Radha by Nihal Chand, Kishangar School, 1760 AD.
Considered to be the 'Mona Lisa' of Indian art, this is a 'portrait' of Bani Thani, a courtesan of Kishangarh. The Maharaja of Kishangarh was in love with Bani Thhani. He also wrote beautiful poetry about the love between Lord Krishna and Radha. Thus, Bani Thani is depicted as 'Radha'.
This is an extremely 'stylized' portrait of a person. In fact it is so stylized that it became the hallmark of the Kishangarh School. The sharp featured face, with acquiline nose, upturned eye, high arched eyebrows, thin lips, a sharp chin, flowing hair, large earing, translucent chunni, bejewelled, and slender henna colored fingers. Many people fail to see the beauty in this face due to its disproportionate and angular face. But the artist has merely distilled the 'Rajput' concept of beauty. A sharp featured woman, with sharp nose, thin lips, big eyes, and with arched eyebrows.
It is a portrait of a coquettish woman who has lowered her eyes pretending to be aloofish yet listening to every word of her lover. It is a portrait of serenity, peace, and harmony. It is not a portrait of an individual, but of an ideal beauty.
This is an extremely 'stylized' portrait of a person. In fact it is so stylized that it became the hallmark of the Kishangarh School. The sharp featured face, with acquiline nose, upturned eye, high arched eyebrows, thin lips, a sharp chin, flowing hair, large earing, translucent chunni, bejewelled, and slender henna colored fingers. Many people fail to see the beauty in this face due to its disproportionate and angular face. But the artist has merely distilled the 'Rajput' concept of beauty. A sharp featured woman, with sharp nose, thin lips, big eyes, and with arched eyebrows.
It is a portrait of a coquettish woman who has lowered her eyes pretending to be aloofish yet listening to every word of her lover. It is a portrait of serenity, peace, and harmony. It is not a portrait of an individual, but of an ideal beauty.
Many people confuse the Kishangarh miniatures with Kangra miniatures. But the above mentioned features distinguish the two. This stereotype image became the leitmotif of the Kishangarh School.
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