Mysore paintings are traditional South Indian artworks that blend delicate brushwork, muted colors, and gold leaf detailing. Originating in Karnataka during the Vijayanagara period, this art form evolved under royal patronage, particularly the Wodeyar dynasty. Crafted on handmade canvases using gesso and gold foil, Mysore paintings often depict Hindu deities and epics. Their refined finish, devotional aura, and subtle color harmony make them one of India’s most revered classical art traditions.
Mysore paintings are among the most graceful expressions of South Indian art known for their intricate detailing, soft color palette, and luminous gold foil work. Emerging from the Vijayanagara murals and refined under the royal patronage of the Wodeyar kings, these artworks reflect a divine blend of spirituality and precision.
Each Mysore painting is not just a visual delight but a living echo of India’s classical aesthetics handcrafted on layered paper or ivory sheets, elevated with delicate gesso, and adorned with genuine gold leaf. Themes drawn from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas infuse them with timeless narrative power and devotional warmth.
From temple walls to contemporary collections, Mysore paintings continue to bridge history, craftsmanship, and faith embodying Karnataka’s enduring artistic legacy.
Mysore paintings are traditional South Indian artworks created using natural pigments, gold leaf, and fine linework. Originating in Karnataka, they depict Hindu deities and epics with subtle colors and intricate detailing, reflecting devotional and royal themes.
The story of Mysore paintings begins in the royal city of Vijayanagara, whose temple murals inspired generations of South Indian artists. In the 17th, 18th, and later centuries, inspired by the frescos of sanctums like Hampi’s Virupaksha Mandir, these paintings grew into a distinctive art form.
The Chitrakara or painters, engaged in the artworks, were initially nurtured by the Vijayanagara kingdom, but after its fall, they had to scatter and find patrons in neighboring regions. Not just kings, but elites, ministers, and high-ranking officials of the states came forward to patronize the artists, preserving the painting style further.
Under the patronage of the Wodeyar dynasty, this dispersed artistic tradition found a new home. The Mysore kings, especially Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (19th century), played a crucial role in preserving and refining the art form. He commissioned works like the Sri Tattva Nidhi, an encyclopedic text illustrated with divine figures, and Devatahanama Kusumamanjari, a devotional poetry collection that became a creative guide for painters.
Even during the reigns of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, elements of the Mysore style were visible notably in the Seebi Narasimha Swamy Temple and the Daria Daulat Bagh Palace, where mural art blended classical and Islamic aesthetics. These historical phases transformed Mysore painting into a distinct school of South Indian art, marked by serenity, devotion, and refined craftsmanship.
After the coming of the European powers, the earlier structure of patronage was destroyed and the artists found it difficult to sustain.
Puranas and sacred literature have been a common source of inspiration for Indian painters, and it was a similar case for Mysore Chitrakaras, who painted elaborate scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, different Puranas, and other books of Hindu culture. Growing up under the protection of kings, Mysore paintings also preferred court scenes and portraits of kings and their officials that have become a window into the culture and politics of their time for modern readers of art.
Scenes such as Sri Rama Pattabhishekam (the coronation of Lord Rama), Krishna Leela, and depictions of Shiva-Parvati highlight the narrative depth of Mysore paintings. These stories, rendered in calm colors and spiritual tones, mirror the moral and emotional fabric of Indian folklore.
The supreme goddess is a recurring muse Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga, and Chamundeshwari (the tutelary deity of the Mysore kings) are painted with compassion and elegance. Their elongated eyes, intricate jewelry, and composed expressions symbolize inner strength and serenity.
Kings, ministers, and nobles were frequently immortalized on canvas. These regal portraits, often framed with gold leaf and soft pastel backgrounds, offer modern viewers a glimpse into the opulence and etiquette of Mysore’s golden age.
Mysore paintings are defined by emotive expressions, ornate detailing, and fine linework. The characters’ almond-shaped eyes, delicate hairdos, and balanced compositions reveal the artist’s focus on spiritual calmness a signature trait that sets Mysore art apart from more dramatic schools like Tanjore.
A meticulous journey from devotion to detail. The creation of a Mysore painting is as sacred as its subject. Every step follows traditional methods passed down through generations blending faith, patience, and precision to produce luminous works of art that last for centuries. The process of making a Mysore painting is a time-consuming one and involves dedication, skills, and patience.
