History of Indian Art is as old as the Indian civilization and every major period of history has given India newer modes of expression and newer forms of art.

As India was well connected to the outside world through both sea and land routes, the influence of cultures of other lands have always been felt in the art of India. These myriad influences have enriched Indian Art over the years and in the new 21st century, one can see all these influences in the fine arts of India.

The Indus valley civilization that thrived between 2500 and 1700BC was a contemporary of the Mesopotamia civilization and one can see the existence of steatite and limestone statuettes as well as terracotta figures.

Most of these show animal figures made in abstract modes with high degree of sophistication. In fact many believe that abstraction in Indian art has not come after long period of realistic art as it happened in the west. Abstraction was always a part of Indian Art.

Indian art can be classified into specific periods each reflecting certain religious, political and cultural developments.

* Hinduism and Buddhism of the ancient period (300 BC- 1700 AD)
* Islamic ascendancy (712-1757 AD)
* The colonial period (1757-1947)
* Independence and the postcolonial period (Post-1947)
* Modern and Postmodern art in India

Each period is unique in its art, literature and architecture. Indian art is constantly challenged as it rises to the peak of achieving the ideals of one philosophy in a visual form, then begins anew for another. This challenge and revolution in thought provided, and still provides, Indian artists with reasons for innovation and creation, and the process of visualizing abstract ideas and the culture of the land.

Each religion and philosophical system provided its own nuances, vast metaphors and similes, rich associations, wild imaginations, humanization of gods and celestial beings, characterization of people, the single purpose and ideal of life to be interpreted in art. In the Indian context, the visual arts (sculpture, painting and architecture) are tightly interrelated with the non-visual arts.

According to Kapila Vatsyayan, "Classical Indian architecture, sculpture, painting, literature (kaavya), music and dancing evolved their own rules conditioned by their respective media, but they shared with one another not only the underlying spiritual beliefs of the Indian religio-philosophic mind, but also the procedures by which the relationships of the symbol and the spiritual states were worked out in detail."

Insight into the unique qualities of Indian art is best achieved through an understanding of the philosophical thought, the broad cultural history, social, religious and political background of the artworks.

In India the distinction between "fine" and "decorative" arts is not pronounced. The history of art in India begins with rock paintings. The first urban cultures of Harappa and Mohenjodaro with their centrally planned cities indicate a highly developed culture and an understanding of space that is clear from their architecture. The dancing girl from Mohenjodaro, various seals from Harappa and other art objects show that there was a clear knowledge of anatomy of the human figure, as well as a high degree of awareness and perception of animal forms.

The use of symbolic forms in India is as old as the Harappan seals. The fire altars of the Vedic period, with their astronomical and mathematical significance also play an important role in the evolution of the later temples. Though very little is left of post Indus Indian Art, one can see a gradual shift towards large statues, wooden pillars, and a very marked Greek influence on architecture. This was the time when Alexander of Macedonia had invaded India and left behind a Greek Kingdom.

The Mauryan art also shows influence of the Greeks. But the Greek and other forms of European contemporary styles are seen best in the art of the Gandhar and Mathura Schools. These schools which developed under the Kushans shows high degree of sophistication and realism in human forms, and even eroticism often akin to the Hellenistic Art. The subject of art in most of these cases were taken from the lives of Gautama Buddha.

However Buddhist Art reached its peak in the Gupta period, during which the famous rock-cut temples of Ajanta were built with walls full of Buddhist frescoes relating the stories from Jataka tales. The earliest Indian religion to inspire major artistic monuments was Buddhism. Though there may have been earlier structures in wood that have been transformed into stone structures, there are no physical evidences for these except textual references.

Obscurity shrouds the period between the decline of the Harappans and the definite historic period starting with the Mauryas. Soon after the Buddhists initiated the rock-cut caves, Hindus and Jains started to imitate them at Badami, Aihole, Ellora, Salsette, Elephanta, Aurangabad and Mamallapuram. Hindu rock art has continuously evolved, since the first rock cut caves, to suit different purposes, social and religious contexts, and regional differences. Equally famous are the frescoes and sculptures in the cave temples of Ellora and Elephanta which probably were built later than the ones in Ajanta. These frescoes and scultures show a reverting back to Hindu tales and metaphors, though in style they evolve from the earlier Ajanta styles.

