Art from the hills

Canvas culture

To understand a Pahari painting, you have to see beyond the usual eye. You have to enter a work of art and be alert to the measure of elements placed in the painting.

Indeed, you have to be a part of the artist’s vision to admire his creation; sometimes you have to delve into a masterpiece many times over to discover its true meaning,” explains notable Pahari miniature artist Prakash Dhiman as I view his works in the modest environs of his home in Chamba, western Himachal Pradesh.
 
Mughal aid

The origins of Pahari paintings can be traced back to Mughal courts, which had a wealth of talented miniature artists who had been specifically invited from Persia to record royal history pictorially. The Mughals were known to be great promoters of art and it flourished between late 16th and mid-18th century. However, Aurangzeb changed that narrative. With royal benefaction drying up, court painters were forced to seek refuge.

The disintegration of the Mughal Empire by the late 18th century further sealed their fate. Miniature artists looked for other pastures and found patrons in Hindu rajas of princely states in the sub-Himalayan hills of current day Jammu, Himachal. Over time, the Pahari school of painting evolved and developed its distinct style.

Pahari paintings can be largely divided into four styles: Kangra, Guler, Chamba and Basholi. While the latter is now in Jammu, the former three are erstwhile royal states in present day Himachal. “Though Pahari paintings emerged from the same source, painters of respective royal courts gave them their own expression.

Renowned 18th century masters, Nain Sukh being the most celebrated, took Pahari paintings beyond the realm of art, so much so that their works were almost spiritual in nature,” says Dhiman as he demonstrates various techniques from different schools. He makes it a point to mention an off-shoot of Kangra style, the lesser-heard Garhwal school, where the most famous name was Mola Ram.

Though there are numerous nuances of each style and it would take reams of print space to describe them, Dhiman offered to broadly classify some prominent features. Pahari is a figurative art and among all schools Kangra paintings are most poetic in form. The one distinguishing element is the rich stylised landscape in the backdrop. Delicate and sharp facial features are another characteristic.

The central theme of Kangra art is shringhara rasa, which has largely been expressed through the blue-god Krishna and his consort Radha. For this, poet Jayadeva’s 13th century epic work Geet Govinda has been a great source of inspiration for the artists. The popular tales of Nala and Damayanti also feature prominently in Kangra paintings.

Today, Kangra has become a synonym for Pahari painting, however, art historians point out it was in fact Guler where this new idiom of miniature art was born. “In the early 18th century, a family of Kashmiri pandit painters migrated from Kashmir as they found no takers for their art in the Valley.

They had an admirer in the benevolent Raja Dalip Singh of Guler and happily settled here, letting their art take new root and blossom,” elaborates Dhiman, smilingly adding, “Do you know who this Kashmiri painter was? None other than Shiv Raina, or Pandit Seu as he’s popularly called, the father Nain Sukh who I just mentioned.”

Variety in form

Guler style remains akin to that adopted in portrait painting with full-bodied, circular profiles being a dominating aspect in this genre. On the other hand, Basholi painters’ work is bolder and more forceful and the background is usually monotone.

In the case of Chamba, paintings are a bit of a mix of the hill styles and the works remind an observer of original Mughal art. The Chamba royals were patrons of fine arts and the treasure of art history can be seen at the outstanding Bhuri Singh Museum (one of the oldest in the country, established in AD 1908) that has a collection of sculptures, costumes and miniature paintings belonging to the Pahari school of art.

Besides Krishna-lila, seasons are an important theme of all Pahari paintings. And quite naturally, painters are drawn to the queen and king of seasons, Basant or spring and the monsoon, respectively. The Raagmala or those depicting the musical modes is also a favourite subject. Miniature artists take pride in informing that they, till date, use natural colours extracted from minerals, seeds and vegetables, as was originally done.

While other genres of art have evolved, Pahari paintings seem to be stuck in a time warp. As I pore over Dhiman’s works, I can’t help but notice that each is a reproduction of a masterpiece.

Later in the day, I visit a school of creative arts in town and there too I see students being taught to copy from books. Why is it so, I ask the painter? “Buyers prefer reproductions of known artists so we stick to that,” he says. Doesn’t that hamper creativity? “It’s an emotional connect. Each time we reproduce an artwork, we feel we’re celebrating the masters and thanking them for their wonderful legacy,” signs off Dhiman.