Artists begin by mounting handmade paper or cloth over a wooden plank. Traditionally, many layers of paper were put together and layered with Maida (refined flour) to prepare a canvas, but now, the Mysore painters use ivory or cartridge sheets as the base.
The artist begins sketching, preparing a diagram of the subject with thin and clear lines. Using charcoal or a fine brush, the artist draws delicate outlines of the deity or scene. Each line follows strict iconographic proportions defined in ancient Shilpa Shastras, ensuring spiritual and aesthetic harmony.
Gesso work comes next, which includes zinc oxide and Arabic gum, whose fine paste is added to placed on the canvas. This creates raised reliefs that catch light and add dimensional depth, a hallmark of Mysore art.
Thin sheets of pure gold leaf are carefully laid over the embossed areas. This step demands precision; once pressed and polished, the gold radiates a soft divine glow symbolizing purity and prosperity.
Soft, transparent hues made from vegetable dyes, minerals, and ground stones are brushed over the design. Unlike the bright tones of Tanjore art, Mysore paintings favor muted pastels creating a serene, meditative mood.
Fine brushwork defines facial expressions, textiles, and ornaments. Eyes considered the soul of the painting are completed last, a ritual believed to “bring life” to the deity.
Mysore paintings are handmade artworks from Karnataka created on a gesso-coated base using natural pigments and gold leaf. Artists emboss the jewelry areas, apply gold foil, and finish with delicate linework and pastel colors to depict Hindu deities with divine grace.
The tools that are the creators of magic on the canvas are an interesting component of any art form. Let us take a look at some of the essential tools of Mysore paintings-
✔️The brushes of the artwork were traditionally made with burnt shoots of tamarind or animal hair but many artists in the modern time use synthetic brushes. The ones that follow their ancestors, swear by the animal hair brush because they break less and give a finer finish to the lines and details.
✔️Charcoal was used as the blackening agent in sketching.
✔️Ceramic tiles are used by many artists even today, for they provide better mixing and consistency to the colors. Fine grains of colors were mixed with water to create the paste for painting.
✔️Artists also use poster colors, for which the excess oil is removed to maintain the non-glossy appearance of Mysore painting.
✔️Arabic gum was made by taking grains of gum and dipping it overnight in water after which it was filtered using a fine cloth like Muslin.
Though both Mysore and Tanjore paintings have evolved from the Vijayanagara murals and thus share visual language and both use gold foil in embellishment, there are certain points that separate the two.
✔️Mysore paintings use no stones or gems in their embellishment. On the other hand, Tanjore paintings are enriched with green, red, white, and other colors of tiny stones and gem pieces that give the canvases a jewellery-like appearance.
✔️The color scheme of Mysore paintings is soothing and gentle, with details that create a rich appeal. In contrast, the Tanjore paintings have a vivid color selection, with sharp contrasts that create alluring visuals.
Among the many artworks loved and sought after by contemporary connoisseurs, Mysore paintings have a small but devoted following. With its appealing articulation of legends and tales of Indian culture, these paintings deserve a much larger audience. Let us take a closer look at a few masterpieces from Exotic India’s collection of Mysore paintings, to see what makes these artworks unique and a gem that needs to be preserved.
Mysore paintings have a charming balance of colors, which has a modern appeal. The selection of hues is done by the artist in a way, that even the deepest colors do not overpower but complement the lighter ones around them, creating a serene canvas that can fit in while standing out when mounted on your walls.
This painting of Mariamman, a form of goddess Durga, where the Devi is wrapped in a dark green color saree and is surrounded by a deep blue background, is the perfect example of the sublime color assortment of Mysore paintings, where each color flatters the other.
The colors used by traditional, classic Mysore paintings are soft pastels, that create a gentle aura on the canvas. With epic themes envisioned in subtle tones, the artists of Mysore paintings achieve a welcoming artwork, that attracts the eye. In this Chaturbhuja Krishna painting made in traditional Mysore style, the choice of colors adds tranquility to the image of Krishna’s divine form, which gives the painting an exalted, devotional ambiance.
The themes in Mysore art are popular episodes of Indian culture, that have a relatability and iconic value across time and space. A great example is this Nataraja with his Shakti, a renowned theme in every art form of India. The grandeur of Nataraja roopa and the devotion of his followers, sages, and Ganas have been beautifully captured in the artwork, with architectural elements that make this painting an aesthetic shrine of Shiva.
