Mewar
The school of painting flourishing in the former state of Udaipur, the historic principality of Mewar, is the most important amongst all the schools of Rajasthani Painting. In ancient and medi- eval periods the Mewar region was well known as a great centre of artistic and cultural activity. Amongst its rulers Rana Kumbha (1433- 1464) and Rana Sanga (1509-1539) were great patrons of art and architecture, literature and music. Rana Udai Singh (1537-1572) built the beautiful city of Udaipur with fine palaces on the eastern bank of the Pichhola lake. Even, Rana Pratap (1572-1587) who had to flee from Chittor and live in the abode of Chavand for his valorous refusal to yield to the pressure of the powerful Mughal army of Emperor Akbar, gave refuge to artists and craftsmen. With their help his son Amar Singh (1597-1620) had a remarkable set of Ragamala painted. From his and his son Karan Singh's (1620-1628) reign rela- tions with the Mughals became cordial. Karan Singh's successor Jagat Singh (1628-1652) was a great patron of art and architecture and Mewar painting reached its highest glory during his reign.
As has been noted above the earliest evidence of painting is furnished by a palm-leaf manuscript of Savaga - Padikkamanaâsutta chunni painted in 1260 A.D. during the reign of Tejasimha. The paintings of this manuscript belong to the western Indian miniature style with no remarkable difference. The next important document is an illustrated paper manuscript of Supasanahancharyam painted in Delwada in 1422/23 AD. The style of its 37 miniatures belongs to the same tradition as edidenced in the two known Kalpasutra manuscripts painted at Mandu in 1439 A.D. and Jaunpur in 1465 AD.
So far no evidence has been found from the century which can be definitely ascribed to Mewar. But judging from the maturity of the style noticed in the miniatures of the Ragamalas and their close- ness to the miniatures of the Chaurapanchasika group, it seems prob- able that the tradition of painting was surely continued in Mewar. As proposed earlier, the entire series of painting of the Chaurapanchasika group might not have been confined to the Delhi Agra, Jaunpur reglon but might have flourished in Mewar as well. In fact Mewar paint- g of the early 17th century shows so much of its remnants that it would not surprise anybody if a dated miniature of this style is found to have been painted in Mewar.
The Ragamala painting painted at Chavand are square in format. Their colours are dazzling, male costumes have triangular ends and female figures bear a close affinity with similar characters in the Chaurapanchasika group. The impact of Mughal painting, though subdued is quite apparent.
The superb qualitý of Mewar painting was achieved during the reign of Rana Jagat Singh (1628-1652). A brilliant set of nine Ragamala paintings, painted by Sahibdin in 1628, the Bhagavat purana illustrated by the same painter in 1648 and the Ramayana illustrated by Manohar in 1649 testify to this fact. The Ragamala now preserved in the National Museum, Delhi, is a very important document because if depicts the high aesthetic quality achieved by the painters of Mewar during such a short time. It seems that works like the Ragamala, Nayaka Nayika series, the Rasaman Jari, the Gita Govinda and Rasika Priya etc. were prepared in the years following this. The illustrations of the Bhagavata Purana and the Ramayana were conceived in much more complex compositions. On the whole the dominating characteristics of Mewar painting of this period are-the use of dazzling colours against patches of blue or red or green, the appearance of stylised trees, naturalised birds and flowers and Mughal-type hills, and an admixture of Mughal and traditional Rajasthani costumes adorning the conventionalised male and female figures. The paintings follow the Mughal pattern rather closely but never allow it to overrule the typically Mewari features in techniques, treatment, and expression which are simple, straightforward and symbolic. On the whole the painting of Mewar during the first half of the seventeenth century are very attractive and charming for their colourfulness and beauty. Their superb quality inspired movement in far away Aurangabad, where an illustrated manuscript of Rasamanjari was prepared in 1650 for one Sisodiya Mohan Singh Shekhawat.
Raj Singh (1652-1680) was celebrated for his boldness in providing sanctuary to image of Srinathji at Nathdwara, which became the principal seat of Vallabhcharya Vaisnavas. Due to paucity of material it appears that the style of painting did not change during the earlier part of his rule, but it became highly stylised during the later part. The figure became squat and brilliant enamel like colours of the earlier period gave way to a dull conventionalised colour-scheme. But the school remained highly productive and inspite of the marked decadence in quality, a high number of paintings were produced in various centres of the State. Large number of devotional paintings concerning Srinathji and his worship and legends were produced at Nathdwara. The surroundings areas which came under the influence of the Mewar school are Sirohi, Sawar, Devgarh, Pratapgarh, Dungarpur and Banswara. Though these minor centres took Mewar as their ideal, development of their styles did not take uniform course. Sirohi and Devgarh produced some wonderful miniatures well up to the 19th century many of which even surpass the quality of paint- ings painted at Mewar during the same period.
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