Shreya Haldar

"Wang Xizhi Watching Geese" by Qian Xuan depicts the "Sage of Calligraphy" leaning on a pavilion railing, gazing at a pair of geese swimming in a stream. The birds’ fluid, curving necks famously inspired Wang's mastery of the calligraphic brush. Painted in an archaic, dreamlike…

Krishna and Arjun (1920) is a seminal masterpiece by the pioneering self-taught artist and filmmaker Baburao Krishnarao Mestry, widely known as Baburao Painter. Measuring 40 x 30 inches and executed in oil on cloth, the artwork represents a radical departure from traditional, heavily stylized Indian…

The Mughal miniature painting "Sheikh Phul in His Hermitage" (c. 1610) is a masterwork attributed to Bishan Das, an eminent court artist under Emperor Jahangir. Currently preserved at the Bharat Kala Bhavan in Varanasi, this artwork captures the revered, eccentric Sufi saint Sheikh Phul of…

"The Man Kneeling Before an Ascetic With a Dog" is a traditional Mughal miniature painting that captures a deeply spiritual experience. In the painting, a lowly seeker, wearing beautiful clothes, kneels in devotion to a tranquil, partially naked ascetic (yogi) sitting outdoors in front of…

This Mughal miniature painting from the Razmnama depicts Arjuna overseeing the cremation of the fallen Andhaka and Yadava warriors at Prabhasa. On the left, a towering mass of orange flames engulfs a dense heap of bodies. A central figure clad in white pours sacred ghee…

This 1760 hanging scroll is Jin Nong’s Buddha in the Forest of No Worries. Painted during the Qianlong period when the artist was 74 years old, it depicts the Buddha meditating beneath a lush Asoka tree. Jin Nong deliberately rejects standard religious iconometry; instead of…

"Sa’di in a Rose Garden" is a celebrated Mughal miniature painting attributed to the master court artist Govardhan around 1645. Featured in a manuscript of the Gulistan (Rose Garden) housed at the Freer Gallery of Art, the artwork sensitively depicts the 13th-century Persian poet Sa’di…

River View, painted by Gaganendranath Tagore between 1905 and 1915, is a soothing watercolor, wash, and tempera painting. It portrays a misty and serene rural landscape of rural Bengal. This painting has a vast sky, a tranquil flowing river, and mysterious woods on its banks.…

This 16th-century Mughal miniature from the Akbarnama captures the intense chaos of the 1567 battle near Chunar, where Wazir Khan launched a daring rescue mission for his captive brother, Asaf Khan, against the rebel forces of Ali Quli Khan and Bahadur Khan. Designed by the…

"The Goddess Dances," created around 1660 by Pahari master Kripal of Nurpur, is an early Himalayan miniature painting depicting the multi-armed goddess Bhadrakali in ecstatic dance surrounded by adoring deities. Executed in opaque watercolor and silver on paper, the artwork exemplifies the vibrant Basohli-Nurpur style…

The Banyan Tree at Jorasanko (Jeevan-smriti) is a work done by Gaganendranath Tagore, who was the pioneer Indian painter in 1912 using brush and ink. This is an illustration created for the famous memoir written by his brother, Rabindranath Tagore. It is entitled Jeevan-Smriti or…

Black-hooded Oriole and Insect on Jackfruit Stump"(1778) is one of the most outstanding works of Shaikh Zainuddin for Lady Impey's collection of natural history paintings. This amazing painting of Company School gouache belongs to the famous album of Impey and combines the exactness of Mughal…

The Song of the Lark (1884) is an acclaimed oil painting created by Jules Breton, a prominent French painter of Realist school. The painting captures the image of a young peasant girl standing on a great expanse of rural field at sunrise. Having stopped doing…

"The Preparation of the Palace Feast" is an exuberant Persian miniature painting from 1616 by painter Muhammad Murad Samarqandi. It was painted in Bukhara and can be found in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin. The painting is inspired by Saadi Shirazi’s epic poem known…

The following miniature painting was created in the 17th century and portrays an aged chronicler absorbed in the task at hand in great psychological realism. The piece is painted using tempera and watercolors in a subtle color range.

The Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo and her son Giovanni by Agnolo Bronzino created around 1545 is an iconic painting representing Florentine Mannerism style. Unlike the emphasis on warmth of human feelings, Bronzino applied cold and precise techniques to demonstrate the absolute power of the…

Gurancham Ragini is a unique topic in the history of Ragamala paintings, which are one of the oldest styles of Indian art that combine music, poetry, and miniature art. In Indian musicology, a ragini is a feminine embodiment or "wife" of a basic male melody…

"Heat. Running Dog" is a colorful masterpiece of the early years of modernism. Created in 1909, it reflects the burning and sultry mood of a hot summer day. Using vivid and expressive brush strokes together with a vivid and warm color range of sun-baked ochre…

The Portrait of a Girl by José Antolínez (circa 1660) is a marvelous piece from the Madrid School of Spanish Baroque art, which is displayed in the Prado Museum. The work is a small vertical portrait of a girl painted on canvas using oils and…

Alexander is lowered into the sea is an animated miniature painting from the year 1597-1598 that is created by the Mughal Empire. This masterpiece of miniature painting depicts the legendary story about the diving expedition of Alexander the Great into the ocean within a diving…

The "Disrobing of Draupadi" was an important episode in the Mahabharata. The scene has been intricately depicted in this painting by Nainsukh. The painting shows how the 'wise men' of the Kuru court are deliberately silent. The painting shows how Draupadi was humiliated in front…

The Madonna of the Harpies is a painting created in the year 1517, during the period of the High Renaissance by Andrea del Sarto. It portrays a well-balanced pyramid-shaped composition with an image of the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Jesus. She is depicted standing…

Court Ladies Playing with Fireworks is the name given to a delightful miniature painting done sometime in 1740, credited to the Mughal artist Muhammad Afzal. Set in a palace courtyard under the glow of the moon, the painting shows ladies from the court enjoying themselves…

The painting of Saint Francis by Federico Barocci is an oil on canvas painting that portrays Saint Francis of Assisi in a quiet cave of Mount La Verna. The artwork is known for its naturalism, rich color harmony, emotional depth and soft surface textures. Federico…

The painting depicts a quiet, intense moment when peasants gather to hear the reading of the Emancipation Manifesto of February 19, 1861, through which Tsar Alexander II abolished serfdom in Russia. Instead of portraying a grand imperial hall, Myasoyedov sets the scene inside a humble,…