Before getting deep into Tantra paintings let us understand the concept of Tantric philosophy. This philosophy primarily works on combining of body behavior and meditation. The two important elements are universe also known as macrocosm and physical body microcosm. According to the philosophy, when one combines body behavior in a disciple way along with meditation then a new source of power generates within that helps in controlling the outer world. This connection between macrocosm and microcosm is well represented through tantra paintings.

Tantra tradition is an integral part of Hinduism and it includes usage of mantra. The later term refers to symbolic speech. Tantra paintings are quite unique in the sense that the theme and images are very contrasting in nature. The images could be oblique, multivalent or abstract and are normally very complex. Quite layered in structure, tantra paintings are known to be obscure. The reason being, it reflects meditation on paper which also makes it as a symbol of worship to the tantric followers.

The creation of these paintings is very interesting. The process of painting is accompanied by chanting and meditation. That helps in invoking the deity. This ritual is also known as Pranaprathistha that later on helps in paintings getting power and energy. The colors mainly used are black, red, gold and green. One interesting aspect of these paintings is mandala or symbolic speech or diagrams. A regular part of tantric paintings, mandala is basically a symbolic geometric pattern. It symbolizes cosmos or microcosm. Mandala helps the followers in meditation and concentration. The best part about these paintings is the spiritual aura surrounding them. It is not just a form of art. It’s a form of meditation and manifestation of supreme power.

It is said that Kangra style originated in the first half of the eighteenth century in a small hill state ‘Guler’ in the Lower Himalayas. Here, a small family of Kashmiri painters who were trained in the Mughal style of paintings sought shelter at the court of Raja Dalip Singh of Guler.

The early phase of Kangra paintings was thus commonly known as the Guler painting era. Sometimes, it was also commonly known as the Kangra Kalam. These new painters interacted with the local artists of Guler and praised the beautiful landscapes and environment of Guler.  The artists beautifully depicted the landscapes on the country; they painted love themes of the eternal love between Lord Krishna and Radha. Fresh colours and naturalistic tone made these paintings highly baroque and graceful in style.

The colors were extracted from minerals, plants and vegetables and enamel-like luster. Lush greenery, brooks, springs were the recurrent images that were seen on the Kangra style of paintings.

Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch who was a great patron of Kangra art made this style extremely popular during his reign. The Kangra painters received great commission while others received commission on form on lands. Maharaja Sansar Chand was an ardent devotee of Krishna. He would and commission painters to paint subjects based on the love and life of Lord Krishna. The Guler-Kangra art is precise, fluid, lyrical and naturalistic in its tone and themes. In these styles the faces very ornately and delicately modeled.

There are so many different types of paintings in India, some of which have been obsolete, while some have not been that popular. On the other hand, some schools of arts have emerged and have been significantly popular in keeping India on high grounds in the international art market and art industry. Thus, one of the better known gifts of Indian to the global art world is Kangra paintings. Kangra was a princely state in Himchal Pradesh. It is this place that patronized this art. The popularity of Kangra paintings accelerated after the fading of the Basohli School of painting in mid-eighteenth century. Soon later, Kangra paintings emerged in great magnitude and volume and the Pahari painting school, came to be known as Kangra paintings. The epicenters of Kangra paintings are Guler, Basohli, Chamba, Nurpur, Bilaspur and Kangra. Later this style also spread in Mandi, Suket, Kulu, Arki, Nalagarh and Tehri Garhwal. Today, this style is collectively known as Pahari paintings. In the 17th and 19th centuries, Kangra paintings were patronized by the Rajput rulers and thus they belong to the School of Pahari paintings

Pahari, which means hilly in Hindi language, were paintings that were made in the hilly regions of the ever so beautiful Himachal Pradesh. It is the development and the evolution of the Pahari paintings, which the Kangra School of paintings has evolved. Under the patronage of Maharaja Sansar Chand, who was an early patron of Kangra style, it became the most important center of Pahari painting.

Bhupen Khakhar was born in Mumbai in the year 1934 in a middle-class Gujrati family. He was academically trained as a chartered accountant. In 1963, he moved to Baroda to join the Art Criticism Course at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the M.S. University. He started painting there and he joined the Seminal Narrative Figurative movement.

His early works of art portray his interest in the descriptions of the Indian popular culture. Bhupen Khakhar observes, draws, paints and illustrates his every day surroundings. This interest is now less evident in the artwork of Khakhar.

In his early works, Khakhar made use of ready-made images of idols which he then pieced together and painted over, at times with graffiti. Khakhar has been able to develop his own style of painting that binds his lack of formal training to offer an edge to his expressions.

His paintings portray uncomfortable sexual instances practiced secretly but usually set directly against a criticizing society. In 1982 his work “Two Men in Banaras” centers nude men embracing against a backdrop of a typical village. The lovers emerged to go unexposed by their neighbors, but they are expressively prominent to the painting’s viewers. Another work, “My Dear Friend” (1993), displays two men sharing an instance of closeness while being observed by a host of probable intimidating spectators. The men are trapped and bared in an instance of delight and hope, a moment of ultimate helplessness.

