Spotlight on Miniature Artists

Though traditional miniature art has its share of patrons in India,not many miniature artists have gained national recognition. Grouped together according to the imperial or regional schools that they belong to,the names of individual masters rarely surface at art exhibitions. This may now change,as an attempt is being made to showcase these artists on an international platform. At the Museum Rietberg in Zurich,an exhibition titled ‘The Way of the Master — The Great Artists of India,1100-1900’ brings together over 240 miniature masterpieces by more than 40 Indian artists. “This was an outcome of extensive research. An attempt has been made to identify the individual artist by the flourish of his brush,relying on painting techniques and specialisations,apart from information collected from oral histories,temples and pilgrimage records,” says BN Goswamy.

The Chandigarh-based art historian has been working on the exhibition for over three years,with Milo Beach from the United States and Switzerland-based Eberhard Fischer.

Sourced from 25 prestigious collections from the world over — including Royal Collection of Windsor Castle,Delhi’s National Museum,the Golestan Palace in Tehran and the Institute for Oriental Manuscripts,St Petersburg — the works on display range from early illustrators of Jain and Buddhist palm leaf manuscripts,to the painters of the Sultanate period. If Basawan,Keshavdas,Mansur and Abu’l Hasan represent the Mughal era,at the another end of the gallery are Pahari masters such as Kirpal,Manaku and Nainsukh. To make the experience of visiting the exhibition enriching,the museum has touch-screen information panels,apart from display of earth colours and natural pigments,brushes and implements used by the artists.