Mughal paintings evolved during the reign of various Mughal Emperors in India. These paintings emerged from the Persian art of miniature painting with Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain influences, and were generally done as miniatures either as book illustrations or as solitary works. Battles, legendary stories, hunting scenes, animals, royal life, mythology, and other subjects were frequently depicted in the paintings. These paintings are also called the Mughal School of Painting. This art form grew in popularity to the point where it was adopted by other Indian courts. In this article, we will discuss the Paintings of the Mughal empire which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Painting of Mughal Empire - Background

• Miniature painting has been developing in many places since the 10th century, and it flourished in numerous regional courts throughout the Sultanate of Delhi.
• When Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, returned from exile, he took two renowned Persian artists – Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd al-Samad – with him.
• These artists were Persian and they created several notable paintings, the 'Khamsa of Nizami,' based on Humayun's commands is one such.
• These paintings varied from the traditional style of Persian art, and so a new art form known as 'Mughal Painting' was established.

Jahangir painting by Govardhan

Growth of Mughal School of Painting

• The Mughal painting quickly gained popularity among emperors, who found the concept of depicting oneself in a royal manner appealing.
• It was also a magnificent artistic medium through which they could display their bravery and accomplishments.
• Following Humayun's death, his son Akbar took over and extended his father's library.
• Akbar and Jahangir are credited with the development of Mughal art.
• The former had a library of 24000 manuscripts, many of which were accompanied by paintings.

Mughal Paintings During Akbar

• Akbar encouraged and supported art since he had learned the complexities of arts and paintings under Abd as-Samad.
• The Mughal painting progressed and developed at a remarkable speed throughout his reign.
• He commissioned a large number of paintings and paid special attention to the ultimate results of all of them.
• In his court, he had a large number of artists.
• He commissioned a series of large-scale paintings to work between 1560 and 1577.
• 'Tutinama,' which literally translates to 'Tales of a Parrot,' was one of the first paintings of works commissioned by Akbar. It is a 52-part Persian narrative told in episodic form.
• Two Iranian artists, Abdus Samad and Mir Sayyid Ali were tasked with finishing the project, and it took them nearly five years to complete 'Tutinama.'
• 'Tutinama' is currently on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio.
• Another major project commissioned by Akbar was ‘Hamzanama,’ which narrated the story of Amir Hamza.
• As Akbar had admired these stories as a child, he commissioned the re-creation of 'Hamzanama,' which comprised 1400 Mughal miniature paintings that were extremely large for miniatures.
• 'Gulistan,' 'Darab Nama,' 'Khamsa of Nizami,' 'Baharistan,' are other renowned paintings commissioned by Akbar.
• At Fatehpur Sikri, Saadi Shirazi composed his masterpiece, 'Gulistan.'
• From 1570 through 1585, Akbar employed over a hundred painters in his court to create Mughal artwork.

Battle scene in Hamzanama

Mughal Paintings During Jahangir

• Jahangir, like his father, showed an interest in the arts, particularly in paintings. During his reign, the Mughal painting flourished.
• Jahangir was heavily influenced by European painting so, he instructed his painters to utilise the European painter's technique of single-point perspective.
• The Mughal painting was given a whole new viewpoint as a result of this.
• Jahangir even instructed his painters to copy the European painting’s depiction of kings and queens.
• As a result, the majority of Jahangir's Mughal paintings had finer brush strokes and softer colours.
• The Jahangirnama was one of the great works he commissioned.
• It was Jahangir's autobiography, and it included various paintings which depicted unique themes such as spider wars.
• He also commissioned several paintings of birds, animals, and flowers that were realistically depicted.
• Artists began to use vibrant colours like peacock blue and red and were able to provide three-dimensional effects to paintings
• Overall, during Jahangir's reign, Mughal painting flourished and evolved.

Jahangir weighing Prince Khurram

Mughal Paintings During Shah Jahan

• During Shah Jahan's reign, Mughal painting continued to flourish, but they were increasingly strict and formal.
• He did, however, commission a huge number of paintings for his own collection.
• These paintings were inspired by themes such as gardens and photos that provided a great deal of aesthetic enjoyment.
• He also commissioned a number of pieces depicting lovers in intimate situations.
• The 'Padshanama' was one of the most important works produced during his reign.
• With ample amounts of gold plating, this work was meant to appear luxurious.
• The 'Padshanama,' which detailed the King's accomplishments, also included drawings of the courtiers and servants.
• The monarch and other significant dignitaries were depicted by strictly adhering to the norms of strict metamodeling.
• Though, the servants and courtiers were depicted utilising the frontal view technique.
• Shahjahan’s eldest son preferred depicting natural elements like plants and animals in his painting.

Emperor Shah Jahan

Growth of Mughal Paintings After Shah Jahan

• Aurangzeb discouraged art and paintings and as a result, much of the Mughal painting's quality was lost.
• This was a period when a large number of court artists moved to the provincial kingdoms.
• Later, Bahadur shah attempted to rejuvenate the art, but the school became dead and meaningless like the later Mughals.

Painters During the Mughal Period

• Every painting endeavor entailed a large number of painters, each of whom had a distinct function to play.
• While a couple of them worked on the composition, the next group of artists would focus on the actual painting, and the final group would focus on the finer points of the art.
• Persian painters like Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd al-Samad were prominent.
• Painters like Daswanth, Basawan, Miskin, and Lal were Indian painters, who served in the Mughal court during the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Govardhan, a well-known painter, worked for three Mughal emperors: Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan.
• Kamal, Mushfiq, and Fazl were three other notable Mughal artists.
• When the Mughal Empire began to crumble, several artists began working at Rajput courts.

Conclusion

The establishment of the Mughal School of Painting is regarded as a watershed moment in Indian painting history. The Mughal School of Painting began under the reign of Akbar, who was passionate about the arts of painting and building in 1560 CE. During his reign, he built a painting workshop under the guidance of two Persian experts, Mir Sayyed Ali and Abdul Samad Khan, who had previously worked for his father, Humayun. Aurangzeb banned the paintings and a large number of court painters migrated. Bahadur Shah tried to revive but after 1712 CE, the Mughal painting again started deteriorating under the later Mughals.

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