the name of that place.
Some subtle changes in style and compositions came after generations passed and those
changes are very normal developmental factor brought about by time and environment. The
works of popular famous artists of yore were copied repeatedly, and often passed off as
the original works of those masters.
So later after the gap of many years, it is very difficult if not impossible to
differentiate.
Certain styles are distinct in the handling of colour and composition. I can cite the
example of “Basoli paintings” as an example.
The use of multiple dimension perspective was common in all “Pahari” schools of
art. I call the perspective that is the mixing of visual and isometric perspectives
multiple dimension. The use of this perspective lends this art a unique aspect. The
background of the miniature may have some amount of visual perspective while the
foreground and carpets on which the figures are sitting are depicted in isometric way in
many art works.
The horizons are depicted often in a “curved” manner often in these
“Pahari” miniature art works. I wondered from childhood why this happened.
Many years later when I visited Kangra in 1983, I found the answer to this question that
had intrigued me for so many years. The horizon on the hills looked “curved”.
The hills surrounding the expanse of the valley gave a view of 180 degree or more. Some
times even 360 degree views were possible from certain points.
The artists exposed to the circular or semi-circular horizons in the valley bordered by
hills naturally imbibed this aspect in their paintings.
Figures form the most important part of miniature paintings. Not only human figures, even
animals sometime are main objects of depiction, yet nature, though never or rarely shown
for the sake of landscape painting, is important too.
My mother, Dr. Kalyani Pramanik pointed out to me in British Museum Gallery that there was
a very subtle but intimate relationship expressed in many of these miniature paintings.
She pointed out to me that, the mood of the nature reflected the mood of the people
painted in those paintings.
Early miniature Pahari paintings use flat colours with less gradation, while the later
works have a greater amount of gradation. Even so, there is a flatness in later works too.
In flat compositions colour can be used to create dimensions. Bright opaque colours in
tempera tones, create a balance even in sharply contrasting shades. Mellowing down of
tones by tonal gradation caused by the diluent was all but unknown by those artists.
Any drastic experimentation was avoided presumably in the fear of not being accepted by
the patrons. So all innovations if made would be limited generally to a very limited
sphere.
Yet the art-works seemed charming. The effect, in a set and often rigid distribution of
space was appealing. Those moments, with my mother, at the gallery of British museum are
some of the finest in my life. I treasure those moments in my art-conciousness now and
forever.
Prabal Pramanik ©
The plus and minus points of repetitive
traditional art
by Prabal Pramanik
Traditional Indian art links India to its past and keeps the rich heritage of art alive in
the present time. Traditional art gives India its own identity and every traditional form
is integrated with the history of India. Traditional art occupies the major area in the
cultural scenario of India.
To ensure the continuity of a tradition, or “parampara” in techniques, form and
style, it is necessary for those who are practicing traditional art to learn by copying
from works of past masters.
This sort of repetitive exercise helps the artist to master the needed techniques and to
understand the compositions of yore, but this sort of exercise has serious disadvantages
too. If the artist limits himself or herself to this repetitive process.
These disadvantages of doing only repetitive traditional art has posed problems in the
development of a healthy art world in Chamba and also in other areas where stylized forms
of art with set forms and patterns are followed in a repetitive manner. When evaluating
any piece of art work several factors are taken into consideration. (1) Composition, (2)
Form, (3) Technical expertise, (4) Creative excellence and (5) Emotional depth.
Now, I will analyze the different problems face by repetitive traditional art.
In repetitive traditional art, the composition have been set long ago by certain artists
who with their creative genius created those compositions. Those compositions have been
repeated in copy works by reproduction artists for centuries even. In certain cases just
minor changes have been made on colours altered a bit, but the basic composition is just a
repetition of the original work that was done by some master long ago.
This practice of making copies of traditional art throughout the centuries, though has
helped to carry on many old compositions through out the centuries have seriously retarded
the ability to create their own compositions that can be termed original in the real sense
in the copy making reproduction artist.
