About the Book:
A large bulk of Indian miniature paintings comes from Rajasthan. These miniatures are endowed with warm colors, primitive vigour, directness of expression and all that corresponds to the unique land of Rajasthan. They encompass its fun and festivities, the charming women and heroic men who fought with valour, loved with great zeal and warmth, celebrated each moment of life and died like great heroes. The major schools of miniatures of Rajasthan are Mewar, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Jaipur, Alwar, Bundi, Kotah, Kishangarh and Nathdwara.
The Rajasthani painter saw hardly any contradiction in combining romance with religion, or the mundane with the transcendental. Rajasthani Miniatures: The Magic of Strokes and Colours presents, through a detailed narrative and exquisite photographs, a glimpse into this art that has spanned several millenia. It traces the stylistic sources of Rajasthani miniatures, discovering elements that go beyond geography and time to reveal Rajasthani art's generic growth. The miniatures have varying styles, belong to different schools and have been painted under many succeeding patrons with different tastes and preferences.
This book reflects the uniqueness of Rajasthani art, where shades and strokes come together in what almost appears as a divine interplay to create magic.

Contents:
Preface; Introduction; Stylistic Sources; Perception of Nature; Medium, Style and Colour; Significant Themes; Schools of Rajasthani ; Paintings; Acknowledgements; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author:
Art historian and archaeologist, former curator and head of the Department of Painting in the National Museum, New Delhi, Dr Daljeet is now Consultant, Sports Authority of India (SAI), New Delhi, engaged in its museum project. Her books on Malwa and Mughal, Deccan and Tanjore Paintings, Sikh Heritage and Indian Monuments have been widely acclaimed by scholars and art connoisseurs. Her catalogues include Ramayana in Indian Miniatures, Divines and Mortals, Indian Art: From Indus to Recent Times and Tanjore and Mysore Schools of Paintings.
Dr Daljeet has curated several national and international exhibitions - the exhibition on Sikh heritage at Anandpur Sahib, commissioned by the Government of Punjab in 1999, is among them. She was invited to set up the Pratibha Art Gallery and Museum at Amravati, Maharashtra, in 2012 for the former President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
Awarded the Senior Curatorial Fellowship Award in 2008 by the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC, she was also jointly given the Delhi State Award - Vishist Kriti Samman - for 2002-03 with Professor PC Jain for their book in Hindi titled Raga se Virag tak.