Mahavira Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth Part 1

Author(s): Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Mumbai
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 865

366 : SHRI MAHAVIRA JAINA VIDYALAYA GOLDEN JUBILEE VOLUME
mentioned his foundation of the Mughal school of painting. From the very beginning, he was struck with the possibilities of the Indian Painting as it existed in his days but he also knew that if Indian painting was to part in the composite culture which he was building up, it must be given a fresh orientation. And this could only be done if the best from Indian and Persian cultures were to be synthesised. For that purpose he invited artists from Persia and employed a large number of artists hailing from Gujarat, Kashmir and Delhi-Agra region to establish on a sound footing a national school of painting. And there is no doubt that he was successful in his attempt.
Not only were manuscripts illustrated in the Imperial ateliers under the direct supervision of the Emperor, but these ateliers trained a large number of painters in the new techniques. Naturally all of these painters could not be employed in the Imperial ateliers. They had to seek their livelihood away from the capital. This migration of the painters must have started at an early date. So far as Gujarat is concerned, it seems to have taken place in the last quarter of the 16th century. However we must note one factor here. Gujarat was the land of conservatism in the field of painting. There were painters who were carrying on somewhat mechanically the formula handed down for generations. And it was no easy matter to divert them from the sacred path of tradition. The difficulty of the new movement must have been further enhanced by the conservative tendency of the patrons who were used to a particular kind of painting. However, from the available evidence it is clear that slowly but steadily Mughal technique began gaining an upper hand in Gujarat. But to do so it had to effect compromises with the firmly rooted indigenous traditions. Apparently the painters from Gujarat and Malwa and probably other parts of India accepted certain elements in figure drawing costume, etc. preferring the monochrome background and enamel-like colours for a long time. But as time advanced they began also adopting certain elements of Mughal landscape as well. But it must be acknowledged that the Mughal School could not completely change the phase of indigenous painting. The compromise effected between the two gave birth to a new mode of expression which we call the Rajasthani School. The term Rajasthani however is adopted for the sake of convenience since most of the early examples came from Rajasthan but now it has been accepted that the term is of a loose significance and not only used for paintings of Rajasthan origin but also for the paintings of Gujarat, Malwa, Uttara Pradesh, Bundelkhand etc.