Absolute repetition is an emotional bondage in my opinion, and many traditional artists
have been victims of this situation.
For a reproduction artist, the pleasure of the patron, on the money value received for his
work was and still is far more important than any creative pleasure.
The orientation of the pleasure of creating original pieces as expressions of the artists
soul was lacking and is still lacking from the training of a traditional artist doing
repetitive copy work.
From in traditional art is prescribed presentation bound in certain rigidity of
proportion. The rigidity of forms make it easy to present the same stories with same sort
of emotional presentation through out centuries as long as those prescribed forms are
followed.
Even without understanding the “mudras”, (gestures in set form in classical
Indian art) or knowing about their significance many artists have just reproduced them in
the way they saw in art pieces made by their predecessors. Even the proportions of the
forms are set in each stylized traditional art.
In miniature painting in the hills in India we rarely see the picturization of the front
face.
One miniaturist told me in Chamba that in “Pahari” miniature only profile
pictures are made.
Why this constraint? Why can’t an artist learn to use other angles? Why do all the
hands of the women have to be in the same cast? Why the depiction of hands of all the made
figures have to be in the same cast? Why can’t the feet, hands, and
“backside” of the body and semi profiles depict character?
Again we have to search for the answers to these questions in the reaction of the
repetitive process of training in traditional art.
Technical expertise in traditional art has to follow certain set patterns. Yet, with the
same technology, and style a lot of innovative work can be done.
Traditional technical expertise is not an excuse for stagnancy of presentation in
traditional art.
In the world of art, whether “traditional” on “contemporary” creative
excellence is always a vital factor when evaluating art. Originality born out of
individual imaginative power of the artist.
Just by changing some small details or position of figures one can’t create
individuality in copies. Only imaginative powers can lead to creative freedom. Without
creative freedom creative excellence is always restricted.
Traditional art even in repetitive work expresses great depth of emotion, in many grades
of subtlety. Yet, original creative work explores in new channels of emotional depth.
Variation in emotional expression through individual creative freedom is possible even in
the stylization of forms.
Unfortunately, the repetitive training system forces the artist into a mind set that is
apt to use the set way of creating pictures through copy work.
Any form of art, to develop, has to break out of emotional constrictions, and has to be an
image of the individual emotions of the artist, as a form or a style of art, though may
have been carried on traditionally, has a contemporary face too.
Prabal Pramanik ©
The cases of fake and forgery in traditional
miniature paintings when presented as antiques
by Prabal Pramanik
This is an unpleasant subject to write about, but the prevailing situation s forcing me to
write this note in this important web site.
Art is not only an expression of creativity, it is a merchandise too. That means a piece
of art has certain definite value in terms of money. When an art work is an antique piece,
or made by a famous artist, that art work becomes much more valuable in terms of money.
When any artist is working in any traditional method with skill and has good grasp on the
technical aspect of that traditional form, that artist has the expertise to use his skill
for creating fakes, and many times some artists with expertise to reproduce traditional
art have misused their skill in most unscrupulous manner.
Greed for more money has prompted them to produce fakes and forgeries in clever manner. By
the use of old paper or artificially “aged paper” and traditional colours
careful copies of old original masterpieces have been made and passed off as originals.
Even reputed art auction companies in the international art market may have put up
unwittingly fake “antique” pieces as original “antique” art works
several times for sale. Even catalogues for the art auctions published by those reputed
art auction houses may have unwittingly carried pictures of fakes as originals and have
put huge prices on those fakes.
Many unknowing art collectors have been fooled into buying forgeries as original art
works. A lot of work that circulates the market of antique traditional miniature painting
are fakes.
A balance between art and ethics has to be maintained by the artists, as greed for more
money may lead them to the shady world of fake antiques.
Some times, one wonders how many of the art-works displayed in reputed art galleries and
museums as original antiques are real and how many of them are sheer fakes, displayed
knowingly or unknowingly.
Prabal Pramanik ©
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