In the eighteenth century, Udaipur painters began creating immersive works unlike anything else in Indian art. Instead of painting small images of ideal worlds, artists turned to large depictions of lived events in local settings. They sought to convey the bhava—the emotional tenor and sensorial experiences—that make places and times memorable. By combining the local, the spatial, and the ephemeral with idealized portraits of Mewar’s kings, artists created a new genre.In a painting that evokes the mood of Udaipur at sunrise, clouds of scarlet, gold, and blue billow above the City Palace, its fortified walls, the nearby green hills, and the spectacular Lake Pichola. While the king protects the realm by hunting a tiger, urban dwellers and villagers go busily about their morning activities.
Sunrise in Udaipur
Udaipur, ca. 1722–23
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Sheet, 80.8 × 156.9 cm
The City Palace Museum, Udaipur, 2012.20.0015