Adorned with 24-karat gold but carrying a soft matte finish, Mysore paintings perfectly strike the balance between the opulence of the past and the subtle asthetics of modern times. This splendid Rama’s court painting, covered in gold foil is a beautiful specimen of the gold work done on Mysore paintings, which gives the artwork an air of regalia. Fine lines can be observed all over the gold foils, done using black ink, that softens the shine of the metal, guaranteeing that a Mysore painting will be an expression of elegance and refined artistic sense in any space.
While one can overlook the finer details of an artwork when there is gold to catch your eyes first, the canvases of Mysore offer a brilliant display of lines and finer elements, rendered with precision and dexterity. This Mysore painting of Ganapati sitting on a royal throne surrounded by scenes of celebration and natural beauty includes a vast number of sub-themes within the frame of the painting, each highlighted by the perfection of lines.
The accuracy of the linework makes each component of the painting come out beautifully, speaking volumes about the skills and patience of the painters, who spend days ensuring that every line is drawn with artistic intent and serves a purpose in the artwork.
Expressive features and emotive aura surround the subjects of Mysore paintings, giving these artworks an animated, full-of-life appeal. This contemporary Mysore painting of Krishna with his cows is an alluring example, where a devotional mood has been presented, with Krishna smilingly embracing Surabhi cow, who gazes pleasantly at him. The background- calf drinking his mother’s milk, cowherd boys in comfortable poses, and the foreground where a swan catches a fish captures the liveliness of the forest, making this Mysore painting an elevating piece of narrative art.
Mysore paintings are known for their delicate brushwork, pastel shades, and fine gold-foil detailing. They emphasize devotion, balance, and emotional subtlety, blending artistic precision with spiritual symbolism unique to South Indian art traditions.
Yes. Mysore paintings remain highly valued for their traditional techniques, cultural symbolism, and aesthetic elegance. Modern artists and institutions preserve this art form through exhibitions, training programs, and digital archives, ensuring its continued relevance worldwide.
Mysore paintings are known for their delicate lines, subtle pastel colors, and the use of pure gold leaf. They reflect devotion and fine craftsmanship rooted in South Indian tradition.
Artists use handmade paper or cloth, natural pigments, gesso paste, and thin 24-karat gold foil. Brushes are often made from fine animal hair for precision detailing.
The Mysore painting style evolved under the patronage of the Wodeyar kings after the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, with artists preserving the mural traditions of southern India.
Mysore paintings use soft pastel shades and thin gold foil, while Tanjore paintings feature bold colors, thick gold plating, and gem embellishments for a more ornate look.
They are handmade through a multi-step process involving sketching, embossing with gesso, applying gold foil, and coloring with natural pigments for a luminous yet matte finish.
Most Mysore artworks depict Hindu gods, goddesses, and epic scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas. Royal portraits and devotional themes are also common.
Yes. Traditional artists in Karnataka, especially around Mysuru, still practice this art form using the same ancient methods, often taught through heritage workshops and art schools.
This art form flourished in the Mysore kingdom under the patronage of the Wodeyar dynasty, inspired by temple murals and the Ajanta fresco traditions.
Look for subtle shading, muted colors, thin gold outlines (not raised), and detailed background ornamentation that reflects devotion and precision.
Authentic pieces are available from certified art galleries, government emporiums, or curated collections like Exotic India Art, which preserve the heritage and authenticity of Indian traditional art.
Gaining popularity among different patrons and learning from folk as well as classic art forms of its time, Mysore paintings developed a distinct style that caters to the modern connoisseurs as much as it did to the royals of medieval India. Not only did the art form illuminate canvases but it was also used to adorn Ganjifa (a playing card), known as the “Mysore Ganjifa”, painted for the Wodeyar kings with scenes of the Puranas and inscribed with shlokas in Sanskrit, bringing ancient legends to medieval leisurely life.
The Dashavatara Ganjifa, a popular set painted in Mysore style, is an example of the popularity of the technique and asthetics of this artform, often overshadowed by its sibling, the Tanjore school of painting. Sharing much with the Tanjore artworks, Mysore paintings have a rare blend of magnificence of details and minimalism of colors that remains relatively unexplored.
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