Kanu Priya

Biography

Dr. Kanu Priya is an art historian and academic specializing in Indian art, miniature painting, Indian aesthetics and art theory, with particular scholarly interest in the visual representation of women, literary themes and narrative traditions in Indian painting. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of History of Art, Faculty of Arts, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, where she has been engaged in teaching and research since 2019. Dr. Priya holds a Ph.D. in History of Art from IIS (deemed to be University), Jaipur, awarded in 2015. She completed her M.A. in History of Art from the National Museum Institute, National Museum, New Delhi, in 2008, and her B.F.A. in Applied Art from the Department of College Education, Government of Rajasthan, Jaipur, in 2005. Her teaching and research encompass Indian miniature painting, early and later Indian painting traditions, Mughal, Rajasthani and Pahari painting, Indian sculpture, Indian aesthetics, art theory, and the history and development of Indian and Western art. Her research interests also extend to significant developments in sculptural and painting traditions from their early beginnings to the modern period. A substantial part of her scholarship explores the intersection of literature, visual culture and artistic representation. Her publications examine themes such as the representation of Nayikas in Indian miniature painting, the visual language of Ramayana and Krishna themes, romantic situations drawn from ancient literature, folk-art traditions and the portrayal of women and their emotional and aesthetic dimensions in Indian art. Her work has appeared in interdisciplinary and peer-reviewed academic journals and scholarly proceedings, including publications associated with the Indian Art History Congress and Lalit Kala Akademi. Alongside her academic responsibilities, she has contributed extensively to university administration and student development. She has supervised doctoral research in History of Art, including research on the photographic legacy of Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh-II of Jaipur and the representation of Nayikas in Rajasthani and Pahari miniature painting. Dr. Priya has received several distinctions for her contribution to art and scholarship, including the Kalidas Samman Award from Kalidasa Sanskrit Akademi, Ujjain and the Government of Madhya Pradesh (2020), the Kala Ratna International Award (2020), the Kala Ratna P. N. Choyal Award from Rajasthan Lalit Kala Akademi and Kalavritt, Jaipur (2022), and the Padmashri Kripal Singh Shekhawat Samman Award from Rajasthan Lalit Kala Akademi and Kalavritt, Jaipur (2023). With her interdisciplinary engagement with art history, Indian aesthetics, literary traditions and visual culture, Dr. Kanu Priya contributes to the study and interpretation of India's rich artistic heritage, particularly its miniature painting traditions and the relationship between textual narratives and their visual expression.