Women portraitures

Critiquing history’s Portrait of a Lady- Gender and Art in Indian history.

By Sejal Tandon

The gender discourse in Indian art is a relatively new study, throughout centuries we
witness an abundance of female representations and women as subjects in art and architecture of
India, however do these depictions exist for mere aesthetic or have a deeper meaning behind
them? In order to understand the symbols and roles women play as subjects in Indian art, I
explore six artworks ranging from ancient to modern India. Do they conform to gender ideals or
deviate from social roles, what do they tell us about the gender roles of yester-years as well as
how they hold up with today’s contemporary notions of gender ? It is evident that throughout the
course of analysing the numerous works of art and questioning what makes them unique in
relation to their techniques and subject matter, the historical process is stained by a patriarchal
lens that doesn't abide by the contemporary notions of gender.

1. Motherhoods in Ancient India

In ancient times, art has usually belonged to religious sects or rulers for promoting deities
and rituals and it was mainly always channelized by patronage. Art has also been an act of social
discourse, its depiction of women is also a part of this religious and social display. An example
of this is the Mother Goddess. Terracotta figurines of the Indus Valley Civilization frequently
depict nude Mother Goddesses. Sexual organs on the nude female figurines have been
highlighted with heavy breasts and broad hips; they occasionally focused on the navel and vulva.
These figurines have been associated with the celebration of female sexuality (seen as belonging
to supernatural powers) because the power of giving birth is an exclusive boon, and so taken as
divine worship. To some extent, sexual worship belonged to female deities. It didn't have much
to do with the common women except procreation. A small sculpture of bronze, which is known
as a female dancer or the Bronze girl, had also been found in the Indus Valley. The genitals of
this sculpture are not as big as those of the Mother Goddess figures. It can be then speculated
that the voluptuous female body only belonged to sexual worship common during that period.
Mainly two kinds of women are evident, one is a heavenly deity or goddess and the other one is
an earthly mother.

Next is the Panamalai figure (5th-8th century) of a female divinity fresco drawn
gracefully in the Kanchipuram Temple, Tamil Nadu. These paintings at the Kanchipuram temple
were patronised by the Pallava king, Rajsimha. The characteristics of the paintings in the temples
have faces that are round and large,the lines are rhythmic and graceful and they have increased
ornamentation when compared with the paintings of earlier periods. Parvati, the lovely goddess
from Panamalai with a crown on her head and an umbrella held over her, is watching her Lord
Siva dance in the lalatilaka (mural beside this painting). This is an instance where Goddesses
were introduced to the patriarchal pantheon, where they often serve as accessories to male deities
or have a divine duty towards them.

Importantly, This figure exemplifies the idea of devi and shakti. The idea of Devi is looked upon
as the embodiment of energy. Or a feminine archetype in Indian art. There are two aspects of
feminine beauty that can be seen in devi as: varahi and tara. Firstly, varahi represents
motherhood , here Paravti is seen as the mother figure who looks after the universe. Secondly,
tara which is the personification of wisdom (goddess of wisdom). The concept of shakti and
goddess are often synonymous to each other. Thye carry values of masculine and feminine
energy both, destruction and creation and have a mutable and divisible energy throughout indian
art. The term shakti comprises a broad range of concepts. Its broad definition is dynamic energy,
which is responsible for the universe's formation, maintenance, and destruction.She is
responsible for creation, as mothers are responsible for birth. Thus, in Hindu tradition women are
considered as the vessels of shakti. Women are seen as the receptacles of both creative and
destructive force when they identify with shakti.

2. Beauty ideals of Mediaeval India

After Muslim invasions, as miniature art started, women were used as an object of the
male gaze. The portrayal of women started with making love, waiting, toilet scenes and so on.
The depiction of women mainly as goddesses or princesses of the mural tradition faded and was
replaced by the beautiful and well-proportioned woman, who has been on display through erotic
encounters. During the time of Babur, erotic displays had rarely been painted. In Akbar’s reign ,
the illustrations largely portrayed the courtly scenes and portraits and women were a rarity in
portraits. But, in the time of Jahangir, the erotic display was at its pinnacle and the portrayal of
men had frequently been associated with a group of women. This kind of representation may also
be a way to depict manly power over women. Women have been identified only as male
counterparts where their existence is particularly depicted in the association of their physical
beauty or their lover's desire.
The painting Madonna and Child has been attributed to Manohar (active ca. 1582–1624)
or Basawan. This painting was made for Akbar and collected by Jahangir. This work was
influenced by the arrival of the Jesuit missionaries and other European travellers with illustrated
manuscripts, oil paintings, and engravings. This painting depicts the Indian Virgin Mary, adapted
with European religious imagery and made use of techniques that give them a sense of
three-dimensionality. European art techniques like the voluminous and dramatic shading of robes
and curtains and receding diagonals in the architecture have been incorporated. The Mughal
artist made the decorated carpet flat and shows it as though seen from directly above, giving the
Virgin an appearance of floating above it. The Madonna is given an expression of erotic reverie,
neither wholly maternal nor virginal, she also plays about her lips and has downcast eyes. Here
both breasts are exposed, unlike the European iconography that calls for the exposure of only
one. She is depicted as more a mother goddess than a Madonna as she is accompanied by
symbols of fertility, including the goat, melon, water pitcher, and the well.

