What is the most distinctive feature of the Kangra style’s depiction of the female face?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Straight nose in line with the forehead
Option (1) Prominent chin and wide open eyes — Incorrect. Figures with a prominent chin and wide open eyes mark the Kullu style, not Kangra.
Option (2) Lotus petal shaped eyes and drooping eyelids — Incorrect. Lotus petal shaped eyes with drooping eyelids form the facial type of the Kishangarh School of Rajasthan.
Option (3) Receding forehead and sharp nose — Incorrect. Receding foreheads and sharp noses belong to the Bundi standard of feminine beauty.
Option (4) Straight nose in line with the forehead — Correct. Kangra draws the female face this way, and it is the most distinctive feature of the style.
NCERT (2026-27): “Kangra School …The Kangra style is by far the most poetic and lyrical of Indian styles marked with serene beauty and delicacy of execution. Characteristic features of the Kangra style are delicacy of line, brilliance of colour and minuteness of decorative details. Distinctive is the delineation of the female face, with straight nose in line with the forehead, which came in vogue around the 1790s is the most distinctive feature of this style.” |