Since time, the monsoon season has been one of the most important seasons in India. This season does not just bring in rain and a calmer environment; it is also highly crucial for the people. The agricultural sector is highly dependent on monsoons. Rain is vital not only for our environment and livelihood but also plays a cultural part in the lives of many Indians. Rains evoke various emotions among people. Rain is a central theme in many creative works such as literature, poems, cinema, art and music. Here, we will look into how these Indian artworks portrayed rains and themes of love, longing and community.
The month of Bhadon (August–September), from the series Baramasa series (Songs of the Twelve Months) c.1675
Bundi miniature
(source:https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/370.1991/)
Kālidāsa’s poem Meghadūta or Cloud Messenger depicted monsoon as:
“Rain clouds shroud the sky on every side,
Which wear the beauty of deep blue lotus petals,
And here look like heaps of made-up eye-salve, and there
Possess the charm of breasts of women with child”
As mentioned before, monsoons are not just a season of rain but a season of emotion. It inspires people to love and community and various religious and secular festivals are celebrated during this time. Thunder, lightning, and eventual rain are the trademarks of the season; they are also beautifully expressed in literary and visual works. When it comes to art depicting monsoons, miniature paintings best depict the rains, as they illustrate the rains and tell the viewer a story through the painting. The depiction of different landscapes, such as mountains, thunderous storms, and even bodies of water, helps us understand the various emotions the painting wants to convey.
One One of the paintings in Meghdoot Chitravali(1945) by Ramgopal Vijaivargiya.
(Image Source: https://www.theheritagelab.in/meghdoot-kalidas-ramgopal-vijaivargiya/)
It is seen that in most miniatures, Radha and Krishna were usually the central figures of romance and hence are depicted in many paintings, especially by schools of miniature paintings such as Rajasthani and Pahari.
G.R.K Murthy wrote Rajput miniatures depicting specific events of the monsoon. These paintings portray them as women swinging in the swing hanging from a blossoming tree, beautiful paintings of Krishna as a personification of raag megh malhar blowing conch to invite the rains, a royal couple watching water birds and lightning outlined against the cloudy sky, white cranes and whirling clouds, from the terrace of the palace, etc.
Raga Megh Malhar(c.17th century CE) (Image source: https://www.indianculture.gov.in/museum-paintings/raga-megh-malhar)
Bikaner School Painting created on paper using watercolours
This painting is currently present in the Allahabad Museum. This painting shows Krishna dancing under a tree with Radha. They are accompanied by different women playing musical instruments. There are also two cows who are running towards each other.
Let us look at some famous miniature paintings that highlight the elements of love and longing and also depict human behaviour towards monsoons.
BRUSH STROKES AND CONTRASTS: THE PAINTING OF PRINCE AMAR SINGH II
Prince Amar Singh II walking in the rain (c.1690)
Mewar Court, Rajput School
(source:https://www.si.edu/object/prince-amar-singh-ii-walking-rain:fsg_F2012.4.3)
This late 17th-century painting shows Prince Amar Singh II walking in the rain. This is an interesting piece as it is a stark contrast to how royalty is traditionally depicted in paintings. One must note that paintings are also political tools to portray not just legitimacy and authority but also grandeur and the might of the kingdom. Using halos, harmony between the tiger and the sheep, peacocks, etc., were certain symbols in how the Mughal royalty and others depicted their authority. However, in contrast, this painting of the prince in the rain uses an umbrella and is barefoot and alone. This painting is currently present in the Freer Gallery of Art.
ABHISARIKA NAYIKA: THE HEROINE GOING TO MEET HER LOVER
Abhisarika Nayika is one of the eight heroines from the Ashta-Nayika. These Ashta-Nayikas represent different types of heroines, such as one who is dressed up for union, the one who is distressed by separation, the one who is enraged with her lover, etc. Abhisarika Nayika is the heroine; the one who is going to meet her lover. This type of Nayika has been represented in many miniature paintings. It has also been described through various subjects, one such being Radha, who braves all odds to meet her lover, Krishna. The central aspect of Abhisarika Nayika in these paintings is her bracing through all obstacles to meet her lover. Bracing through snakes, demons and rain, she runs through all odds to meet her dear lover.