Subsequently, the Rajasthani school of paintings started to develop from the sixteenth to
early nineteenth century. One of the most iconic image is (Radha) Bani-Thani by Nihal Chand of
the Kishangarh sub-school, painted in the 18th century (water-colour on handmade paper). The
maharaja of that time, Sawant Singh appreciated and composed devotional poetry on Krishna
and Radha in Brajbhasha under the pen name Nagari Das where he is claimed to have been in
love with a young singer/concubine (Vishnupriya), who was given the title ‘Bani Thani’ or
beautifully made-up.
The Kishangarh-style is distinguished by slender, attenuated arching human figures with
elongated faces and markedly upward curving eye often lotus-like. Eyes are seen as important
symbols in poetry and ritual thus deemed as a main feature in paintings. Bani Thani is clad with
a traditional Rajasthani sheer odhni (veil) and gold and pearl beaded jewellery around her neck,
as well as on her head, ears, and nose, as if she were a bride. The veil depicted in the picture is a
traditional emblem of a woman's honor and dignity. Moreover, The Rajputs' artwork was
religious in nature, which is why Bani Thani's image is thought to be based on Radha's
appearance. She is also holding two lotus buds in her left hand, which represent her purity,
similar to that of the goddess Radha. Two more aspects are illustrated here, first is Vasakasajja
Nayika (or a mistress dressed up for union with her beloved) is reflected in the picture, second is
Sringara rasa (or romanticism and beauty). These traits become more frequent in the Kishangarh
school's subsequent works.

These characteristics created a distinct stylistic feature in Kishangarh paintings, thus most main
female characters in the paintings came to be known as Bani Thani. It lays down ideal physical
appearance and how this was understood by the male gaze. Feminity was delicate. Female
portraiture, as opposed to the male portraits that were distinguished by their visual order as
rational, intelligent individuals demanding public honour and respect, were delicate mainly
focusing on aesthetic and decorative purposes, drawing these women under a male gaze as
flattering subjects and nothing more.

3. The New Woman of India

In modern Indian art, there are mainly two types of forms of women; the first one is related to
beauty and sensual pleasure and the other one is related to the social code of conduct.

The painting of the Maharani of Rajpipla (ca. 1860) painted by court painters of
northwest India upon the introduction of photography, incorporating its visual sensibility by the
techniques of shaded volumes, subdued tones, and three-quarter view, which was a stylistic shift
within a continuous tradition of royal portraiture, therefore, the queen's image significantly
departs from custom. The portraits of royal women are often their idealised version as they
typically dwelt in seclusion from the public.
 One of the works chosen to be discussed here is the Self Portrait as a Tahitian(1934) by
Amrita Sher Gil. One might perceive this as a young artist learning through the imitation of a
master but a closer look reveals a direct confrontation of the old painter- Paul Gaugin. Gauguin’s
nude female subjects acknowledge their viewer, presenting their bodies for observation, or for
exploitation. In her self-portrait, Sher-Gil stands alert and focused. Her attention is off-canvas. In
contrast o Gaugin’s porrais, the woman here is plainly-clad and her hair is no adorned with
flowers signifying that she is not sexualised for male consumption. Gauguin set his subjects in
paradise but Sher-Gil's subject stands in a shallow, uncomfortable space where the symbols of
desire are suffocated. Though he influenced her work Sher-Gil rejects the fetishism of Gauguin.
There are Japanese figures that serve as a kind of wallpaper in the background of the painting.
Sher-Gil was making an allusion to Vincent Van Gogh’s “Portrait of Père Tanguy," which
includes Japanese figures in the background as well. A human shadow is visible over Sher-Gil’s
stomach and breasts. The shadow can be seen as a symbol of the dominating influence of the two
painters whose legacy Sher-Gil is invoking.

Another work chosen is the watercolour painting titled “Bharat Mata”, Abanindranath
Tagore’s work dating back to 1905 depicts a saffron clad woman, dressed like a sadhvi, with four
hands. The woman holds the rudraksha mala or the beads of salvation representing the nation's
spiritual strength. Next, she is holding a piece of white cloth that represents the garments we
wear. While the colour white may symbolise peace, it might also represent cotton, which has
long been an important part of India's economy. In the third hand she carries the Vedas which are
the source of knowledge. The palm manuscripts show the country's great educational past.
Finally, the rice paddy emphasises the abundance of food produced in our country. As a result,
this goddess-like woman who has a halo behind her head is providing
Shiksha-Diksha-Anna-Vastra (education-salvation-food-clothes) personifying India's thriving
economic and cultural richness. Few lotus paddy are drawn below her feet representing
self-enlightenment and purity.

