One of the minor miracles of art history is the extraordinary
flowering of Indian painting that began in the mid-sixteenth
century under the early Mughal emperors of Indian, notably Akbar
the Great.
Only in recent decades has the consummate artistry of early
Mughal painting come to be widely appreciated in the West. Scholars
have noted the innovations--departures from both Islamic and native
Indian tradition--of the new, highly distinctive school of
painting, among them natural history studies, a concern for
portraiture, and the documentation of contemporary court
events.
Milo Beach traces, with an abundance of captivating
illustrations, the evolution of the Mughal style. While
acknowledging the influence of Akbar's interests and changing
tastes (related in turn to historical and biographical
circumstances), he shows that many of the new tendencies were
evident during the short reign of Akbar's father, the Emperor
Humayun, whose role as patron of the arts is thereby reassessed.
Beach also stresses the traditionalism of the individual painters,
who only gradually changed their concepts and compositions in
response to foreign influences and to imperial taste. Mughal art,
he affirms, can no longer be regarded as simply a reflection of its
imperial patrons.
The book takes account of recently discovered material and
reproduces for the first time important paintings from unpublished
manuscripts and albums. It will appeal to the general reader as
well as the scholar.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!