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Branches of Visual Arts – Class 9 Arts Chapter 17 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 9ArtsChapter 17NCERT book: Madhurima - Arts Class 9

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 17 of the NCERT Class 9 Arts book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 17: Branches of Visual Arts (Visual Arts)

Introduction

When someone says they are a visual artist, the next question is usually, "What kind of visual arts?" Chapter 17 introduces the many branches of Visual Arts and gives a brief insight into the careers linked to each. The major disciplines shown are painting, sculpture, digital art, photography, printmaking and heritage crafts.

Key Ideas

Drawing and painting

Pictures on two-dimensional surfaces (paper, fabric, walls) using pencils, pens, pastels, inks, oil paints, watercolours, acrylics, tempera and natural dyes.

Famous artists: Nandalal Bose (Padma Vibhushan), Abanindranath Tagore, Amrita Sher-gil, Jamini Roy (Padma Bhushan), Ram Kumar (Padma Bhushan), Ganga Devi (Padma Shri), Jivya Soma Mashe (Padma Shri), Nasreen Mohammedi, K. C. S. Panicker, K. M. Adimoolam, Raja Ravi Varma.

Sculpture

Three-dimensional artwork in clay, wood, stone, metal, fibreglass, plaster, fabric, natural fibres and recycled materials. (Fig. 17.3 shows the Rock Garden of Chandigarh.)

Famous artists: Devi Prasad Roy Choudhury, Amarnath Sehgal, Ramkinkar Baij (all Padma Bhushan), Sankho Chaudhuri, Meera Mukherjee, P. V. Janakiraman (all Padma Shri), Mrinalini Mukherjee, Pilloo Pochkhanawala, Raghav Kaneria, Nagji Patel, Somnath Hore.

Printmaking

Printmaking lets artists make multiples of the same artwork in editions. An image is created on a surface — woodblock, metal plate, stone, linoleum — with carving or engraving tools; it is inked with a roller, paper is placed over it and pressed by hand or a printing press. In wood-block printing on textiles, the inked block is pressed onto fabric in patterns.

Common processes: woodcut, lithography, etching, screen printing (serigraphy).

Famous artists: Chittoprasad Bhattacharya, Haren Das, Krishna Reddy (Padma Shri), Jyoti Bhatt (Padma Shri).

Photography

Artwork made with digital tools, software, still and video cameras. Photography is different from photojournalism: photojournalism mainly documents events, people, places and nature for reportage, while fine art photography extends to image-making, visual effects and photo-montage (compiling different photographs).

Famous artists: Lala Deen Dayal, Sawai Ram Singh II, Umrao Singh Sher-gil, Homai Vyarawala (Padma Vibhushan).

Applied arts and design disciplines

Sub-categories include graphic design, product design, industrial design, animation, film and video, textile and fashion design. Designers find creative solutions for everyday needs through functional objects, spaces and effective visual communication.

Famous names: Dashrath Patel (Padma Shri), R. K. Joshi (Padma Shri), Martand Singh, Rohit Khosla, Satya Paul, G. K. Gokhale, Ram Mohan (Padma Shri), Satyajit Ray (Bharat Ratna).

Heritage crafts

A rich variety of traditions using hand-crafting and simple machines to make objects, fabrics, toys and artefacts for everyday needs. Many are now integrated with product design, furniture, ceramics, glass and textiles.

Famous names: Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Pupul Jayakar (both Padma Vibhushan, crafts revival), Haku Shah (Padma Shri), Nilima Baruah.

Arts research and management

  • Art History — studies how art developed across regions and time, and the social, cultural and environmental factors behind change.
  • Museology — gives evidence for art history; involves museum management, museum education and preservation (restoration and conservation).

    • Closely related disciplines

  • Architecture — combines structural engineering and design to make buildings.
  • Archaeology — combines science and history to study artefacts and build a picture of the past.

