Narmada College of Fine Arts, Music & Design

Affiliated to Raja Mansingh Tomar Music & Arts University, Gwalior

M.A. (Fine Arts) | 2 Years (4 Semesters)

The M.A. in Drawing & Painting is a two-year postgraduate program that blends practical studio work with art history and aesthetics. Students explore diverse disciplines—drawing, portraiture, composition, landscape, and life study—while experimenting with traditional, modern, and contemporary techniques.

The theory modules cover Indian, Far Eastern, and European art history along with aesthetics and philosophies of beauty, providing a strong academic foundation. Through seminars, exhibitions, dissertations, and viva, the course nurtures creativity, critical thinking, and professional practice, preparing students for careers as artists, educators, researchers, and creative professionals.

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MA Fine Arts Curriculum

Practical

 

Drawing Part I

Freehand drawing of nature, animals, birds, and humans. Basics of portrait features, anatomy, facial expressions, lighting & shadows. (25 sketches required)

 

Composition Part I

Paintings on traditional & modern themes: mythological, social, religious, historical, and contemporary. (5 sheets per subject)

 

Portrait Part I

Study of live models in various angles using colors, light, and shadow. (5 sheets per subject)

 

Exhibition, Seminar & Viva

Handwritten report (3000 words), PowerPoint presentation on new techniques, and display of selected works with sketchbook.

 

Theory

 

History of Indian Art

Unit I: Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Bharhut, Sanchi, Amaravati, Sarnath, Ellora, Khajuraho, Konark.

Unit II: Mughal, Rajput & Pahari Schools of Miniature Painting – styles, themes, artists.

Unit III: Folk & Tribal Art of India – Kalighat, Madhubani, Tanjore, Pattachitra, Kalamkari, Pichvai, Warli, Gond, Phad, Pithora, etc.

Unit IV: Contemporary Art & Company Artists – Ghulam Ali Khan, Sewak Ram; Modern Art – Souza, Raza, Tyeb Mehta, Akbar Padamsee.

Unit V: Baroda School – K.G. Subramanian, Himmat Shah, Jyoti Bhatt; Madras School – E.V. Havel, K.C.S. Paniker.

 

Aesthetics (Indian) Part I

Unit I: Origin of Aesthetics – Traditional & Modern, Beauty in Art.

Unit II: Indian Aesthetic Attitude, Empathy, Fine Arts.

Unit III: Rasa Theory – Bharatmuni, Abhinav Gupta; Beauty in Indian Literature.

Unit IV: Contributions of Bhatta Lollat, Shankuk, Bhattnayak, E.V. Havel, Ramchandra Shukla, Kumaraswamy, Dr. Nagendra, Dr. K.C. Pandey.

Unit V: Aesthetics in Music & Painting, Hindu Vision of Beauty.

 

 

Practical

 

Drawing Part II

Portraits from diverse cultures (Indian, African, Chinese, Japanese, etc.); facial anatomy, features, lighting & shadows. (25 sketches)

 

Composition Part II

Multi-figure compositions on religious, mythological, social, historical & contemporary themes; semi-realistic analysis of Indian paintings. (5 sheets per subject; Water/Acrylic/Oil/Mix Media)

 

Portrait Part II

Live model studies with emphasis on light, shadow & color. (Water/Acrylic/Oil)

 

Exhibition, Seminar & Viva

Handwritten report (3000 words), PowerPoint on new techniques, and display of selected works with sketchbook.

 

Theory

 

History of Art (Far Eastern, Chinese, Japanese & Persian)

Unit I–II: Evolution of Chinese painting – Chou, Han, Tang, Sung, Yüan, Ming, Ch’ing & Modern periods.

Unit III–IV: Japanese painting – Yamato-E, Buddhist scrolls, Sumi-E ink painting, Momoyama, Edo Ukiyo-E, Modern trends.

Unit V: Persian painting – from Sasanian to modern; miniatures, manuscript decoration, murals; Artists – Bihzad, Riza-i-Abbasi, Indo-Persian styles.

