CBSE Class 11 Painting
Chapters: 3
1. History of Indian Art: Prehistoric, Indus and Early Indian Art
Prehistoric rock paintings · Art of the Indus civilisation · Buddhist, Jain and Hindu art
- History of Indian Art: From Rock Shelters to Miniatures – Indian art has a very long story. It starts with paintings on the walls of rock shelters such as Bhimbetka, made by hunters many thousands of years ago. The Indus cities (about 2600–1900 BCE) made seals, painted pots and small bronzes. From the Mauryan age (about 300 BCE) come polished stone pillars, then stupas and Buddhist, Jain and Hindu sculpture in the Gandhara, Mathura and Gupta styles, and the Ajanta paintings. Stone temples (from about 600 CE), Chola bronzes, Indo-Islamic arches and domes, and Mughal, Rajput and Pahari miniature paintings follow.
- Early Indian Sculpture: Mauryan, Kushana and Gupta – Early Indian sculpture tells Buddhist, Jain and Hindu stories in stone. Mauryan artists (about 322–185 BCE) carved huge pieces of Chunar sandstone and polished them like glass, as in the Sarnath Lion Capital and the Didarganj Yakshi. Under the Kushanas, two Buddha styles grew side by side: Gandhara (grey schist, wavy hair, heavy folds, Greek-Roman look) and Mathura (spotted red sandstone, smiling face, light robe, big halo). The Gupta age (about 320–550 CE) made calm, graceful images with see-through robes. Jain Tirthankaras stand straight and still. The Ajanta caves hold painted Buddhist stories.
2. Temple Sculpture, Bronzes and Indo-Islamic Architecture
Temple sculpture · Indian bronzes · Indo-Islamic architecture
- Indian Temple Architecture and Temple Sculpture – A Hindu temple grows out from a small dark room, the garbhagriha, where the main image sits. In front is a pillared hall (mandapa) and around it a walking path for circling the god. Above the room rises the tower: a curved shikhara with an amalaka and kalasha in the north (Nagara style), or a stepped vimana with a gopuram gateway in the south (Dravida style); Vesara mixes both. From the 6th to 13th centuries temples were covered with sculpture: the Descent of Ganga at Mahabalipuram, the Trimurti at Elephanta, Lakshmi-Narayana at Khajuraho, the musicians of Konark and the marble carving of Dilwara.
- Bronze Casting: The Lost-Wax Method and Chola Bronzes – Bronze is an alloy of mostly copper with some tin. To make a bronze statue by the lost-wax method (cire perdue), an artist shapes the figure in wax, covers it with clay, heats the mould so the wax melts and runs out, pours molten bronze into the empty space, and breaks the clay when it cools. In solid casting the wax model is solid; in hollow casting it is built over a clay core, so less metal is used. India has cast bronzes since the Indus age, and the Chola bronzes of south India (about 850–1250 CE), such as Shiva Nataraja inside a ring of fire, are world famous.
3. Painting Practical
Nature and object study · Painting composition · Portfolio
- Still Life Drawing: Light, Shade and Shadow – A still life is a drawing or painting of objects that do not move, such as a ball, a box, a bottle, fruit and a cloth. Set them up with one light from one side and draw from one fixed spot. First block in each object with light lines and compare sizes with a pencil held at arm's length. Then find the light: every lit round object shows a highlight, light, half-tone, core shadow, reflected light and a cast shadow on the table. Cast shadows point away from the light, and grow longer when the light is lower. Drapery folds show light ridges and dark valleys. Shade with soft pencils (B grades) for darks and hard ones (H grades) for light tones, in pencil or full colour.
- Drawing and Painting – Drawing is a way of seeing and thinking: we use it to record what we observe, to remember, to plan designs and to express ideas. A good drawing starts by blocking in: seeing objects as simple shapes (sphere, box, cylinder) and checking proportions with light lines. Line then defines edges, and line weight (heavy or light) shows what is near or far. Light gives form: on a lit object we see the highlight, mid-tone, core shadow, reflected light and cast shadow. Tonal value runs from white to black; strong contrast of light and dark is called chiaroscuro, and a picture can be in a high key (mostly light) or low key (mostly dark). Dry media (graphite, charcoal, pastels, coloured pencils) build tone with hatching, cross-hatching, stippling and blending; wet media (ink, watercolour, gouache, acrylic, oil) build it with washes, layers (glazes) and mixing colours. Linear and atmospheric perspective show space, and figure drawing uses proportion, gesture and foreshortening. Artists record ideas in sketchbooks and use traditional, alternative and digital tools safely and sustainably.
- Art Portfolio: Record, Evaluate and Reflect on Your Work – A portfolio is a collection of your creative work that shows your journey, from first ideas through sketches, tests and drafts to finished pieces. Keep a process record (sketchbook or digital journal) with dates and notes, including failed tests. Describe each work by what it is, how you made it and why you made your choices, using art vocabulary. Evaluate it with clear criteria such as idea, skill, composition and originality, giving evidence for every judgement and a target to improve. Reflect on your development over time and link it to experiences like exhibitions, performances and workshops, and to what they mean for your own cultural growth. Finally, present it clearly as a talk, a short film or a written dossier.