Painting is the expression of ideas and emotions, with the creation of certain aesthetic qualities, in a two-dimensional visual language. Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface. The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and airbrushes, can be used. The support for paintings includes such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, pottery, leaf, copper and concrete, and the painting may incorporate multiple other materials, including sand, clay, paper, plaster, gold leaf, and even whole objects. An artist’s decision to use a particular medium, such as tempera, fresco, oil, acrylic, watercolour or other water-based paints, ink, gouache, encaustic, or casein, as well as the choice of a particular form, such as mural, easel, panel, miniature, manuscript illumination, scroll, screen or fan, panorama, or any of a variety of modern forms, is based on the sensuous qualities and the expressive possibilities and limitations of those options. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art, though because of the climatic conditions very few early examples survive.[1] The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of prehistoric times, such as the petroglyphs found in places like Bhimbetka rock shelters. Miniature paintings and folk art paintings are an artisan’s expression in pictorial form and have long formed an integral part of India’s handicrafts products. India has a very rich culture and tradition and it portrays it through its amazing art and craft. Various painting styles are prevalent across various regions, each representing tradition, customs, and ideologies passed on from one generation to other generation. Here is the list of 10 distinct types of Indian paintings.

1.Madhubani Paintings

One of the most celebrated styles of folk paintings in India is, Madhubani art or Mithila art which originated in the Mithila region of Bihar as a form of wall art. This painting is done with a variety of tools, including fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks and using natural dyes and pigments. There is ritual content for particular occasions, such as birth or marriage, and festivals, such as Holi, Surya Shasti, Kali Puja, Upanayana, and Durga Puja. Natural objects like the sun, the moon, and religious plants like tulsi are also widely painted. It originated from Madhubani district of the Mithila region of Bihar. Madhubani is also a major export center of these paintings. The paintings were traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts, but now they are also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas. Madhubani paintings mostly depict people and their association with nature and scenes and deities from the ancient epics. The colors used in Madhubani paintings are usually derived from plants and other natural sources. These colors are often bright and pigments like lampblack and ochre are used to create black and brown respectively. Some of the initial references to the Madhubani painting can be found in the Hindu epic Ramayana when King Janaka, Sita’s father, asks his painters to create Madhubani paintings for his daughter’s wedding. Madhubani paintings were initially practiced by different sects of people and hence the paintings were categorized into five different styles, such as Tantrik, Kohbar, Bharni, Godna, Katchni. But today, these five different styles have been merged by contemporary artists. The designs are characterised by eye-catching geometrical patterns, symbolic images, and scenes from mythology.

2.Warli Paintings

The 3000-year-old tradition of Warli paintings of the Thane and Nasik areas of Maharashtra are closely linked with nature and social rituals of the tribe. Warli paintings showcase daily activities of the local people of that community like farming, dancing, hunting, praying etc. Traditionally, women used twigs to draw lively designs with rice paste on mud walls of tribal houses to mark celebrations of harvests or weddings. Simple geometrical patterns in white against a red or yellow surface are used to depict everyday life scenes. Warli is not just an art form, but a way of life for the Warli (Varli) tribes from the mountains and coastal regions in and around the borders of Maharashtra and Gujarat. This art has an enigmatic appeal. Those from the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra surely have a sense of sentiment attached to the art form as they’ve seen it on the walls of rural schools and homes way before they became popular on modern lifestyle products. Today, the Warli art form is not only popular in metros like Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi, but internationally as well. Today, a variety of colours are being used to replicate these artistic motifs on fabrics, home décor or other artistic forms. From brightly coloured umbrellas to coffee mugs and tea cups, rustic wall clocks, accents for walls and stationery Warli is pretty much everywhere. It uses rudimentary style where circles, triangles and squares are used to depict human forms, animals and nature. Warli women used to paint these simple images on their home walls and this art has now travelled to our drawing room.

3.Kalighat Painting or Bengal Pat

The Kalighat painting style was developed around mid 19th century in the neighbourhood of Kali Temple in Calcutta. These drawings on paper were done by a group known as “patuas” hence the name Kalighata Pata. They depicted scenes of everyday life and mythological deities in a simple yet captivating manner and developed into the popular kalighat style of painting. Kalighat painters predominantly use earthy Indian colors like indigo, ochre, Indian red, grey, blue and white. As India’s unofficial cultural capital, has pioneered several movements and trends in literature, theater, and the visual arts over the past several centuries. Painted mostly on mill-made paper with flowing brushwork and bold dyes, Kalighat paintings are said to have originated in the vicinity of the iconic Kalighat Kali Temple in Kolkata. The art almost always depicted Hindu gods and mythological characters, or incidents, themes, and characters from everyday life. Legend has it that Sati slew herself after Lord Shiva was insulted by her father Daksha. Following this, Shiva wandered with her body on his shoulder threatening to destroy the universe. Vishnu, the preserver of Earth, intervened and shattered Sati’s body into 51 pieces which fell at different spots across the Indian subcontinent. These sites are known as Shakti Peethas. The toe of her right foot is said to have fallen at the site of the Kalighat Temple, associating it with Goddess Kali- the ferocious form of Sati.

