Six Canons of Chinese Painting

and
Six Limbs of Indian Painting

Xie He and Abhinindra Nath Tagore

 Type of Paintings
• Satya
– Painting with ideal identity (sadrisya)
– Characterized by elongate limbs but following proportionate measures
– Delicate and has a charming setting of background
• Vainika
– Characterized by squarish effect in composition
– Fully complete in all details
– Neither elongate nor having exaggeration in form
• Nagara
– Stout and ample limbs
– Has a circular effect in composition
– Not too exaggerated and shows restraints in ornamentation such as garlands
etc.
• Mishra
– Mix of above three styles
 Abhinindra Nath Tagore
Xie He
•Rupabheda: facial features and expressions
•Spirit resonance: energy
and knowledge about different bhavas
transmitted from the artist into the
•Pramanam: right mesurment of the
work
conception of both living and non living things
•Bone Method: way of using the
•Bhava: portraying feelings on the canvas
brush; close link between
•Lavanya Yojanam: grace and poise
handwriting and personality
•Sadrisyam: similarities in between real and
•Correspondence to the object:
creation
depiction of form , which include
•Varnikabhanga: proper mannerism of using
shape and line
the right type of brush, colors.
•Suitability to type: application of
color, including layers, value and
Was first mentioned in Vatsyayana Kamasutra.
tone
•Division and planning: placing and
arrangement, corresponding to
composition, space and depth
•Transmission by Copying: copying
of models, not only from life, but
also the work of antiquity
4th to 5th Century AD: very close to Xie He