 

Aesthetics (Far Eastern) Part II

Unit I–II: Indian Aesthetics – origins, beauty in literature (Kamasutra, Natyashastra, Vishnudharmottara Purana), Rasa theory, Alankar, Hemchandra, Bhoj, Vishwanath.

Unit III–IV: Philosophical aesthetics – Bharatmuni vs. Plato, Coomaraswamy, Radha Kamal Mukherjee; Modern Indian Art; Impressionism (Prabhavaad).

Unit V: Oriental perspectives – Egyptian, Chinese, Buddhist & Islamic Aesthetics.

 

Practical

 

Landscape

Nature studies, gardens, and heritage structures with focus on light, shadow, texture & perspective. (5 sheets per subject; Water/Acrylic/Poster/Mix Media)

 

Composition Part III

Creative works on modern, mythological, religious & sociological themes in semi-realistic or abstract style with innovative use of color & symbolism. (5 sheets per subject)

 

Life Study Part I

Full figure study of live male/female models, capturing realism, proportion, light & shadow. (5 sheets per subject)

 

Exhibition, Seminar & Viva

Handwritten report (3000 words), PowerPoint on new techniques, and display of sessional works with sketchbook.

 

Theory

 

History of European Art

 

Unit I–II: Prehistoric cave paintings (France, Spain, Italy), Egyptian art, Greek art & classical painters.

Unit III–IV: Byzantine & Gothic Art; Renaissance masters – Masaccio, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Correggio.

Unit V: Modern movements – Baroque (Rubens, Rembrandt, Lorenzo) and Rococo Art.

 

Aesthetics (European)

Unit I–II: Occidental aesthetics – Socrates, Plato, Aristotle; Roman & Medieval thought – Cicero, Plotinus, St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas.

Unit III–IV: Renaissance & Neoclassical aesthetics – Leonardo, Michelangelo, Delacroix, Ingres, Goya, El Greco; British & German aesthetics – Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, Addison, Hume, Baumgarten, Kant, Hegel.

Unit V: Russian aesthetics – Belinsky, Chernyshevsky; Marxist thought – Karl Marx, Leo Tolstoy.

 

Practical

 

Landscape Part II

Advanced techniques in landscape painting with focus on texture, light, shadow, and personal expression.

 

Composition Part IV

Creative works on religious, mythological, social & modern themes in individual style using innovative techniques and vibrant colors. (Water/Acrylic/Oil/Poster/Mix Media; 5 sheets per subject)

 

Life Study Part II

Full-figure studies of live male/female models, emphasizing realism, proportion, and light & shadow. (5 sheets per subject)

 

Dissertation, Exhibition & Viva

Dissertation (50 pages, hardbound), PowerPoint presentation, and viva based on selected research topic. Display of sessional works and sketchbook during annual examination.

 

Theory

 

History of European Art (Part II)

Unit I–II: Neoclassicism (David), Romanticism (Delacroix, Ingres), Realism (Courbet), Impressionism (Manet, Pissarro, Sisley), Post-Impressionism (Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin), Symbolism & Fauvism (Matisse, Derain), Cubism (Picasso, Braque).

Unit III–IV: Expressionism (Munch, Beckmann), Futurism & Dadaism (Picabia), Surrealism (Salvador Dalí), Abstract & Abstract Expressionism (Dubuffet, Pollock).

Unit V: Italian & Spanish modern artists, Pop Art, and New Realism.

 

Aesthetics (European) Part II

Unit I: Italian aesthetics – thinkers and art theorists.

Unit II: Psychological aesthetics – Theodor Lipps, Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler.

Unit III: Modern aesthetics – John Ruskin, I.A. Richards, R.G. Collingwood, Herbert Read.

Unit IV: Comparative aesthetics – Oriental & Occidental (Marshall, Havell, Munno Das Gupta, Nagendra, Percy Brown).

Unit V: Symbolism & Surrealism.