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The history of later Indian painting is dominated by two distinct stylistic traditions, one flourishing at the court of the Mughal empire, the other at the courts of the various Rajput dynasties that held sway in regions along the periphery of the Mughal domain. Despite complex historical relationships between the two traditions, modern scholarship has tended to emphasize their separate identities as distinct, isolable schools with mutually opposing stylistic and aesthetic ideals. Mughal painting is characterized as naturalistic, rational, and political; contemporary Rajput work is seen as lyrical, erotic, and spiritual in its approach. In this course, we will trace the history of the emergence and interaction of these two traditions of painting, beginning with the pre-Mughal and pre-Rajput traditions current before the sixteenth century, and continuing down to the transformation of the Mughal and Rajput traditions through British colonial patronage. The course strikes a balance between the modes of historical survey and thematic enquiry; some of the themes to be examined include the relationship between painting and literature; the structure of patronage and the degree of the patron's influence in shaping style, and the extent to which the Mughal and Rajput styles were influenced by 16th century European prints and paintings.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: NONE Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: NONE
Last Updated on MAR-30-2006
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459