Presentation Schedule
Tradition in Transition: Contemporary Miniature Painting and Global Cross-cultural Flows (97924)
Session Chair: Anantdeep Grewal
This presentation will be live-streamed via Zoom (Online Access)
Saturday, 4 October 2025 11:10
Session: Session 1
Room: Live-Stream Room 3
Presentation Type:Live-Stream Presentation
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The Indian subcontinent has been home to very rich artistic traditions, among which some of the finest examples are in the schools of miniature painting that flourished here in the medieval period. Generally, the miniature painting tradition is perceived as rooted in cultural traditions and yet an examination of the practice suggests global cross-cultural influences. And interestingly, this has always been the case, as seen in the different schools of miniature paintings in India. Persian and Sienese arts’ influences are seen in Mughal and Deccani miniature paintings, respectively, whereas miniature paintings in Rajasthan and Punjab Hills draw upon Mughal art while indigenizing it. Contemporary times have allowed this cross-cultural aspect to become trans-cultural with artists who are working in the miniature genre spread across the subcontinent and further across the globe. This has imparted a vibrant contemporaneity to their expression. Some Indian artists are practicing an expression that is closely aligned to the traditions of this painting style, be it in symbols, themes, or motifs, whereas some have employed the painterly style to envision a modern visual and thematic oeuvre. Diasporic artists, situated in a different cultural milieu, employ a somewhat transformed miniature style to reflect on the contemporary and topical in the country of their residence and of India, where they trace their roots. This paper seeks to examine the continuations, elisions, and transformations that continue to enrich the visual vocabulary and thematic richness of the miniature tradition in contemporary times, thus situating the ‘tradition’ within a globalized art.
Authors:
Anantdeep Grewal, Panjab University, India
Jagtej Kaur Grewal, Panjab University, India
About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Anantdeep Grewal is a guest faculty member in the Department of Art History and Visual Studies at Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. She is also a council member of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule
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