Bichitr
Bichitr (also Bichtir ; * unknown; † after 1650 ) was an important miniature painter in the Indian Mughal Empire in the first half of the 17th century. Bichitr, who comes from a Hindu family, probably grew up at the court of the Mughal emperors and worked for Mughal Mughal Jahangir (ruled 1605 to 1627) from around 1615 . Under his successor Shah Jahan (r. 1627 to 1657/58) he was one of the most outstanding portraitists at court. The date of his death is unknown; he may have been active until around 1660.
Characteristic of Bichitr's style is an extremely precise, realistic rendering of facial features, other physical details and clothing, which contrast with the more formulaic depictions of people in the Mughal paintings of the Akbar period . For his works, which are characterized by masterful lines and composition, he mostly used clear, bright colors. The depiction of space appears far more rational and less overloaded with Bichitr than with other Mughal painters. Following the European model, he used shading to give the figures in his pictures great plasticity. In some cases he adopted motifs from European graphics. For example, in one of his most famous works, which depicts Emperor Jahangir sitting on an hourglass, receiving a book from the hands of a Sufi sheikh and preferring the sheikh's society to secular dignitaries, a portrait of the English King James I (after a Submission by John de Critz ). The same miniature may also contain a self-portrait by Bichitr. Around 1630 a transition from the softer, more romantic early style to the more mature, but emotionally more reserved late style can be observed.
literature
- Günter Meißner (initial): General artist lexicon (Volume 10: Berrettini - Bikkers). KG Saur Verlag, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-598-22750-7 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bichitr |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bichtir |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Indian miniature painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 16th Century |
| DATE OF DEATH | after 1650 |