Kangra Art produced by a new generation of artists from the Chitera Art School in the Kangra Valley in the Lower Himalayas in the North of India are presented here.
PLEASE NOTE: These are NOT the Original Kangra Paintings produced in the 18th century.
The traditional Kangra Paintings represent one of the finest miniature painting styles from India. This great art originated in a small hill state 'Guler' in the Lower Himalayas in the first half of the eighteenth century when a family of Kashmiri painters trained in Mughal Style of painting sought shelter at the court of Raja Dalip Singh (r. 1695-1741) of Guler. The new arrivals mingled with the local artists and were greatly influenced by the atmosphere of the hills. Instead of painting flattering portraits of their masters and love scenes, the artistes adopted themes of eternal love between Radha and Krishna. The paintings were naturalistic and employed cool, fresh colors. The colors were extracted from minerals, vegetables and possessed enamel-like luster. Verdant greenery of the landscape, brooks, springs were the recurrent images on the miniatures.
The paintings presented here are produced by students at the Chitera School run by the 'Kangra Arts Promotion Society' (KAPS) in Himachal Pradesh. KAPS is a not for profit Society working towards promoting Kangra Art and working to create a new generation of artists of this Pahari miniature painting style. Five Benches, the parent company which owns the Himalayan People Platform, is helping KAPS to curate and present the work of the students from the valley to our patrons around the world.
Note: The paintings are sold framed.
