Symbolism played a big part in the expression of Indian Art. For instance, statues of Buddha and various paintings of Hindu gods are evidence of their faith in various people and animals. You can walk into a home of any person from India and see these forms of art in their home. Their religious beliefs were pivotal in making art work that represented those they worshiped. The symbolism was quite different than those of Islamic Art. Indian Art didn’t worry about featuring idolizing symbols and didn’t see it as disrespectful. In fact, they thought it was part of their expression and duty to have art forms of their gods. An example of the statues created is the Siddhartha Gandhar sculpture.

Indian Art also used rock-cut art which is evident in their pottery mostly. They used rock-cut when developing monuments and large buildings. Buddhism was a major inspiration for the rock-cut and the Hindus and Jains followed suit by creating their own works using rock-cut. The sun temple in Konark is an example of what this art looks like.

Indian Art inspired other forms of art around the world including the use of Oriental Ink Art. Various artists created new ideas for Indian Art to branch out to. Such artists as Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose and Ganendranath Tagore created new trends including cubism and impressionism.

There were Chola fresco paintings that were discovered in 1931. The techniques used were original and inspired others to do the same. These paintings used a smooth batter of limestone mixture over stones.

Tribal and Folk Art are especially expressed in pottery, paintings, metalwork, paper-art, weaving and jewelry. This art was particularly used for expression of their various culture differences as well as social groups.

Indian Art is very expressive to the individual’s emotions. They are dedicated to tradition and value their own style and culture. Many women wear art on their bodies when they get married. The designs will be drawn or tattooed on their hands to represent their recent marriage. Eventually these markings wear off. Piercings are another expression through Indian Art. The culture is very accepting and sometimes expecting of a woman to pierce her nose and ears. Body art is worn when a woman is married. The typical dot on the forehead can represent marriage and depending on the color it can also represent availability.