Early Kota painting borrowed much from Bundi painting. Even so, in which of the following did Kota painters show an attitude of non-conformity?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Figural and architectural exaggerations
Option (1) Figural and architectural exaggerations — Correct. Early Kota painters borrowed from the Bundi repertoire. Yet an attitude of non-conformity shows in their figural and architectural exaggerations.
Option (2) A love for bright and vivid colours — Incorrect. This is a Deccani taste that Bundi paintings took in during the eighteenth century. It is not named as Kota’s break from Bundi.
Option (3) The depiction of lush vegetation and water bodies — Incorrect. A keen interest in lush vegetation and water bodies is a feature of both Bundi and Kota. So it does not set Kota apart.
Option (4) The drawing of elephants and equestrian portraits — Incorrect. The drawing of elephants is unsurpassed in both Bundi and Kota, and the two share fine equestrian portraits. These are common ground, not non-conformity.
NCERT (2026-27): “Kota School of Painting …After its separation from Bundi, Kota had its own school, commencing around 1660s in the reign of Jagat Singh (1658–1683). In the early period, the paintings of Bundi and Kota cannot be distinguished for several decades as Kota painters borrowed from the Bundi repertoire. Some compositions were taken verbatim from Bundi pictures. However, there is an attitude of non–conformity apparent in figural and architectural exaggerations. With Kota flair for drawing superseding in the following decades, Kota style of painting becomes strikingly individual.” “Bundi School of Painting …A distinct feature of Bundi and Kota School is a keen interest in the depiction of lush vegetation; picturesque landscape with varied flora, wildlife and birds; hills and thick jungles; and water bodies. It also has a series of fine equestrian portraits. The drawing of elephants is, particularly, unsurpassed in both Bundi and Kota.…” |