Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c6.95

c6.95

A natural question which presents itself is that, though Eastern and Western schools of painting are more or less contemporary at least in their formative stages why such pronounced differences have arisen. The answer to this query is offered by the Tibetan historian Tārānātha (1608 A.D.). Giving the history of Indian painting, he says that in the time of the Blessed One the artists were imbued with supernatural power and produced astonishing works of art. He quotes the authority of the Vinayavastu and other works to show that the wall-paintings, etc., of these masters were such as to deceive people by their likeness to the actual objects depicted.⁵¹ The tradition of these masters lasted for some centuries after the Nirvāṇa of the Buddha. Then the art was taken up by the Devas or the heavenly artists who had adopted human form. Later on Nagās and Yakshas, the vegetable and water spirits, practised painting from the time of Aśoka to the time of Nāgārjuna (70 A.D.). Resuming the history, Tārānātha says that the art of the Nagās and Yakshas was forgotten rapidly and a Fig. 23 to 28 number of provincial schools came into being. In the reign of Buddhapaksha (between 5th and 6th century A.D.), the great painter and sculptor Bimbasāra produced great works of art. His works were executed after the style of the Devās. The number of his followers was extremely great, and as he was born in Magadha the artists of his school were styled Madhyadeśa artists. Another school which is named ancient school of the West was founded by Śringadhara of Maru (Mārwār) who was an accomplished artist and painter. He worked under Harshavardhana (610—650 A.D.). Two other painters named Dhīmana and his son Bitpalo, hailing from Varendra, and who worked in the reign of Devapāla and Dharmapāla, adopted in their cast-metal works and paintings the ancient style of the Nāgas. “The father and son gave rise to different schools; as the son lived in Bengal the cast images of gods produced by their followers were called the gods of the Eastern style, whatever might be the birthplace of their actual designers. In painting, the followers of the father were called the Eastern school; those of the son, as they were most numerous in Magadha, were called the followers of the Madhyadeśa school of painting. So, in Nepāl, the earlier school of art resembled the old Western school, but in the course of time a peculiar Nepālese school formed itself which in painting and casting resembled rather the Eastern school; the latest artists have no special character. In Kashmīr too there were in former times followers of the old Western school of Madhyadeśa; later on a certain Hasurāja founded a new school in painting and sculpture, which is now called Kashmīr school. Wherever Buddhism prevailed, skilful artists were found, while wherever the Mlechhas ruled, they disappeared; where again the Tirthya doctrines (orthodox Hinduism) prevailed unskilful artists came to the front.”