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Arts & Crafts of Bikaner
The Royal Ateliers of Rajasthan
The
Rajasthani miniature evolved styles that became apparent in the different Kingdoms
where it found patronage. Used initially as the illusration for the text, they
evolved later as the portfolios of the life and times of their royal patrons.
In Rajasthan there were seven distinctive styles of what are also reffered to
as Rajput paintings and they evolved in the following seven states.
One of the finest schools of miniatures developed in this desert state .Early
examples exist from 1600 on and show a marked Mughal influence .In fact ,the
local style kept pace with the painters in the mughals court ,and were expressive
of their nuances even when the Bikaneri artist tended to be more expressive
.There have been cases of mughals and Bikaneri miniatures being mistaken for
each other ,even though the painting used backgrounds and colourscapes that
are more pleasant ,and the foliage(as if to make up for the desert conditions),more
luxuriant. There is a palette of delicate subcolours, and a delicacy in the
portrayal of the human and vegetational forms.