After 6th century, one sees a revival of Hinduism and a growth of temples which primarily became centres of all forms of art. the best example of art of this period can probably be seen in the rock temples of Mahabalipuram which were built by the Pallava rulers. These show a mix of both north-Indian as well as Dravidian styles. In 7th century, the first Muslim conquest ensued. It was followed by a series of invasions, raids and attacks by rulers from outside India. The foreigners brought rich new ideas into Indian Art.

The Muslim Art reached its peak under the Mughals. The Mughal Art expanded in almost all the major forms and media that were available at the time: murals, paper paintings, miniatures, pottery, ceramic works and even prints. The Mughal style of lateral use of space and flat faces were modified in the art under contemporary or later day Rajput and Sikh dynasties. Deccan Art of Golkonda, Bijapur and Ahmadnagar also show influences of the Mughal Art.

The Sikh Art which mostly depicted the life stories of the Sikh Gurus also resembled Mughal Art in style. However in the Deccan, Art reached its peak probably under the Mysore Kings and in Tanjore. By now the European settlers from France, Holland and England had started interfering in the politics of India. The influence of their realistic art styles with experimentation in light and shade can now be seen in the works of artists from Mysore, Tanjore, Baroda and Calcutta.

With the coming of the East India Company, India was introduced to this new form of art which was colloquially referred to as the Company School of Art. Though this style remained the predominant form of art for a very long time, the opening up of Indian market to the west also exposed India to the European trends of impressionism, cubism, surrealism and abstraction. Some artists of India at this time also experimented with the Oriental styles of Art.

With rise of nationalistic spirit in India, many Indians also reverted back to folk art and more intensely Indian motifs. Folk and tribal art Alongside the classical art, there have been evolving, changing, transforming, folk and tribal art traditions. These art forms are the visual expression of people belonging to different cultural and social groups who fall into the broad category of Hinduisms.

It is the expression of people whose life is tuned to the rhythms of nature and its laws of cyclic change and whose life is entwined with the energies of the earth. Folk and tribal art represent the kernel of energy of the respective communities as a whole. It is a living, changing art form which changes with time, necessity, memories and experiences of these people. Often puranic gods and legends are transformed into contemporary forms and familiar images.

Fairs, festivals and local deities play a vital role in these arts. It is an art where life and creativity are inseparable. The tribal arts have a unique sensitivity, as the tribal people possess an intense awareness very different from the settled and urbanized people. Their minds are supple and intense with myth, legends, snippets from epic, multitudinous gods born out of dream and fantasy. Their art is an expression of their life and holds their passion and mystery.

Folk art also includes the visual expressions of the wandering nomads. This is the art of people who are exposed to changing landscapes as they travel over the valleys and highlands of India. They carry with them the experiences and memories of different spaces and their art consists of the transient, changing pattern of life.

The rural, tribal and arts of the nomads constitute the matrix of folk expression. The folk spirit has a tremendous role to play in the development of art and in the consciousness of the overall culture.

Fine Art British colonial rule had a great impact on Indian art. The old patrons of art became less wealthy and influential, and Western art more ubiquitous. Rabindranath Tagore, referred as the father of Modern Indian art had introduced Asian styles and Avant garde western styles into Indian Art.

Many other artists like Jamini Roy and later S.H. Raza had taken inspiration from folk traditions. In 1947 India became independent of British rule. A group of six artists - K. H. Ara, S. K. Bakre, H. A. Gade, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza and F. N. Souza - founded the Progressive Artist's Group, to establish new ways of expressing India in the post-colonial era.

Though the group was dissolved in 1956, it was profoundly influential in changing the idiom of Indian art. Almost all India's major artists in the 1950s were associated with the group. Some of those who are well-known today are Bal Chabda, V. S. Gaitonde, Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar, Tyeb Mehta, and Akbar Padamsee.

Present day Indian Art is as varied as had been never before. Among the best known Artists of newer generation include Devajyoti ray, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Bose Krishnamachari. Most of these artists are born after the 1960s and are bringing a rare freshness to the Art scene.

After Independence for quite some time artists in India continued with these nationalistic anti-European sentiments. In 21st century as India now gets integrated to the world, the artists are once again showing readiness to accept world trends in Art.

Indian Art is now fast getting global and one can see newer forms and idioms of art. New schools of art are emerging. Only time would tell as which among these would survive the test of time.

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