UPSC – CSE Prelims 2018
ART & CULTURE – INDIAN PAINTINGS
1. The well-known painting “Bani Thani” belongs to the:
(a) Bundi School
(b) Jaipur School
(c) Kangra School
(d) Kishangarh School
Ans: (d)
Bani Thani
- It is an Indian miniature painting painted by Nihal Chand from the Marwar school of Kishangarh.
- It portrays a woman who is elegant and graceful.
- The painting’s subject, Bani Thani, was a singer and poet in Kishangarh in the time of king Sawant Singh (1748–1764).
- She has been compared to the Mona Lisa.
- Inspired by Radha, Bani Thani is characterized by idealized distinct features such as arched eyebrows, lotus-like elongated eyes and pointed chin.
This painting was featured in an Indian stamp issued on 5 May 1973.
UPSC PRELIMS 2017
ART & CULTURE – INDIAN PAINTINGS
1. The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at:
(a) Ajanta
(b) Badami
(c) Bagh
(d) Ellora
Ans. (a)
The correct answer is Ajanta.
Some important paintings at Ajanta are:
- Scenes from the Jataka stories of the life of the Gautama Buddha, the Buddha’s former lives as a bodhisattva, etc.
- Paintings of various Bodhisattvas in tribhanga pose in Cave 1:
- Vajrapani (protector and guide, a symbol of Buddha’s power),
- Manjusri (manifestation of Buddha’s wisdom) and
- Padmapani (Avalokitesvara) (symbol of Buddha’s compassion).
- The Dying Princess in Cave.no 16.