4.Phad Painting

Phad paintings are created on hand-woven coarse cotton cloth, which is soaked overnight to thicken the threads. It is then stiffened with starch from rice or wheat flour, stretched, dried in the sun and rubbed with a moonstone to smoothen the surface and give it a sheen. The entire process of making a Phad painting is completely natural, with the use of natural fibres, and natural paints sourced from stones, flowers, plants and herbs. The paints are handmade by the artists, and mixed with gum and water before applying to cloth. Typical colors seen in a Phad painting are yellow, orange, green, brown, red, blue and black. Phad painting or Phad is a style religious scroll painting and folk painting, practiced in Rajasthan state of India. The narratives of the folk deities of Rajasthan, mostly of Pabuji and Devnarayan are depicted on the phads. The Bhopas, the priest-singers traditionally carry the painted phads along with them and use these as the mobile temples of the folk deities. The phads of Pabuji are normally about 15 feet in length, while the phads of Devnarayan are normally about 30 feet long. Traditionally the phads are painted with vegetable colors. Phad finds its origins in Shahpura, near Bhilwara, Rajasthan. Phad is a type of scroll painting that narrates elaborate religious stories of local deities and gods. The Phad painting would be unrolled, or unfolded after sunset, and the performance in front of village members, would last into the night. This is perhaps why the paintings are called ‘Phad’, which means ‘fold’ in the local dialect.

5.Kalamkari Painting

This 3000-year-old organic art of hand and block printing was traditionally used for making narrative scrolls and panels. Kalamkari derives its name from kalam or pen and is a in Kalahasti and Machilipatnam. The stylised animal forms, floral motifs and mehrab designs predominant in Kalamkari paintings have also found a place in Kalamkari textiles. Kalamkari art primarily involves earthy colours like indigo, green, rust, black and mustard. The unique feature of the Kalamkari art is that it makes use of only natural colours or vegetable dyes. Kalamkari art was the household occupation of several rural women and craftsmen in the ancient times and continues to be passed down from one generation to the next. Andhra Pradesh is still the main hub of kalamkari printing in the country. Craftsmen engaged in kalamkari art had to later modernize some of the ancient, Hindu-mythology inspired kalamkari themes because there was an increasing demand for these prints in the international market. Kalamkari art is available in two distinct styles: Machilipatnam and Srikalahasti: 1. Kalahasti Kalamkari, 2.Machilipatnam Kalamkari . An increasing number of people all across the globe are now discouraging the use of harmful chemicals in production and manufacturing. In such a scenario, kalamkari emerges as the perfect craft because it avoids the use of artificial chemicals and still produces beautifully colored fabrics.

6.Miniature Painting

It developed into a distinct style with a combination of Islamic, Persian and Indian elements. The painting is done using natural stone colors on a paper-based “wasli”. Mineral colors, precious stones, conch shells, gold and silver are used in the miniatures. Fine brushwork, intricacy, detailing and stylization are the unique attributes of miniature painting. Across India, the miniature painting style has developed into distinct schools of miniature paintings like Kangra, Rajasthan, Malwa, Pahadi, Mughal, Deccan etc. to name a few. The Miniature painting style came to India with the Mughals in the 16th century and is identified as an important milestone in the history of Indian art. Miniature art is an intense labour of love illustrated on a range of materials like palm leaves, paper, wood, marble, ivory panels and cloth. Organic and natural minerals like stone dust, real gold and silver dust are used to create the exquisite colors. Even the paper used is special; polished with stone to render a smooth non porous surface. Miniature painting, also called limning, small, finely wrought portrait executed on vellum, prepared card, copper, or ivory. The name is derived from the minium, or red lead, used by the medieval illuminators. Defined by delicate brushwork, a mélange of colors, and graceful forms, miniature paintings are so delicate, that even today, with so much modernization, squirrel hair is used to create the brushes used in this art form. Each painting abounds with fine photographic details, capturing even the hair on a character.

