topics: |  india | art | ancient

Traditionally, Visvakaraman and Naganjit have been considered the
authorities in painting.  Visvakarman is still honoured by all artisan
sculptors and painters.  The following myth relates him to Nagnajit. 

The origins of painting

This myth is recorded in the citralakShmaNa of nagnajit (c. early Gupta
period, 4th+ c.); a version also appears in the vishNudharmottara puraNa
(c.450-650+):  

Once upon a time a brahmin came to an wise and powerful king, lamenting how
his young son had been snatched away by death.

So the King called on Yama, who came and said 
	My independence is limited and I don’t have the power to return or
	free his son. All beings are subject to my powers because of the
	reward that their own deeds (karma) merit.

But the argument turned into a ferocious fight, and Yama let loose his
fearsome naked ghouls, called pretas.  However, the king was winning, and
Yama was about to take desperate measures.   Seeing that all creation was
getting endangered, Brahma intervened.  

He asked the king to paint a handsome picture resembling the dead son of
the brahman. The painting was to be a likeness, in colour.

The king painted the boy and Brahma gifted that painting as a living person
to the brahman.

After this, Brahma told the king that because he had been victorious against
the naked preta, he would be called ‘Conqueror of the Naked’
(nagna,naked +; jit, he who conquers: nagnajit).
Also he would be revered for having brought the first picture into the
world of the living.

In order to raise a caitya (place of worship), one must paint pictures.
Hence painting is counted as knowledge (Veda). I am the first one to have
painted pictures.  He then asks Nagnajit to go to Vifvakarman, who would
instruct him on the art of painting.

Nagnajit finds Vifvakarman, who explains how the rules for painting, the
citralakShmaNa, originally came from the lotus-born (Brahma).  These
rules describe the measurements, composition and colours of paintings, and
are honoured by the gods themselves.  Brahma himself has taught
Visvakarman, and now that he has sent the king, Visvakarman would instruct
him on the nature of measurements, characteristic attributes, on
proportion, form, ornamentation and beauty, and then nagnajit would also be
fully versed in all these skills.  p.17-19