The Ragini Bhairavi portrays a mixture of the primitive and the refined, pointing to the influences exercised upon Bundi School in its developmental stages by the Mughal School and the Mewar School. The colour is simple but the effect is rich and brilliant. Trees, birds and animals have been given good attention. The face of the figures is heavy with padal-shaped eyes, pointed nose and double chin with distinct protrusion. Looking to the features and the style, it seems that the probable date of Ragini Bhairavi is 1625 A. D., during the reign of Rao Ratan Singh. The dating of the picture is confirmed by the dress of the male figure which consists of a flat turban, a Chakadar Jama and a long narrow Palka typical of the Akbar and early Jahangir period. The Ragini Bhairavi is typical for its lavish yet careful attention to landscape, the technique of depicting water in edifying swirls and the tinting of the sky with strong red colour. In Raga Dipak, the peculiar feature is the placing of white domes of a palace against the starry blue sky. Most of these features of the earlier paintings have survived and passed over to the present.
A group of Bundi paintings, consisting of miniatures represented by several paintings published by Karl Khandalavala, belong to the earliest of Bundi School of Painting, dating back to 1680 on the basis of inscriptions on the reverse of the paintings. These paintings show a strong influence of Mewar of the mid 17th century, particularly in the treatment of the female figure and face. The style of Bundi paintings, as it is, is again more refined, the face more delicate and the landscape treated with greater naturalism. The face is small and round with pronounced shading on the cheeks and near the eyes and nose to give depth and modeling to the face. This style is quite unknown in the Mewar School of the period where the faces are generally quite flat. The colouring of face is also peculiar and is vivid reddish-brown. The choice of colour for the rest of the picture is particularly lavish, the richness being mixed with harmony and seriousness. The water continues to be depicted by edifying swirls against a dark background. The trees are full of white, red and yellow-flowers. Architectural designs have been elaborated fully and coloured richly.
In the first half of the 18th century the Bundi School of Painting was at its zenith and the period was one of great development and productivity. Though the compositions tended to become more elaborate and lavish use of bright reddish orange colour was made but the technique was less finished. Gradually the paintings became cruder. However, by the middle of the 18th century a reaction seems to have set in and a few painters began to show preference for a quieter and more harmonious colour to give rise to a distinct school. The draughtsmanship of these painters is more refined and colourful
The Bundi School of Painting from its very beginning seems to have been receptive to influences, and this is not surprising because the rulers of Bundi and Kota had intimate contacts with the rulers of Deccan. Some of the early paintings have so much influence of the Deccani paintings that for long time they were regarded as belonging to that school. Examples of such influences are the similarity of the female facial types, arranged rows of flowers in the foreground, white dots and a ringed moon depicting the stars and moon in the sky during night and the addition of pavilions on the terrace as an important element of the composition.
The final phase of the school is marked by a rapid deterioration in the quality of colour, draughtsmanship and power of imagination. Except a brief revival during the reign of Ummed Singh (1771-1819) at Kota, the decline continued till the school came to a definite end by the middle of the 19th century.
Some important collections of Bundi paintings are:
(a) Personal collection of the Maharao of Bundi
(b) Bundi miniatures and paintings in the Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai
(c) Collection in the National Museum of India,New Delhi
(d) Nadguru Desai Collection, Mumbai
(e) Moti Chand Khazanchi Collection, Bikaner
In the early times there was a custom to decorate the houses with wall paintings. The old houses of Bundi display their walls painted with hunting processions, elephant fights, royal processions and glimpses of Lord Krishna’s life. Colours were prepared locally from the barks of trees. The red, kathai and black colours were prepared from small pebbles collected from mountains. Palaces and big temples contain some of the best depictions of wall paintings viz., Chhattar Mahal, Badal Mahal, Jain Temple near Bheniao Gali and Mahashwari Temple near Dhabhayaon-ka-Chowk etc. Wall paintings are quite different from frescoes as the former are painted on the back-ground of the wall in which colours have been displayed in a nice manner. Chhattar Mahal offers glimpses of stately order-processions, elephant fights, huntings, Ras Leela, Raginis and love affairs. At Jain temples the painters have depicted common lives of the people like a carpenter's workshop, a blacksmith’s shop, vegetable market and also the procession of some Tirthankars. The painters have displayed the skill in sketching the elephant fights and a bird drinking water between the two lines. The painters of the district were also expert in drawing the life sire portraits of rulers.
Some of the salient features of Bundi School of Painting…..
- The lush vegetation, the tall balconied buildings and dramatic skies are portrayed.
- Water is represented at the base of the painting with lotuses and birds.
- The female faces are marked with staring eyes, prominent projecting nose and pointed chin.
- The shading under armpits is peculiar.
- The figures have been shown as though seated on the farther edge of the stool.
- Tumultuous clouds are repeatedly portrayed.
- The small face, short projecting nose and rounded forehead of female is typical of Bundi painting of the late nineteenth century.
- The Bundi School of Painting gave the Bundi artists an opportunity to indulge in their love for landscapes.
- A lady holding a cup is seated on a chocolate and white hone. She is being supported by an attendant. The background is apple green. It is a very frequent subject in Bundi painting.