Radha as an Abhisarika (1660)
Mewar Court
(source:https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_S2018.1.72/)
In this painting, Radha is depicted as an Abhisarika, the one who is fearless and brave enough to meet her lover, Lord Krishna. She is walking barefoot on a dark rainy night, bracing through lightning and passing through various demons and snakes, as well as a tiger, who are all obstructing her from meeting her lover, Krishna.
Abhisarika Nayika, folio from a Rasikpriya(c.1615-1625)
Amber Court
(source:https://asia-archive.si.edu/object/S2018.1.34/)
This painting shows how the Nayika is surrounded by snakes and demons, which obstruct her from meeting her lover.
Apart from the miniatures, monsoons were also depicted in other schools of art as well. Monsoons have inspired everyone from the Bengal School of Art to the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group. Here, we will look at how Warli Painting depicted monsoons.
Warli Painting is a tribal art form from the North Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra. Due to their oral tradition practices, the Warlis paint massive and elaborate tales on their houses’ walls and other common areas of their community. Using materials such as bamboo sticks as paint brushes and colours such as turmeric, kumkum, and leaves as natural dyes and gum, they depict the daily lives of the people, their belief systems, and various human emotions.
First Rainfall Warli Painting by Ramesh Hengadi
(Source:https://phillipsantiques.com/product/first-rainfall-warli-painting/)
With the coming of the 20th century, Bengal saw the emergence of the Bengal School of Art led by artists Abanindranath Tagore and EB Havell. With elements of various art movements and ideas of nationalism and Pan-Asianism, the Bengal School of Art was distinct from the previous schools of art in the subcontinent. Many notable painters include Nandalal Bose, Kshitindranath Mukherjee, AR Chugtai, Asit Kumar Haldar, Sunayani Devi, Mukul Dey and K Venkatappa. The art in Bengal School depicted various still life and daily lives of people in the paintings. They also depicted monsoons. Here is an untitled work by Nandlal Bose, where four figures with umbrellas during monsoon
Nandalal Bose: Untitled (Four Figures with Umbrellas during Monsoon);
1959 (source: https://hvrd.art/o/349799)
Overall, rains in India are not just seen as events for secular and religious functions; rains are also highly romanticised in Indian culture. Emotions of longing, love and desire are all emoted either through paintings, music, or even literature. Even today, monsoon rains inspire many movies, music, and paintings.
REFERENCES:
Begum, M. (2022) Depiction of rain in the Rajput Miniature tradition – Articulate. https://articulate.org.in/depiction-of-rain-in-the-rajput-miniature-tradition/.
ExoticIndiaArt (2021) Warli Art – The Tribal Art Expressing Life through Geometry. https://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/warli-art-the-indigenous-tribal-art/.
India, T.O. (2005) ‘The monsoon,’ The Times of India, 27 July. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/edit-page/the-monsoon/articleshow/1184176.cms.
Klimek, C. (2023) ‘What Centuries-Old Indian court paintings tell us about climate change,’ Smithsonian Magazine, 13 April. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/what-centuries-old-indian-court-paintings-tell-us-about-climate-change-180981974/.
MAP Academy (2023) Bengal School – MAP Academy. https://mapacademy.io/article/bengal-school/.
Murty, G. (2014) ‘India’s romance with monsoon rains: A peep into poetic expressions and personal experiences,’ ResearchGate [Preprint]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286859012_India’s_romance_with_monsoon_rains_A_peep_into_poetic_expressions_and_personal_experiences.
Rooftop (2023) The Indian Monsoon Painting – a seasonal tryst of traditional art. https://rooftopapp.com/the-indian-monsoon-painting-a-seasonal-tryst-of-traditional-art/#:~:text=Natural%20And%20Social%20Landscapes%20in%20Indian%20Monsoon%20Paintings&text=For%20instance%2C%20this%20Indian%20monsoon,busy%20working%20through%20the%20monsoon.&text=Similarly%2C%20this%20Warli%20painting%20depicts,of%20people%20during%20the%20rains.