He exhibited his art work for the first time in Mumbai in 1965, and has had fourteen solo shows since then in different cities throughout the world. Khakhar made a free route for younger painters who pursued his path. In the sixties and seventies his work was mainly esteemed in Europe.

Bhupen Khakhar has become an established artist and one of India’s leading contemporary artists.

There are many styles of painting that evolved, developed and flourished in the 18^th century in the royal courts; one of it being the Rajput paintings. Rajput paintings have tinge and shades of Mughal painting in them along with shadows of Persian miniature painting. In fact, each small kingdom of Rajput had evolved their own distinctive style of painting all of which are classified under the nomenclature Rajput paintings. However, inspite of the distinctive features, there were some common elements in all these paintings that bind them together. Out of the numerous themes that are depicted in these paintings, some of the common themes were description of events from the great epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, azure skies and beautiful landscapes, events from the life of lord Krishna, human figures in various dance poses etc. All of these paintings found their place in manuscripts or single sheets that were well preserved. Some of the Rajput paintings can still be seen on walls and chambers of old forts in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur. Characteristically, the havelis of Shekhawati, the forts and palaces built by Shekhawat Rajputs are a manifestation of the ever enchanting Rajput paintings.

The colours that are used in these Rajput paintings were extracted from certain minerals, from plant shells, from precious stones after processing them, from plant sources etc. A lot of adornment of the paintings was done with gold and silver. The richness and the elegance of these paintings came out through the use of these colours. The strokes of the brush used in these were very fine bringing out the fine detailing done in the paintings. However, painters took a long time in preparing the colours used in this painting because of the elaborate process used in olden days to prepare the paint.

Rajput paintings have a history of around 300 years, beginning from the 16th century, different schools of Rajput painting emerged, during this period; - some of them being notable among them are Mewar School, Jaipur School, Bikaner school, Kishengarh School, Marwar School, Bundi-Kota kalam and Raagamala style of painting.

Not many people have heard of Jadupatua paintings. Popular in North-Eastern states of Bihar and West Bengal, Jadupatua illustrations are basically vertical scroll paintings. Places like Birbhum, Hooghly, Murshidabad, Santhal Parganas, Bankura, Burdwan, and Midnapore districts etc are knonw for producing wonderful Jadupatua paintings. These paintings can be found on both clothes and paper. Themes are often inspired from mythological characters. The most prominent theme is Lord Yama.

The artists of these paintings are known as Duari Patuas or Jadupatuas. They mostly belong to community of barbers, potters, sweetmeat makers and blacksmiths. They have followed this tradition since centuries. The modus operandi is quite simple. These artists visit from village to village and perform in return of some cash or kind.   The prime theme covered by these artists show treatments meted out to dead souls by Lord Yama. These artists also visit homes where someone has recently died. Artists make the pictures of the deceased and take them to dead person’s home.

The Santhal region is dominated by tribals. The Jadupatuas artists use to peform another function for people who have recently lost a relative. They make a painting of the deceased and immerse it in river Damodar on behalf of the deceased’s relatives. For this, they get a certain fee or some other rewards. But Jadupatuas artists don’t just cover the funeral theme or functions. They also draw subjects like animals like leopard or tiger, religious themes like adventures of Krishna, creation of Santhals, and their main festival Bahu etc. The objects used in paintings are made of natural elements like goat hair. The mode of expression is totally uninhibited and most of the paintings are in raw form.

Jamini Roy is one of the most renowned artists of modern India. He was was born in Bengal in 1887. His father Ramataran Roy was an amateur artist who, after resignation from government service, spent the rest of his life in his village.

Jamini Roy came to Calcutta in 1903 where he studied at the Government School of Art. In 1908 he achieved his Diploma in Fine Art. However, soon he established a special painting technique motivated chiefly by traditional Indian folk and village arts, predominantly those of Bengal. Through his oil paintings, he gave expression to the views of every-day livelihood of the people in rural Bengal.

Jamini Roy went back to his native place to reach the very foundation of the folk-tradition where he studied with the patuas, their approach and technique. Jamini Roy earned recognition by developing his own language of painting which he termed as ‘Flat Technique’. Jamini Roy used inexpensive native colours and dyes for his art so that even the rich as well as the poor could reach them without much difficulty. He also proposed his own paintings from home-grown materials like lampblack, chalk-powder, leaves and creepers.

Some of his most popular paintings include St. Ann and the Blessed Virgin, Makara, Cats Plus, Seated Woman in Sari, Krishna and Radha Dancing, Kitten, Virgin and Child, Crucifixion with Attendant Angels, Ravana, Sita and Jatayu, Warrior King, Krishna with Gopis in Boat, Krishna and Balarama.

