Question

Q. “Paintings from this school are associated with the most romantic legends – Sawant Singh and his beloved Bani Thani, and of the intertwining of lives and myths, romance and bhakti. The famous painter Nihal Chand belongs to this school.”

Which of the following school of painting does the above description refer to?

• A. Kishangarh School
• B. Bikaner School
• C. Marwar School
• D. Mewar School

Answer 1

The correct option is A Kishangarh School

Explanation:

• Sawant Singh composed devotional poetry on Krishna and Radha in Brajbhasha under the pen name Nagari Das. He is said to have been passionately in love with a young singer, who was accorded the title ‘Bani Thani’, the bewitching lady of fashion, because of her unparalleled beauty and elegance.
• He writes about her in a poem Bihari Jas Chandrika, which became the basis for Nihal Chand’s painting of Bani Thani, thus, representing a blending of poetry and painting.
• The exaggerated facial type of Kishangarh, which becomes the distinctive and salient stylistic feature of the Kishangarh School, is believed to have been derived from the attractively sharp facial features of Bani Thani.