The concept of Bharat Mata was mentioned in Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1875
poem 'Bande Mataram,' which was later utilised in his 1882 book Anandamath. The artwork is
also noteworthy because of its historical significance as it aided in the conceptualization of
Bharat Mata (Mother India) during the notorious Divide and Rule policy in Bengal set by
Viceroy Lord Curzon.

Abananidranath used a unique watercolour method he learned in Japan, in which he

alternated between adding layers of paint and dipping the paper in water, giving it a dream-like
soft wash.

The impact of this painting on a woman’s gender roles were crucial. The identity of a
nineteenth-century mother was now associated with the 'motherland,' or Bharat mata. This
concept linked a mother's obligations and responsibilities to a woman's responsibility to her
country. Bharat Mata was portrayed as the ultimate mother, with all Indians as her children.
When she was in peril, this mother could call on her "infinite" children to help her. The concept
of Bharat Mata has two purposes. First, women's allegiance to their country as mothers kept
them from voicing unhappiness when their sons/fathers/brothers were imprisoned or put in kala
pani. Second, the deified image of a "single" mother of the whole nation, whose honour had to be
preserved, awoke the population's patriotic sympathies. We have come full-circle with a modern
new form of Devi and Shakti as the goddess of nationality or “Nurturer of civilization” and
“defender of civilization” in Bharat Mata’s figure. Thus, this shows an idealised modern feminity
for India. Further, Sister Nivedita says that “one is struck by the purity and delicacy of the
personality portrayed”, and helped with the popularization of this painting, especially in
Swadeshi movement reinforcing the idea of a united indian nation.

Conclusion
 The objectification of women has often been done to evoke sensual pleasure or to
celebrate male/patriarchal dominance from ancient times till recent ages. Fidelity and fertility
have triumphed as the main motives behind the representations of women in art. These ideal
roles of gender and normative sexuality remain the same today under the patriarchal view as they
did before. Marriage and procreation are common themes in representing women, chastity and
purity are all symbols often seen in art consistently. Themes of the mother goddess have
continued Indian art to this day as seen in works like Bharat Mata and Mother Teresa (MF
Hussain).
Religious symbolism also flourishes in Indian art, for instance, radha represents ideal
beauty (Radha-Bani Thani by Nihal Chand, or radhika by A.R Chughtai), sita is seen as the ideal
wife and embodies purity, durga symbolises power and destruction, parvati symbolises fertility
and deemed as mother goddess. It is clear that Devi is a goddess who embodies feminine energy
and the forces of nature that travel through the universe and Shakti manifests in numerous ways:
as a mother goddess, a ferocious warrior, and the dark goddess of destruction, among other
things.

Sexual objectification of women has been witnessed in Indian art since ancient times but
the participation of female artists like Amrita Sher Gil in modern Indian art have brought nuance
and contributed significant subjects related to social injustice, gender inequality, women's
unemployment and so on to protest such issues. Art has and continues to act as a vehicle for
social discourse in gendered spaces.

Thus, its evident how gender representation and sexuality were portrayed in art and has
radically changed over the years as well as how the art itself reinforced gendered behaviour.

Artworks discussed:
● Mother goddess.(2500 BCE)
● Apsara (1500-1000 BCE)
● Devi (seventh century) CE, Panamalai
● Madonna and child by Basawan. (1590)
● Radha Bani Thani by Nihal Chand (18th century)
● Maharani of Rajpipla (1860 c.)
● Bharat Mata by Abindranath Tagore (1905)
● Self portrait as Tahitian by Amrita Sher Gil (1934)

Bibliography
Books:

● Maharanis: Women of Royal India (Tasveer/Mapin, 2015) - Foreword by Nathaniel

Gaskell & Abhishek Poddar with essays by Amin Jaffer, Pramod KG, Martand Singh &
Shilpa Vijayakrishnan
● Critical analysis of women’s depiction in modern indian paintings by Mandakini
● David R. Kinsley, Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu
Religious Tradition [Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986], .
● Woman/goddess Ed. Gayatri Sinha
● Atre, Shubhangana. “THE FEMININE AS ARCHETYPE.” Annals of the Bhandarkar
Oriental Research Institute, vol. 92, 2011, pp. 151–93,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/43941279.
● Dickinson, Eric and Khandalavala, Karl. Kishangarh Painting. Lalit Kala Portfolio 41.
New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi, 1959
● Thapar, Suruchi. “Women as Activists; Women as Symbols: A Study of the Indian
Nationalist Movement.” Feminist Review .

Articles:

● https://www.sdmart.org/embark/objects-1/info/?query=Portfolios%20%3D%20%222855
%22%20and%20Century%20%3D%20%2216th%20century%22%20and%20Creation_P
lace2%20%3D%20%22India%22%20and%20Disp_Obj_Type%20%3D%20%22Waterco
lor%20Painting%22%20and%20Disp_Maker_1%20%3D%20%22Basawan%22&sort=7
&objectName=The%20Virgin%20and%20Child
● https://www.international.ucla.edu/southasia/article/113695
● https://asia.si.edu/object/S1994.10.2/