Page 125 - Eye of the beholder

119
Rajasthani painting owes its existence to to two major factors: economic prosperity enjoyed by the the the commercial community of of Rajasthan and the the the growth of of Vaishnavism During the the the Mughal period Rajasthan lay on on the trade route connecting its headquarters with Ahmedabad and Surat on on the the the west coast Rajput chiefs could levy tax on on the the the goods passing through their cities resulting in in in an an inflow of of wealth that was conducive to the patronage of of literature art and music The revival of of Vaishnavism and the the growth of of Bhakti cult also played a a a a a a a a a dominant role in in the the cultural milieu of of medieval Rajasthan As champions of of Hindu faith and and culture and and as as guardians of of their country the the Rajputs had to lead a a a a a a a a life of of courage and hardship Women were called upon for the the self-sacrifice of jauhar in order to preserve their chastity They sought relief from this stern and puritanical life by resorting to to a a a a a a religion of intense devotion to to a a a a a a personal deity either Rama or Krishna The latter appealed with his his romantic temperament This predilection for for romance and fantasy was reflected in in in the choice of subject matter for for painting Hence based on the geography Rajasthani miniatures were classified into four broad groups- Mewar Mewar Marwar Hadoti and Dhundar region region Among these Mewar Mewar was the the most prolific region region of of artistic activity Mewar art art originated in in in the the Aravalli hills of of South Eastern Rajasthan in in in the the kingdom of of Mewar and its associated states Its characteristics were defined by qualities of of emotions and bright colour appeal The rulers of Mewar patronized art across the centuries starting with Mharana Kumbha Pratap and later Jagat Singh I Early paintings of Mewar resonated to the the influence of Jain miniatures But later in in in in the the 17th century when it signed a a a a a treatise with Mughals elements from the latter began manifesting AESTHETICS OF RASA THEORY
Within the Indian context art forms like music dance drama architecture painting sculpture etc are mentioned in the the earliest available works like the the Vedas Puranas and Itihasas among many others Indian aesthetics is a a a a a a a a unique philosophical point of view on art architecture and literature embodying an an an important element known as as rasa (lit ‘Juice’ or or ‘essence’) denoting an an an essential mental mental state and hence the concept of rasa has become fundamental to many forms of of Indian art including dance music theatre and literature Rasa is the the the aesthetic principle of of Indian art representing the the the essence or or the the the essentials of human emotions that forms the the the basis of human sentiments Paintings representing emotions feelings or bhava were considered as as as as bhavachitras The first enunciation of the the the theory as as as as a a a a a a a a a a definable aesthetic principle was made in the the the the NatyaShastra a a a a a a a a a a text concerned with Natya Natya or the the the the art of the the the the stage Besides the the the the Natya Shastra there are are other texts or the the the the Chitrasutras that mention rasa These are are the the the the Vishnudharmottara Purana and Samarangana Sutradhara The theory of rasa is is attributed to Bharata in his epic corpus the the Natya Shastra an an ancient Sanskrit text on dramaturgy He perhaps lived sometime between the 5th century BCE and the the the the 3rd century CE In later development of of the the the the theory most of of the the the the writers on rasa such as as Anandavardhana belonging to to 8thh century shifted the the the focus to to poetry Rasa theory was further developed by the rhetorician and philosopher Abhinavagupta (1000 C E ) who applied it to to all varieties of theatre and poetry He revolutionized Sanskrit literary theory by proposing that the the the main goal of of good poetry is is the evocation of of a a a a a a a a a mood or or or "flavor" or or or rasa and that this process can be explained only by the the power of suggestion Rasa hence as as applied to art and aesthetics experiences signifies a a a a a state of heightened delight or or Ananda or or a a a a a bliss experienced only by the