Jamini Roy’s works were first exhibited in Calcutta at the British India Street in 1938. Jamini Roy’s images become popular during the 1940s and customer list incorporated both the Bengali middle class and European community. His work was exhibited internationally in 1946, in London and in 1953, in New York.

Jamini Roy’s paintings flourish in exceptional vivacity. Jamini Roy plays a major role in providing a broader base to the art of contemporary India by elevating it with cultural essence. Jamini Roy was honored with the Padma Bhushan in 1955. He died in 1972 in Calcutta.

Let’s talk about Indian folk art paintings. The origin of Indian folk paintings is not known and cannot be ascertained with absolute certainty. That’s because it’s a tradition that is as old as Indian civilization. One other reason is this tradition is in existence since Indian people first started to paint and celebrate. Many people say, Indian folk paintings are as old as rivers, trees, forests, hills and even humans. So how did this eclectic form of art originate?

The credit goes to the desire of humans to express their innermost feelings. Apart from songs and dance, painting gave them a big platform to express their feelings. True to the inadequacies of the ancient era, people painted on walls, caves, pots, pans, dried leaves and paper. Later period witnessed usage of clothes of as painting medium. The desire of expression found representation in numerous mediums. it clearly reflects importance of paintings or should we say, art in the lives of Indian people. Folk paintings are basically instinctive in nature. It’s almost like depicting the impulsive urge of people in whatever ways.

The most fascinating part about folk paintings is its continuity from prehistoric age to modern times. Earlier, it used to be a form of cave paintings. Now it has acquired a cult status in the art world because of its uniqueness and historical significance. It has come out of the closet and attempts have been made to cultivate this precious form of art in best way possible. Different forms of folk paintings are Madhubani paintings, Warli paintings, Patachitra paintings etc. It does not come as a surprise to see growing popularity of these folk paintings on national as well as international level.

The growing popularity of Indian Art has led to the increasing popularity of Art Galleries- a specific place which displays numerous wonderful works of art. The artworks here are sculptures, paintings, sketches or illustrations. These Art Galleries organize exhibition of various forms of breathtaking arts. They have opened a complete new world for art aficionados to get themselves equipped with the latest in Indian Art industry.

Now it has become a common sight to see large number of art galleries spread all over the India. It’s interesting to witness the makeover in last few decades. Till twenty-thirty years back, there were very few number of art galleries. Those galleries were basically located in metro cities. But, in today’s scenario the number of these galleries is rapidly increasing. With the passage of time, more and more people are showing ardent interest in the Indian artworks.

All the metro cities of India have well known art galleries. But now it comes as no surprise to see the second tier cities like Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and other such cities having many art galleries. Few of the famous Indian Art Galleries are,

Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, New Delhi,

British Council Gallery, Mumbai,

Chavan Art Gallery, Mumbai,

Crimson Art Gallery, Bangalore,

Apparao Galleries, Chennai,

Craft Council of Hyderabad, Hyderabad,

CPAs Piramal Gallery, Mumbai,

Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai,

European Gallery, Kolkata,

Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi,

Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai,

Masters Gallery of Fine Art, Bangalore,

Birla Century Art Gallery, Mumbai,

Nehru Centre Art Gallery, Mumbai,

Calcutta Reprographic Service, Kolkata,

Russian Cultural Centre, Mumbai,

Sophia Duchesne Gallery, Mumbai,

Siri Fort Institutional Area, New Delhi,

Chandana Art Foundation International (CAFI),

Contemporary Arts and Crafts, Ahmedabad.

Amrita Shergill is the daughter of Umrao Singh Shergill Majithia, a Sikh aristocrat and also a scholar in Sanskrit and Persian, and Marie Antoinette Gottesmann, a Jewish Opera singer from Hungary. She was born on 30 January 1913 in Budapest, Hungary.

She has been one of the most renowned Indian artists of the pre-colonial era. She has been the youngest and the only Asian to be honoured as the Associate of the Grand Salon in Paris.

Amrita Shergill was an alluring and enthralling Indian artist of the pre-colonial era. Her artworks portray her immense love for the country and her perception of the life of its people.

Amrita Shergill began painting at an early age and her mother supported and encouraged this intrinsic talent in her. She studied the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris, which is one of the best schools for art. She learnt to speak and write French. It was in France that she took up painting seriously. She visited various art galleries, museums, etc in Paris, which had a huge impact on her artwork. Amrita came to India in 1934 and was awestruck by the fascinating images in India.

She stayed in Shimla in 1935 and started off by painting regular men and women who she came across in her day to day life. She made a trip to the Ajanta caves in 1936 and the murals there completely mesmerized her. They had an eternal impact on her style of painting.

In 1938, she shifted focus from the natural environment to imaginary opinions. Amrita Shergill managed to synchronize Indian style with the Western techniques of painting.

Amrita Shergill’s works have been acknowledged as National Art Treasures by the Government of India. A large number of her paintings beautify the ‘National Gallery of Modern Art’ in New Delhi.