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Paintings » Indian Paintings » Mughal School Of Arts » Mughal Style
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Akbar (1556 - 1605), the third Mughal Emperor of India, is the founder of the Mughal School. After he had consolidated his power, he built the city of Fatehpur Sikri with its numerous palaces, mosques, baths, school, a library and a mint in 1569. At fatehpur Sikri, he collected architects, writers, poets, musicians, philosophers, painters and calligraphers. In the royal atelier at Fatehpur Sikri, over a hundred painters, mostly Hindus from Gujrat, Gwalior and Kashmir were employed to work under the two Persian master-artists Abdus Samad and Mir sayyed Ali.The inspiration came from patron Akbar. Akbar, though a genius was illiterate. It seems that he encouraged painting as a visual aid for he was unable to read.
The first series of paintings executed for Akbar are those of Hamza-nama, th adventure of Amir Hamza, an uncle of profet. Mughal paintings were painted on cloth. At the initial stage Mughal paintings were as Persian style. The next series of paintings was done under Akbar was Timur Nama, the Babur Nama and Akbar Nama. Akbar's deep interest in religion led him to the Hindu classics and he ordered to artists to illustrate the epics of Hindu like Ramayana and Mahabharata.
In 1605 the Jahangir succeeded Akbar as the Emperor of India he also encouraged portraiture and painting of Darbar scenes. He has special interest in natural history. Then Shah Jahan succeeded Jahangir in 1628 he made Tajmahal at Agra and red fort at New Delhi. Apart from his taste in architecture, he also encouraged painters and paintings.
During the reign of Aurangzeb (1658 - 1707) art passed through a stage of Hibernation. Aurangzeb was a religious fanatic who hated all arts. In 1707 the death of Aurangzeb marked a turning point in history of India. The stage had been set for the collapse of the Mughals, which was to follow in fifty years. The Rajput who comprised an important element in the Mughal army was disillusioned and disheartened. The Marathas had started eating in to vitals of the empire in the southwest and the Sikh guerrillas who were to extinguish Mughal power in the north were getting organized.
The next Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah (1707-1712) the successor of Aurangzeb, then Jahandar Shah, who reigned for about a year, then Farrukhsiyar (1713-19) was another unworthy ruler who described as feeble, false, cowardly and contemptible. , Then in 1719 the colourful ruler Muhammad Shah ascended the throne. During this period all Mughal emperor patronize painting and other arts but power of Mughal's become decrease day by day.
In 1738, Nadir Shah, the Persian adventurer, invaded India. In 1739, he defeated Muhammad Shah and occupied Delhi. He perpetrated a massacre on the citizens of Delhi, which is still remembered. This invasion shattered the cultural life of Delhi and artists migrated to Oudh, the Deccan and Rajput states of Rajsthan and the Punjab Himalayas.
From 1760 the decline of Mughal paintings began, during the reign of Muhammad Shah's successors particularly Shah Alam (1759-1806) copies of old masterpieces were mass- produced for sale to unsuspecting customers. |
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