Around the year 1550, Giorgio Vasari, a Renaissance art historian, noted that Don Giulio Clovio was an excellent ‘miniatore’, or a painter of small things. It was around the 16th century that the word ‘miniature’ was used in English to describe an art form in the writings of Sir Philip Sidney, in 1586.
BEHIND THE ART
Miniature painting is a traditional style of art that is very detailed, often referred to as painting or working “in miniature.” The style was also called limning in its beginnings during the 16th or 17th centuries. It is a petite, thinly shaped portrait, finished on a vellum concocted card, copper, or ivory. The name originates from the ‘minium’, or red lead, used by feudal illuminators. Because of their origins as illuminations, they are also painted to have as smooth a surface as possible.
The earliest miniature paintings in India date back to the 7th century AD, when they flourished under the patronage of the Palas of Bengal, who were considered the pioneers of miniature painting in India. Buddhist texts and scriptures were illustrated on 3” wide palm leaf manuscripts, with images of Buddhist deities in Buddhist texts and scriptures.
Paper was introduced in India in the 12th century, but the miniature paintings trace back to at least the 9th century. They were painted with natural pigments on manuscripts made of dried palm leaves or painted on cloth, and later on wood, ivory and marble.
It was during the Mughal rule that the art form reached its zenith. Though Emperor Akbar is usually credited for establishing Mughal miniature art in India, it was his father, Humayun, who acquired painters Mir Sayyid Ali and Abdus Samad Khan from the Persian court during his exile in 1540. The tradition of miniature paintings was further taken forward by artists of various Rajasthani schools of painting, including the Kishangarh, Bundi Jaipur, Mewar and Marwar.
Generally, the term miniature, or in miniature, is applied to any work of art produced in a size much smaller than the normal size for that type of work. Themes such as court scenes, gardens, hills and valleys, deserts, forests, palaces, life of Lord Krishna, love scenes, hunting scenes and animal fights are depicted.
ABOUT ARTIST KAUSALYA GADEKAR’S WORKSHOP
Artist Kausalya Gadekar will be holding a two-day workshop at Carpe Diem Art Gallery on May 14, 2022 and May 15, 2022, teaching landscaping inspired by the miniature style, not the actual method of Indian miniatures, using canvas and acrylic.
A Bachelor of Fine Art from the Goa College of Art, Panjim, she graduated in the year 2005, and states, “I am not a ‘Miniature Painting’ artist , but I draw inspiration from the Indian and Persian miniature style of paintings in my work. I like to incept borders in my paintings like they did in many of the Mughal and Persian miniature paintings. Nature is my inspiration; I like to paint trees the way they are done in miniature paintings. Though my style of painting is inspired by miniature paintings, at the workshop, the students will paint on canvas.”
Her favourite artists are Alexander Gorlizki, Waswo X Waswo and The Singh Twins, as their works are based on Indian miniature paintings. But, her favourite is Linda Edwards, whose work is based on nature, and is inspired by the Indo-Persian style. Apart from artists who work in the miniature painting style, she admires artist Dhruvi Acharya, and the works of the young artist Anjan Modak.
“I don't work in a very large format. Most of my paintings are in the size of a quarter to half imperial. Lately, I have done a series of works in the size of approx 6 inches x 8 .5 inches. They are mostly watercolour and Gouache on paper. I have also done a few acrylic paintings on canvas, and my subjects are mostly nature-related,” says she.
WHERE: Carpe Diem Art Gallery, Majorda
WHEN: May 14, 2022 (2.30 pm to 4.30 pm) and May 15, 2022 (10 am to 2 pm)
FEE: ₹ 3,500 (inclusive of material)
CONTACT: +91 888886246
