Sikh Paintings

Sikh Paintings found its first patron in Maharaja Ranjit Singh , who was a liberal art lover. He commissioned painters to decorate the walls and the panels of the exquisite Golden Temple, thus began the story of Sikh Paintings.

Sikh Paintings primarily deals with portraits. They depicts historical characters and events. They attempt to give us a comprehensive understanding of the political struggle that gave birth to Sikhism and the distinct roles played by certain individuals in that struggle. Sikh Paintings can be broadly categorized into three different schools- Guler School , Kangra School and Lahore School.

Guler Paintings

In the middle of the eighteenth century, some Hindu painters sought the patronage of the Rajas of Guler in Kangra valley. These painters were trained in the Mughal style. Slowly they developed a style of painting, which was a beautiful synthesis of both these culture. They were known as the Guler Painters. The Guler Painters have the faculty to create a dawn and dusk on the same canvas.

Guler painters, who had earlier dealt with only on Rajput (link to miniatures main page) themes, now began to experiment with Sikh themes like the portraits of Sikh Gurus and Sikh dignitaries .

Kangra Paintings

The religious sect of Vaishnavism and the kind patronage of ruler Sansar Chand inspired an art form, which delights us with its unpretentious elegance. Kangra Paintings are well known for the delicacy of the lines and the subtlety of colors. Initially these paintings abounded with the spirituality of Vaishnavism

However when Kangra came under the control of Raja Sher Singh , son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, these painters quickly adapted their paintings to suit the Sikh sentiments. They portrayed Sikhs as aristocrats and lovers.