Punjab School Walled City of Lahore, Punjab

Punjab School Paintings in the 19th Century

Art of the Punjab region of sub-Himalayan northern India was predominantly in the Pahari tradition, which developed and flourished during the 17th and 19th centuries under the patronage of the Sikh nobility. Within this, the delicate and lyrical Kangra style (named after the Kangra State, a former princely state of Himachal Pradesh) became synonymous with the school. The compositions have a rhythm and elegance, and it is the faces in particular that distinguishes the style, drawn with precise delicacy, bringing lyrical emotion to the scenes. In the 19th century, European influences crept in; the military prowess of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Sikh empire brought a large number of Western visitors to the Lahore Court, which in turn brought new patronage and interest in Punjabi and Pahari art.