Comparison between Mesolithic and modern painting

Published on 12 Oct 2025

Paintings in India have evolved over centuries from the rock paintings of the Mesolithic period to the politically relevant modern paintings.

Feature	Mesolithic	Modern
Time period	Prehistoric era (10,000 to 4,000 BCE)	Late 19th century onwards
Purpose	Ritualistic and storytelling	Artistic expression and socio-political statements
Materials	Natural pigments and charcoal	Synthetic paints
Theme	Animals, hunting scene, daily life	Portraits, landscape, social issues etc.
Style	Simple and primitive, often stylized	Embraces perspective and realism, or may deliberately deviate from it
Techniques	Basic brushwork and finger painting	Extensive techniques like brushwork, layering, glazing, collage etc.
Cultural significance	Reflects early human communication and artistic development	Reflects the social, cultural, and artistic trends of modern society

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