Indian Art is the visual art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd millennium BC to modern times. To viewers schooled in the Western tradition, Indian art may seem overly ornate and sensuous; appreciation of its refinement comes only gradually, as a rule. Voluptuous feeling is given unusually free expression in Indian culture. A strong sense of design is also characteristic of Indian art and can be observed in its modern as well as in its traditional forms.
The vast scope of the art of India intertwines with the cultural history, religions and philosophies which place art production and patronage in social and cultural contexts.
Indian art can be classified into specific periods each reflecting particular religious, political and cultural developments.
- Ancient period (3900 BCE-1200 CE)
- Islamic ascendancy (1192-1757)
- Colonial period (1757–1947)
- Independence and the postcolonial period (Post-1947)
Read more about Indian Art: Temple and Sculpture-art, Bronze Sculpture, Indian Fresco, Miniature Painting, Jewelry, Folk and Tribal Art, Art in The British Period, Contemporary Art
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—Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979)