The Manuscript Painting TraditionClass 12 Fine Arts NCERT Solutions
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Q1Exercise
What are manuscript paintings? Name two places, where the tradition of manuscript painting was prevalent?
Solution
Manuscript paintings, also known as manuscript illustrations, are pictorial translations of poetic verses from various manuscripts, such as epics, and literary, religious, or music texts. These paintings are typically part of a thematic set, with each painting or folio corresponding to a specific portion of the text.
The text is often handwritten in a clearly demarcated space on the upper portion of the painting or on its reverse. These paintings are generally small in size, earning them the name 'miniature paintings', and were intended to be held and viewed up close. Each set of folios was traditionally wrapped in cloth and stored in a library.
Based on the text, two prominent places where the tradition of manuscript painting was prevalent are:
- Western India: This region, particularly Gujarat, along with southern Rajasthan and western parts of Central India, was a major centre for the Western Indian School of Painting. The Jain community were significant patrons, leading to the development of the Jain School of Painting.
- Eastern India: During the Pala period (c. 750–1150 CE), eastern India was a flourishing centre for manuscript painting. Monasteries such as Nalanda and Vikramsila were great centres of Buddhist learning and art, where numerous manuscripts on palm leaves were illustrated with Buddhist themes.
Q2Exercise
Take a chapter from any one of our language textbooks and make an illustrated folio with selected text (in minimum five pages).
Solution
This is an activity-based question. To create an illustrated folio based on the manuscript painting tradition described in the chapter, you should follow these steps:
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Select a Text: Choose a chapter from a language textbook that has a strong narrative or descriptive imagery, such as a poem or a story. Divide the selected text into five distinct parts, one for each page of your folio.
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Prepare the Folios: Take five sheets of paper to serve as your folios. On each sheet, plan the layout. According to the tradition mentioned in the text, you should create a clearly demarcated, box-like space, typically at the top of the page.
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Inscribe the Text: Carefully handwrite the selected portion of the text for each page within the demarcated space you have created. This mirrors the practice of scribes writing verses on the folios.
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Illustrate the Verse: In the remaining space on each folio, create a painting that visually represents the text you have written. Your illustration should be a 'pictorial translation' of the verse.
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Incorporate Stylistic Elements: While painting, you can try to incorporate some of the stylistic features mentioned in the chapter:
- Use bright colours, as seen in the Western Indian School.
- Define figures and objects with clear, wiry lines.
- Divide the space into sections to depict different parts of the narrative on a single page.
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Compile the Folio Set: Once all five pages are complete, you can keep them as loose folios. Traditionally, such a set would be wrapped in a piece of cloth for storage. This completes your manuscript illustration set in the traditional style.