Test: The Deccani Schools of Painting- 1 - Humanities/Arts MCQ

The history of Deccani Painting can largely be constructed from the late sixteenth century until the 1680s, which is when the Mughals conquered the Deccan.

The Deccani style of Painting was considered to be Middle Eastern, Safavid, Persian, Turkish and even Mughal in origin.

The kingdoms of Bijapur, Golconda and Ahmadnagar developed highly sophisticated and distinct school of court painting.

The art of portraiture and representation of historical and religious figures are seen elsewhere in other contemporary schools of painting such as the Mughal, Safavid and Ottoman Schools of Painting.

The highly documentary nature of portraits is a singularly unique development seen extensively in the Asian Islamic art as also in the Mughal art in India.

The school of Bijapur preferred dense composition and attempted to create an aura of romance, which invariably expressed itself in an idiom that was eloquently natural and vivid.

The Deccani style of painting has a unique sensuality and intense colors that have a strong affinity to regional aesthetics.

The Bijapur School of Painting is known for its highly sophisticated and distinct court painting style, which was patronized by Ali Adil Shah I and his successor Ibrahim II. They were both patrons of art and literature and commissioned works that reflected their artistic sensibilities.

The Golconda School of Painting developed a highly sophisticated and distinct court painting style, characterized by its unique sensuality and intense colors. The school preferred dense composition and attempted to create an aura of romance, which invariably expressed itself in an idiom that was eloquently natural and vivid.

The highly documentary nature of portraits is a singularly unique development seen extensively in Mughal art in India. This style of portraiture is not wholly unique as we see similar artistic inclinations in the Safavid and Ottoman Schools of Painting.

The Ahmadnagar School of Painting was nurtured and expanded under various Sultans of the Deccan in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The earliest examples of Deccani painting are in a volume of poems, celebrating the reign of Hussain Nizam Shah I of Ahmadnagar (1553–1565).

All the Deccani kingdoms, including Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, and Golconda, owe their landscape idiom to Persia. The high circular horizon and gold sky seen in Deccani paintings have Persian influence.

The Nujum al-Ulum manuscript is a richly illustrated encyclopaedia from Bijapur in the sixteenth century. Among the 876 miniatures, which adorn this remarkable little volume, many illustrate weapons and utensils, while others the constellations. The astronomical illustrations in Nujum al-Ulum may have been derived from Ottoman Turkish.

The women in the paintings of Ahmadnagar wear a modified northern costume with choli (bodice) and long braided pigtails, ending in a tassel. Only a long scarf, passing round the body below the hips, is a southern fashion, which is seen in the Lepakshi paintings. However, in the paintings of Ahmadnagar, the scarf is not seen, and instead, the women wear a modified version of the southern half saree or langa davani, which is a type of southern costume. The langa davani consists of a long skirt and a draped scarf or dupatta worn over the shoulders, and this costume has been modified in the paintings of Ahmadnagar to include a choli or bodice, which is a northern garment. Thus, the women in the paintings of Ahmadnagar wear a modified southern costume with elements of northern fashion.

The Composite Horse painting includes human figures intertwined in a manner that emerges as an extraordinary form of a galloping horse.