Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c12.2

c12.2

IN the foregoing chapters, we have tried to give an analysis of Western Indian painting from the point of view of chronology and technique, and have also pointed out its importance for the history of textile-printing industry of Gujarāt and the costume. But art is not merely history, and neither does it fulfil its function by serving the interests of sociology. In its fundamentals, art stands for the æsthetic appeal which it stirs in the heart of men and women, thus chastening their emotional background. The æsthetic appeal of art does not lie in the technical perfection, but in the intensity of emotional approach which makes itself felt through the brilliance of colours and the vibration of lines. The art of Ajaṇṭā does not so much depend for its greatness on the technical side as on the deep æsthetic considerations which moved the artists. These æsthetic expressions may be due to the personal pleasures and pains whose impressions the artist gathers from his surroundings, and stores up in his memory to be used when the occasion arises, or they may be due to the rigorous self-discipline in probing the deep mysteries of life, which religion is alone able to teach. In the wonderful sculptures of Ellura, it is not the realisation of the external surroundings which characterises the great images, but the metaphysical thoughts brooding on the mysteries of creation and destruction, the life and its fulfilment. Devoid of the above considerations, art degenerates to mere craftsmanship, ready to place its services at the disposal of the rich, with little artistic susceptibilities but a fat purse. It no longer fulfils the fundamental principles of true art, but becomes commercialised. It arouses the curiosity of the people and mollifies their vanity, but it fails to give permanent values. We shall have to bear in mind these factors while giving a correct æsthetic appraisal of Western Indian painting.