INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD

Abstract: The use of woman figure has been an integral part of Indian art. It has given a lot to an artist to think, to create, and to depict as a subject of his creation. But the treatment of the woman as a subject in the art has always been affected by the ideology of its patrons. This difference in the depiction of woman figure is clearly seen in the two famous painting styles of Indian art history, named Mughal and Kangra miniature painting. The aristocratic and materialistic approach of the Mughal emperors, secularism, male dominance, gender and social inequality and the veil system restricted the depiction of woman figures with liberty and originality. In case of a bust portrait of any elite lady, the artist took help from a model woman figure with some stylisation. So that her identity can also be protected. During this period depiction of woman in the painting was based on materialistic purposes only. Comparatively, the woman figures in Kangra miniature paintings have been depicted with grace and dignity. The religious and spiritual ideology of Rajput kings offered ample opportunities for Kangra artists to magnify the Indian feminine beauty.