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Paintings in South India are famous for their intricate angles and bright colors. There are many schools for painting in South India like Mysore, Tanjore, Nayaka, Chola, and so on. Pallava period paintings are known to us from small fractions recorded in the little shrines set into the area wall of the Kailashnath temple at Kanchipuram. Mural and reader oils from the last 2 or 3 centuries stay alive to some extent from the South Indian paintings; Hindu paintings from the further isolated history survived to an important lower degree.
The art form dates back to the early 9th century which was an era dominated by the Chola rulers, who encouraged art and literature. Tanjore painting is an imperative form of classical South Indian painting that was the subject of the town of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu. The Miniature Painting in India expressed realism with its complete subtleties. The diverse schools of Indian miniatures like the Pala, Odisha, Jain, Mughal, Rajasthani and Nepali did not cultivate after separation. The 11th century Pala miniatures were the earliest to appear. The Tanjore Paintings date back to the early 9th century which was an era dominated by the Chola rulers, who promoted art and literature.
The tradition of South Indian painting has been carried on in the Indian subcontinent since ancient times. With time, South Indian paintings developed to turn into a kind of merge of the different traditions which were influencing them. There are different types of South Indian Paintings which are existing and some of them are as follows:
From down South, Tanjore or Thanjavur paintings originated in 1600 AD, encouraged by the Nayakas of Thanjavur. You can recognize a Thanjavur painting by its use of gold foil, which glitters and lends the painting a surreal look. These panel paintings on wooden planks depict devotion to gods, goddesses, and saints. It borrows its styles from Maratha and Deccani art, as well as European styles.
Mysore painting is an important form of classical South Indian painting that originated in the town of Mysore in Karnataka. These paintings are known for their elegance, muted colors, and attention to detail. The themes for most of these paintings are Hindu Gods and Goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology. In modern times, these paintings have become a much sought-after souvenir during festive occasions in South India.
The original paintings of Karnataka are of the prehistoric era about 2000 to1000 B.C. The depictions of animals, human figures, etc. are painted under the projected rocks which formed the home place of the ancient people. The practice of paintings in Karnataka owes its beginnings to the western Chalukyas who embellished the walls of the caves in Badami with attractive wall paintings in the 6th century A.D.
Hoysala paintings of South India are available in the painted palm leaf manuscripts, which are now well preserved in the Moodbidri library. They have illustrated manuscripts and thus do not contain only paintings but also the writing of the Hoysala period. The mural tradition has been a very vital practice in South Indian painting and images are accurately cut into rocks of the caves.
