What is Mural Painting?: Explore History, Techniques, and Famous Mural Artists
Mural Painting is one of the most ancient visual art forms, which dates back thousands of years. It is high time to explore the story behind this beautiful art form to know in-depth the history of Mural Painting. Today in this Shiksha article, we will explore the origin, types of Mural Painting and some of the best mural artists in India.
What is Mural Painting?: Explore History, Techniques, and Famous Mural Artists
Ever wondered what keeps the stories of ancient times alive? Books? Writing? Painting? Or the art of storytelling? The answer is all of the above, and today we will discuss the story behind the Mural Painting, its origin dates back thousands of years. There are various types of visual art forms, and one of such art forms is Mural; however, it is one of the most powerful forms of visual arts and storytelling, and it started in the prehistoric era. Early humans' signs of Mural Paintings with ritualistic cave paintings and symbolic paintings found in Bhimbetka, India, and Lascaux in France.
The beauty of Mural Painting was beautifully evolved at the time of Gupta period and in the ancient temples in India in Kerala, Ajanta and Rajasthan. The Mural Paintings in these ancient Indian temples depicted the nature, mythological stories, paintings of god and goddess and the royal life of that times with the help of mineral pigments and natural colours.
- What is Mural Painting?
- When was the first Mural Painting discovered?
- When was the Mural Painting discovered in India?
- Types of Mural Painting in India
- Top Mural Artists in India: Check out their Mural Paintings
What is Mural Painting?
Mural painting is more than just a painting. It is a large-scale artwork which is done on walls, ceilings, or other permanent surfaces, to depict different stories, ideas, social issues or just the beauty of nature and observation through different colours and forms.
When was the first Mural Painting discovered?
The most earlier mural painting discovery dates around 9000 BCE, which is a geometric wall painting found in the Neolithic settlement of Dja'de el-Mughara in northern Syria. The mural Art was discovered by French archaeologists in 2007, and the Mural Painting measures about 2 square meters and consists of black and red rectangles on a white background. It is said to be the oldest known painting on a constructed wall. Coming back to the oldest cave painting was discovered in Maltravieso Cave, Cáceres, Spain, dated to at least 64000 years ago.
When was the Mural Painting discovered in India?
In India, the oldest known cave paintings were found in the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh house these Mural Painitngs artwork estimated to be up to 30000 years old. The paintings that were found in Madhya Pradesh consist of communal life, scenes of hunting, and dancing. Such painting also help to understand those ancient times era and provide a valuable understandings into prehistoric human civilisation.
Types of Mural Painting in India
- Kerala Murals: In this Mural art, the artists use natural pigments to depict mythological themes in paintings, which are mostly rooted in temple traditions. One can find these mural art paintings in the ancient temples and palaces in Kerala. These paintings depict the stories of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
- Madhubani (Mithila) Paintings: The origin of these Mural Painting types is found in Bihar, India. These folk murals are traditionally painted on mud walls using fingers, twigs, and natural dyes. These mural Paintings consist of motifs of nature, love, and folklore stories. Madhubani art is one of the most decorative and deeply symbolic art forms.
- Warli Art: This Mural art form was practised by the Warli tribe in Maharashtra. In this, the tribe uses simplistic white-on-mud mural style to depict stories of their farming, rituals, daily life, and dancing. They also use geometric shapes, the painting is minimal, yet full of meaning.
- Pattachitra Murals: In this type of Mural work, the artists paint it on walls and clothes, and this is mostly followed from Odisha to West Bengal, known as Pattachitra artworks. IN the Pattachitra Murals artwork, the artisans make intricate borders and themes centred on Lord Jagannath and Vaishnavite legends for a stand out Mural work.
- Modern Street Murals: There are various mural artists in India, who lllllove to display their Modern street Mural Artwork in different cities like Delhi, Banaras, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Bengaluru and more. In this type of Mural artwork artists use contemporary murals to address urban culture, social issues, and even climate change, converting dull walls into living canvases.
Also Read:
- From Madhubani to Warli; Check out Types of Paintings in India
- Arts ( Fine / Visual / Performing ) Colleges in Madhubani - Courses, Fees, Admissions 2025, Cutoff, Placements
- B.A. colleges in Madhubani
Top Mural Artists in India: Check out their Mural Paintings
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Harshvardhan Kadam: Songs of the City, Pune
Artwork: Harshvardhan Kadam created a 320m x 7m mural painting on the walls of Yerwada Jail, depicting Pune's evolution, and this artwork also signifies the Mula-Mutha river.
Why It Went Viral: His mural artwork is India's largest mural painting and he excell in transformed a prison wall into a vibrant tapestry of the city's history.
Harshvardhan Kadam: Songs of the City, Pune
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Baadal Nanjundaswamy: Crocodile Pothole, Bengaluru
Artwork: Baadal Nanjundaswamy created a life-sized crocodile in a city pothole, and his Mural artwork was a symbol of protest against the poor road conditions in the city.
Why It Went Viral: The brave and bold artwork captured the eyes of many people passing by the road, and this act gained enormous media coverage, which further led to immediate road repairs.
Baadal Nanjundaswamy: Crocodile Pothole, Bengaluru
Artwork: Anpu Varkey mural artwork where a boy is hanging upside down from a building depicting human emotions and the intricacies of urban lifestyle.
Why It Went Viral: The unique yet simple, take on expressing a child's emotions from his own unique perspective and convey his emotional depth that resonate with many, making it a social media sensation.
Anpu Varkey: Dizzy, Mahim, Mumbai
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Manav Gupta: Tree of Life, Gurgaon
Artwork: Manav Gupta transformed an entire building into one of the best depictions of growth and unity. It was a 5000 sq ft mural at Bharti Airtel's office, involving over 1000 employees.
Why It Went Viral: The artwork was based on participatory approach, and it is a mural artwork of massive scale which make it a landmark in corporate art initiatives.
Manav Gupta: Tree of Life, Gurgaon
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Neelim Mahanta: #BleedWithDignity, Guwahati
Artwork: In this mural artwork, Neelim addressed menstrual hygiene in order to break the social taboos and to spark a conversations through her art.
Why It Went Viral: The bold message with vibrant imagery led to overall discussions on social media and people who passed by the mural artwork in Guwahati.
Neelim Mahanta: #BleedWithDignity, Guwahati
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Karan Acharya: Angry Hanuman Graphic
Artwork: Karan Acharya depiction of Lord Hanuman is a symbol of fierce, strength and devotion which was originally designed for a local festival, but later it become a symbol of Lord Hanuman's strength and devotion amongst devotee.
Why It Went Viral: The reason behind this artwork getting so much love and spreading across nation is not hidden from anyone. You must have seen this fierce artwork of Load Hanuman on vehicles and social media posts. The artwork is symbol of devotion, fierceness of the Lord Hanuman and his devotees and an iconic representation of cultural pride.
Karan Acharya: Angry Hanuman Graphic
Mural painting history is a reflection of social awareness, societal issues, nature's beauty, memories, culture, and so many creative ideas and imaginations on walls and ceilings. Mural art is a blend of aesthetics and storytelling through visual art. Those who are looking for the best Mural Arts Colleges in India must go through the entire article to understand the types of Mural Arts, the rich history behind this art form and what they can expect from this profession. Those who are planning to pursue visual arts courses, such as a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA), should go through the journey of the best Mural Artists in India to light a spark of creativity before they plan to fully dedicate themselves to this profession.
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