Shilparatna is a 16th century classical treatise or text on traditional

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

n representational-performing arts. It is particularly influential in painting and theatrical performance. It was authored by Srikumara in 16th century AD. In this the word ''Shilpa'' (sculptural) ''Ratna'' (Gems) is used as a broad term embodying artistic forms that either uses the body as a medium of expression (like

Dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

or Dance-Drama) or that which represents the body as an expression (like Sculptures and

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

arts). It ranks only after the

Natya Shastra The ''Nāṭya Shāstra'' (, ''Nāṭyaśāstra'') is a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts. The text is attributed to sage Bharata, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates vary b ...

and the

Abhinaya Darpana Nandikeshvara (; 5th century – 4th century BC) was a major theatrologist of ancient India. He was the author of the . Influence on Bharata Nandikeshvara seems to have preceded Bharata, according to Ramakrishna Kavi. Some consider him to be ...

as a text of fundamentals on the performing arts. It lays down the tenets of painting such as the proper set of colours and the right combinations which leads to stylized balance and rhythm. It is adhered to as principles in South Indian paintings known as Dravidian mural art or Dravidian mural painting. The text describes yellow, white, red and terreVerte as the pure colours. These colours could be used as single colours or in combinations to make another chroma. The Shilparatna also lays down principles for stage performance, like the optimal space for a performance. The '' NatyaGriha'' (classical Dance spaces and theatres), ''Natya'' (Postural dance) and ''Griha'' (house) in

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

is made according to these principles and those laid down by the Natya Shastra. It describes the elaborate codified language of ''

mudra A mudra (; , , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. As well as being spiritual ges ...

s'' (stylized gestures and symbolic signs by the hands and body posture used in

Bharatanatyam ''Bharatanatyam'' is a Indian classical dance form that came from Tamil Nadu, India. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas of Hinduism and Jainism.< ...

and

Kathakali ''Kathakali'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kathakaḷi ) is a traditional form of Indian Classical Dance, and one of the most complex forms of Theatre of India, Indian theatre. It is a play of verses. These vers ...

) as ''angikabhinaya'', meaning body-expressions.https://cec.nic.in/webpath/curriculum/Module/FART/Paper26/5/downloads/script.pdf Page 15

References

{{reflist Indian painting Performing arts in India Arts of Kerala