Mughal paintings are greatly admired and praised for its richness, texture and innovativeness. They were in a different league. Mughal paintings were very stylish and unique. One of the important sub-genres of Mughal paintings was Mughal love paintings. These paintings are very fascinating and will capture your imagination like never before. They had splendid themes and unique styles. One striking aspect about Mughal love paintings is that, they don’t really conform to realism. Imagination and creativity played a much bigger role than realism. However, the themes of these paintings stayed true to periods they were made in.
Mughal love paintings are wonderful illustration of the Mughal era. They give us a glimpse of what that period was all about. The cultures, art, concept of love etc portrayed in these paintings are true specimen of that era. What makes Mughal love paintings even more striking is the unique blend of Indian and Persian style. Themes were provocative as well as informative. Some of the most common themes of love paintings were, love, lovers, courtly lovers in intimate positions, failed love and lovers in a state of despair. The paintings proved to be of immense help to the historians. The artworks are full of luxury, colorful themes, sensuality and physical beauty.
Mughal love paintings give us a glance into the love lives of the kings and queens. Mughal King Jahangir was instrumental in encouraging the love paintings. He had a keen artistic sense. ‘Jahangirnama’ had some of the most amazing paintings reflecting the wonderful art taste of the king. There were renowned Mughal painters who excelled in making love paintings. Govardhan was one of the most famous artists of that era. Similarly, Ustad Mansur created huge impact as a Mughal painter during the 17th Century. The popularity of Mughal love paintings is not just restricted to Indian boundaries. They are loved, appreciated and admired all over the world.


Today, with the help of internet and other modes, getting high quality painting tools is become quite easy. Indeed, there is a wide variety of artists’ paints available for the professional or amateur artist. Different types of paint are available based on the way in which the pigment is poised or entrenched in. It is this that determines the characteristics of the paint such as solubility, drying time etc. The commonly used mixed media tools are acrylic paint tubes, inks, oil paints, pastel crayons, spray paints, water colors etc.
The use of henna or mehndi is very popular in the Indian subcontinent. Young brides get their hands and other body parts painted with paste of powdered henna. If we talk about India, applying mehndi is a common practice in almost every household. Women just love to apply henna during social occasions. Whether it is marriage, engagement, festivals or social function, women just need to have henna on their hands. It adds a certain charm to the overall beauty of the women. It is a type of body art practiced by Indian women since centuries. Artists trained in henna painting draw those intricate and beautiful lines on the palms. Traditional motifs are drawn on the hands of young brides. There are plenty of traditional motifs but the most popular one is the paisley motif.
It was in 1950s that acrylics were first available. However that time they were mineral spirit-based paints. Later on, water-based acrylic paints were available in the market. These paints were used as house paints in Mexico. Later, artists started to use these mediums in art and painting. Today, acrylic painting has become an art genre in itself and more and more painters are experimenting with this versatile medium.
This is what you will broadly need to do an acrylic painting: A set of Acrylic Paint Tubes (easily available in the market), paint brushes of number 4 and 8 (flat) and 4 and 12 (round), Canvas board, cotton cloth and other essentials required for painting like pencils, eraser, brush holders, water holder, jars, palette etc. If you wish to make a beautiful colourful collage, try mixing acrylic paints with glue, the visual effect that it will give in a collage will be very appealing! A thick layer of acrylic paint will give a glossy finish to it while using a thin transparent layer will give a matte finish! What is most important while using acrylic paintings is that you should only squeeze that much colour out of the tube that is required. This is because acrylic colours dry very quickly. Blending colours in acrylic needs to be done fast because once applied these colors dry very quickly.
Oil painting medium is become popular and exist since ages. We have already learnt some aspects of oil painting in our previous post. Amateurs must learn this beautiful technique of art.
Mix colors and see what you achieve to paint your sky.
elements of the artwork like theme, style and color, texture plays an equally important role. Most often than not, the texture of the painting decides the visual effect and mood of the complete work of art. A painter has to have understanding of finer nuances of texture. One of the most famous artists in the history of world art, Vincent Van Gogh was famous for using bold delineation of textures in his paintings.