Music and Paintings of Mughal Period Notes with PDF
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Mughal Painting
Origins & Founders
- Founder: Emperor Humayun laid the foundation.
- Key Artists: During his exile, Humayun met and later brought Persian painters Mir Sayyid Ali and Khwaja Abdus Samad to India.
- Establishment: He established a royal painting studio (atelier).
- First Major Project: Illustrating the “Dastan-e-Amir Hamza,” a project that:
- Took 15 years to complete.
- Involved over 50 artists.
Characteristics & Styles
- Style: A unique blend of Indian, Persian, and Islamic artistic styles.
- Subjects: Depicted a wide range of subjects, including:
- Battle scenes.
- Animals, birds, and natural scenes.
- Court scenes and courtiers.
- Evolution: Under Emperor Jahangir, the focus shifted from illustrated manuscripts to albums and individual portraits.
Prominent Artists
- Ustad Mansur: A famous court artist for Jahangir, renowned for his detailed paintings of plants, birds, and animals.
- Khwaja Abdus Samad & Mir Sayyid Ali: The founding artists who began their work under Humayun.
- Jahangir’s Court Painters: Included Abul Hasan, Aqa Riza, Ustad Mansur, Bishan Das, Manohar, and Govardhan.
Patronage & Evolution
- Akbar: Established formal Karkhanas/Tasvir Khana (painting workshops) and had a great personal interest in painting.
- Jahangir: Under his passionate patronage, Mughal painting flourished and reached its zenith. He loved portraits, scenes from his own life, and depictions of nature.
- Influence: The Mughal style became highly influential, forming the “spinal cord” for other Indian schools like Pahari, Rajasthani, and Kangra.
- Exception: The Kalighata school of painting was not influenced by the Mughal style.
Indian Classical Music
Ragas & Styles
- Todi Raga: A Hindustani classical raga meant to be sung early in the morning.
- Dhrupad: A prominent vocal style during the Mughal era.
Prominent Musicians & Patrons
- Mian Tansen:
- Original name: Ramtanu Pandey.
- Titles: ‘Tansen’ was given by Raja Vikramjit of Gwalior; ‘Mian’ was given by Akbar.
- Expertise: A master Dhrupad singer who composed songs on Hindu gods and invented many ragas.
- Patronage: First worked for Raja Ramchandra Singh of Rewa (Bhata) before joining Akbar’s court.
- Tomb: Located in Gwalior.
- Swami Haridas:
- A spiritual master, poet, and classical musician who specialized in Dhrupad.
- Teacher of legendary musicians Tansen and Baiju Bawra.
- His followers established five music worship centers (ashrams).
- Akbar: A great patron of music; learned Hindu music from Lala Kalawant and included Tansen among his Navratnas (nine jewels).
- Aurangzeb: Officially opposed to music for religious reasons but was a skilled Veena player himself.
Literary Works
- Amir Khusro is credited with composing “Ashiqa”.
- Mulla Daud wrote “Chandayan”.
- Damodar Kavi wrote “Padmavati Katha”.
- Somnath wrote “Rag Vibodh”.
Other Painting Schools
- The Pahari, Rajput (Rajasthani), Mughal, and Kangra schools are all famous styles of Indian miniature painting.
- The Kishangarh school (from Rajasthan) is famous for its depiction of Bani Thani.
- It was patronized by the highly educated King Sawant Singh.
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