    • Activities

  • 17.1 Choose one or two branches; research two artists (their art, inspiration, training, themes, recognition) and present to the class.
  • 17.2 With your teacher's help, interact with visual art professionals from your region, in person or online.
  • Projects: an A5 personal logo/motif inspired by Indian traditional design, using complementary or analogous colours, with two iterations and a written explanation; a group collage (3–4 students, about 85 × 60 cm) based on journal ideas.

    • Key Terms

  • Printmaking (छापकला) — making multiple impressions from an inked surface
  • Edition (संस्करण) — set of identical prints
  • Engraving (उत्कीर्णन) — cutting lines into a surface
  • Lithography (शिला-मुद्रण) — printing from stone
  • Etching (अम्ल-उत्कीर्णन) — acid-cut metal plate printing
  • Serigraphy / screen printing (स्क्रीन प्रिंटिंग) — printing through a mesh screen
  • Photojournalism (फ़ोटो पत्रकारिता) — photographs for news reportage
  • Photo-montage (फ़ोटो-मोंटाज) — combining photographs
  • Applied arts (अनुप्रयुक्त कला) — design for functional use
  • Heritage crafts (विरासत शिल्प) — traditional handcrafts
  • Art history (कला इतिहास), Museology (संग्रहालय विज्ञान), Conservation (संरक्षण)
  • Archaeology (पुरातत्व)

    • Connect to Your Life

    The logo on your school uniform, the animation you watch, the block-printed bedsheet at home and the museum you visit all come from different branches of the Visual Arts, each a possible career.

    Common Mistakes

  • Treating photography and photojournalism as the same.
  • Thinking design is only "decoration"; it solves everyday problems.
  • Forgetting that printmaking produces editions, not a single original.
  • Mixing up Art History (study of art over time) and Museology (managing and preserving collections).

    • Let's Reflect

  • Match festival roles: graphic designer → poster template; sculptor → mascot at the entrance; printmaker → invitations with wood-block prints; photographer → documenting the event.
  • List four branches of Visual Arts and write about the one that interests you.
  • Reflect on how Visual Arts enrich Dance, Music and Theatre (sets, costumes, make-up, posters).

    • 💡 Key Learning Points

    • ✓Visual Arts include painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, applied arts/design and heritage crafts
    • ✓Printmaking produces editions through woodcut, lithography, etching and screen printing
    • ✓Photography differs from photojournalism, which is for reportage
    • ✓Art history, museology, architecture and archaeology are allied fields
    • ✓Each branch leads to real careers and has celebrated Indian practitioners

    👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

    • →Assign each group one branch to research and present, as the teacher note suggests
    • →Show works by one artist from each branch and ask students to classify them
    • →Demonstrate a simple potato or eraser print to explain editions
    • →Compare a news photograph with a fine-art photograph
    • →Invite a local designer, photographer or craftsperson for a talk
    • →Use the festival-roles matching exercise as a quick game
    • →Guide students through the A5 logo project with two iterations

    📋 Assessment Questions

    1. Can the student list and describe at least four branches of Visual Arts?
    2. Can the student explain how printmaking works?
    3. Can the student distinguish photography from photojournalism?
    4. Can the student match professionals to tasks?
    5. Can the student present research on two artists with evidence?

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    Keep learning

    All chapters in Madhurima - Arts Class 9

    1. 1. Introduction to the History of Arts
    2. 2. The Stage Is Yours
    3. 3. Symbols and Metaphors on Stage
    4. 4. Creativity in Light and Sound
    5. 5. From Vision to Performance: Direction and Acting
    6. 6. Music and Us
    7. 7. The Science of Music
    8. 8. Rāga and Tāla
    9. 9. Music Travels Around the World
    10. 10. Components of Dance
    11. 11. Dance as Visual Storytelling
    12. 12. Cultural Connections Through Dance
    13. 13. Dance Choreography
    14. 14. Exploring the Fundamentals of Visual Arts
    15. 15. Mediums and Techniques in Visual Art
    16. 16. Visual Composition
    17. 17. Branches of Visual Arts