Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Fine Arts

Chapter

The Deccani Schools of Painting

Question:

According to the time period, arrange Sub Schools of Art in reverse order.

A. Golconda School
B. Guler School
C. Bijapur School
D. Ahmadnagar School
E. Basohli School

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Options:

B, E, A, C, D

B, A, C, E, D

A, B, C, D, E

E, D, C, B, A

Correct Answer:

B, E, A, C, D

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option (1) → B, E, A, C, D

B. Guler School
E. Basohli School
A. Golconda School
C. Bijapur School
D. Ahmadnagar School

The first quarter of the eighteenth century saw a complete transformation in the Basohli style, initiating the Guler–Kangra phase. This phase first appeared in Guler, a high-ranking branch of the Kangra royal family, under the patronage of Raja Govardhan Chand (1744–1773). Guler artist Pandit Seu with his sons Manak and Nainsukh are attributed with changing the course of painting around 1730–40 to a new style, usually, referred to as the pre–Kangra or Guler–Kangra kalam. This style is more refined, subdued and elegant compare    d to the bold vitality of the Basohli style. Though initiated by Manak, also called Manaku, his brother Nainsukh, who became the court painter of Raja Balwant Singh of Jasrota, is responsible for shaping the Guler School emphatically.

The emergence of the Pahari School remains unclear, though scholars have cautiously proposed theories concerning its beginning and influences. It is widely accepted that Mughal and Rajasthani styles of paintings were known in the hills probably through examples of Provincial Mughal style and family relationships of hill Rajas with the royal courts of Rajasthan. However, the flamboyantly bold Basohli-like style is, generally, understood to be the earliest prevailing pictorial language. B. N. Goswamy, one of the most significant scholars of the Pahari Schools of Painting, has attributed the shaping of Pahari style from the simplicity of Basohli to poetic lyricism and refinement of Kangra to the ingenuity of a family of artists through his scholarly approach of family as the basis of style.

Golconda became an independent state in 1512. By the end of the sixteenth century, it was the wealthiest of the Deccan kingdoms. This was largely due to brisk trade from the ports along the east coast, from where iron and cotton goods were shipped to South East Asia. Meanwhile expansive trade continued with Persia, which became a rage in Europe and was greatly valued among painted cottons. Early in the seventeenth century, diamonds were discovered, expanding the source of revenue. The visuals from Golconda draw one’s attention to the gold jewellery worn by both women and men. Besides, the themes of Golconda paintings gained exceptional fame. Golconda’s art became popular as Dutch merchants carried the portraits of sultans in the late seventeenth century to Europe. These were probably done for the bazaar and had references to royal paintings. The earlier Golconda paintings, dated 1635–1650, at times as large as eight feet high, were made to be used as wall hangings. These paintings are covered with pictorial designs, generally, figures in architectural settings of varied origin. The earliest five miniatures, identified as Golconda work, were bound up in Diwan of Hafiz, dated 1463.

Paintings from Bijapur in the sixteenth century have a richly illustrated encyclopaedia known as the Nujum al-Ulum dated 1570. Among the 876 miniatures, which adorn this remarkable little volume, many illustrate weapons and utensils, while others the constellations. The women are shown in south Indian dress, tall and slender as those in the Ragamala paintings. The school of Bijapur was patronised by Ali Adil Shah I (1558–1580) and his successor Ibrahim II (1580–1627), both patrons of art and literature. The latter was also an expert in Indian music and author of a book on this subject, Nauras-nama. He was the owner of Nujum al-Ulum manuscript and might have commissioned the Ragamala series in the 1590s. Bijapur had a close connection with Turkey and astronomical illustrations in Nujum al-Ulum may have been derived from Ottoman Turkish manuscripts.

The earliest examples of Deccani painting are in a volume of poems, celebrating the reign of Hussain Nizam Shah I of Ahmadnagar (1553–1565). Most of the 12 miniatures that illustrate battle scenes are of no artistic interest, but interestingly, those depicting the queen and her marriage delight us with gorgeous colours and sensuous lines. The woman represented in it belongs to the northern tradition of pre-Mughal painting, which was flourishing especially in Malwa and Ahmedabad during this period. The women in the paintings of Ahmadnagar wear a modified northern costume with choli (bodice) and long braided pigtails, ending in a tassel.