7.Gond Painting

Gond art is a form of painting from folk and tribal art that is practiced by one of the largest tribes in India – Gond – who are predominantly from Madhya Pradesh, but also can be found in of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhatisgarh, and Odisha. These vibrant paintings created with a series of intricately arranged dots and dashes were developed by the Gondi tribe of central India. The tribals recreate mythological tales and oral histories to traditional songs, natural surroundings, important events and rituals in with great intricacy, rich detailing, and bright colors. Traditionally, colors were derived from natural resources like cow dung, plant sap, charcoal, coloured soil, mud, flowers, leaves etc. Gond artists now use commercial water-based colors to paint on paper and canvas. The Gond, who are predominantly from Madhya Pradesh, but also can be found in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhatisgarh, and Odisha. Gond paintings can be described as ‘on line work’. Art is created by lines in such a way to convey a sense of movement to still images. Dots and dashes are added to impart a greater sense of movement and increase the amount of detail. Another very striking facet of Gond paintings is the use of bright vivid colors such as white, red, blue and yellow. A certain sense of balance and symmetry can be observed in the pattern used, such as spiral forms along with trees, leaves, animals and human figures. Gond comes from the Dravidian expression, Kond which means ‘the green mountain’.

8.Kerala Mural

The paintings present a highly stylised version of the gods, with wide open eyes, elongated lips and exaggerated eyebrows, which can be compared to forms depicted in the classical theatre of Kerala. Also, the figures along with animals and vegetation are executed in a technically unmatched manner. The color palette consists of just five colors (Panchavarna) or red, yellow, green, black and white and the colors are derived from natural sources. Ochre-red, yellow- ochre, bluish- green, white and pure colors are predominantly used in Kerala mural painting. There are over the deities who are held in high esteem by the Oriyas and who inspire religion, life and activity of the people also carry with them a tradition of art and painting which is as old as the deities themselves. Kerala mural paintings are the frescos depicting Hindu mythology in Kerala. The murals of Thirunadhikkara Cave Temple and Tiruvanchikulam are considered the oldest relics of Kerala’s own style of murals. The masterpieces of Kerala mural art include: the Shiva Temple in Ettumanoor, the Ramayana murals of Mattancherry Palace and Vadakkumnatha kshetram. Other fine mural paintings are depicted in temples at Trikodithanam, Vaikom Temple, Pundarikapuram, Udayanapuram, Triprangode, Guruvayoor, Kumaranalloor, Aymanam, the Vadakkunathan temple in Trichur, the Thodeekkalam temple in Kannur and the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram.

9.Patachitra

Colors used in the Paintings are natural and paintings are made fully old traditional way by Chitrakaras that is Odiya Painter. Pattachitra style of painting is one of the oldest and most popular art forms of Odisha. Patachitra is the cloth scroll painting tradition from Odisha, dedicated to mythological and religious themes. Bold, strong outlines, vibrant colors like white, red yellow and black with decorative borders are some of the characteristics of patachitra painting style,that is admired across the world. Patachitras are a component of an ancient Bengali narrative art, originally serving as a visual device during the performance of a song. The paintings of Odisha can be divided into three categories from the point of view of medium, i.e. paintings on cloth or ‘Patta Chitra’, paintings on walls or ‘Bhitti Chitra’ and palm leaf engravings or “Tala Patra Chitra’ or “Pothi, Chitra’. The painting the ‘pattachitra’ resemble the old murals of Odisha especially religious centres of Puri, Konark and Bhubaneshwar region. The colors are rich and vibrant, the motifs and designs very creative, the themes portrayed being quite simple, the narrative mostly from religious texts, the epics. – The Patachitra painting art is believed to be more than a thousand years old.

10.Picchwai

A stretched hand spun cloth and handmade paper is used as base medium. Natural stones are hand crushed and mixed with natural binder to create natural colors. Imagineers use brushes made of natural hair sources with wooden handles. In all, the entire process followed in creating these illustrative art form at Imagineers Studio is completely environment friendly creating minimum carbon footprint in line with original tradition. The art of Picchwai originated as wall hangings behind the main deity in Krishna temples in Nathdwara. They narrate stories related to Lord Krishna. Gradually with commercialisation secular themes are also incorporated in the Picchwai style of painting. Gopashtami Pichwai is a painting of Krishna playing his flute with cows. They are large paintings on cotton cloth painted with natural colours. These paintings are usually hung on the wall behind the idol of Lord Krishna. They illustrate some of this his leelas. Pichchwais are large paintings on cloth which were typically hung in the shrine on the wall behind the main idol. Picchwai is a sanskrit word, Pich in sanskrit means ‘back’ and Wai means ‘hanging’. Pichwai painting style is an Indian traditional art form which originated hundreds of years ago in the backdrop of Shrinath Ji temple situated in Nathdwara town of Rajasthan. Persons from rural area of India work on a single peace of Picchwai fine arts for weeks.