Reflections of the Self: What Your Favorite Indian Art Style Reveals About You

Updated on

By Anushka Roy Bardhan

6 min read

  • India
  • Art
  • Design
  • Home Styling

    • Table of Contents

    Introduction

    What if the art we love isn't just about taste but a subconscious echo of who we are? At the crossroads of aesthetic preference and inner psychology lies a fascinating question: Could the art we’re drawn to reveal something deeper about our nature?

    India’s visual heritage is a kaleidoscope of styles. Each region, each age, each community has etched its own artistic language into time, symbolic, emotional and archetypal. And when viewed through a psychological lens, it can become a surprising window into our inner landscape.

    The Peacocks on a Tree in Santhal-Tribal Pattachitra Painting by Manoranjan Chitrakar

    Which Indian Art Style Reflects Your Inner World?

    A Self-Discovery Quiz Inspired by Traditional Indian Art

    Answer the following questions as honestly as possible. At the end, tally your scores to find out which art style best matches your personality archetype.

    How do you usually make decisions?

    • I follow my intuition and symbolic signs.
    • I keep it simple - what’s practical usually works best.
    • I go with tradition and values passed down.
    • I weigh emotions, history, and meaning.
    • I listen deeply to the people and stories involved.
    • I ask: “What would this mean in the long run?”
    • I challenge norms - if it’s been done before, I want to rethink it.

    Which space would you feel most at peace in?

    • A room full of spiritual symbols and mythic murals.
    • A rustic village courtyard with mud walls and tribal paintings.
    • A candle-lit altar with gold icons and incense.
    • A library filled with ancient manuscripts and painted folios.
    • A cozy corner with handwoven textiles and illustrated scrolls.
    • A traditional home layered with heirlooms and rituals.
    • A gallery with bold, unconventional installations.

    How do your friends describe you?

    • Dreamy, deep, philosophical
    • Grounded, dependable, minimalist
    • Graceful, dignified, reverent
    • Poetic, thoughtful, nostalgic
    • Warm, compassionate, a storyteller
    • Loyal, thoughtful, a protector of memory
    • Challenging the status quo with hybrid forms

    What moves you most in art?

    • Hidden meanings and symbolic geometry.
    • Simplicity and natural rhythms.
    • Devotion, ritual, and ornate beauty.
    • Emotional storytelling and historical resonance.
    • Human connection through folk narratives.
    • Preservation of legacy and cultural depth.
    • Challenging the status quo with hybrid forms.

    If you had to pick one life value to live by, what would it be?

    • Meaning
    • Simplicity
    • Grace
    • Romance
    • Empathy
    • Continuity
    • Freedom

    Score Key

    Tally how many times you selected each letter:

    • Mostly A - Madhubani: The Visionary Idealist
    • Mostly B - Warli: The Grounded Purist
    • Mostly C - Tanjore: The Spiritual Aristocrat
    • Mostly D - Miniature Art: The Romantic Historian
    • Mostly E - Kalamkari: The Narrative Empath
    • Mostly F - Pattachitra: The Devotional Preserver
    • Mostly G - Contemporary Indian Art: The Postmodern Rebel

    The Framework of Interpretation: Art as Mirror for Self-Reflection


    Psychologist Carl Jung believed that beneath the surface of our individual selves lie timeless archetypes, universal characters and energies that shape how we think, feel, and relate to the world.

    Visual art, especially traditional art, often speaks in these symbols. A dancing Shiva in bronze. A tree of life in delicate ink, a gold-embossed goddess mirroring the emotional truths we hold within.

    Each brushstroke, motif, and material becomes a cue for inner resonance. And thus, art becomes less about what we see, and more about how we see ourselves in it.

    Mata Saraswati Kalamkari Painting by Siva Reddy

    Mapping Art Styles to Personality Archetypes

    Below is an interpretive exercise: mapping traditional Indian art styles to personality archetypes. Not rigid categories, but reflective tools to invite a little introspection.

    Drawn to the mythic and the mystical? You may be someone who sees patterns where others see chaos. Madhubani’s dense symbolism and spiritual geometry appeal to the intuitive, the imaginative and the ones who believe life is filled with meaning waiting to be decoded.

    The Warm Embrace: A Reinterpretation in Madhubani by Izhar Ansari

    Minimal. Earth-bound. Rooted. If Warli speaks to you, perhaps you value simplicity over spectacle. You’re likely someone who finds strength in tradition, clarity in constraint, and beauty in the essential.

    Story of the Mahadev : Warli Painting by Anil Wangad

    Tanjore: The Spiritual Aristocrat

    With its regal gold leaf and divine themes, Tanjore draws those with a deep reverence for beauty, ritual, and grace. If this is your favorite, you might be someone who moves through life with quiet elegance and a sense of sacred purpose.

    The Ideal Lord Ram in Tanjore Art by Sanjay Tandekar

    Delicate and detailed, miniature paintings require attention and affection. If you gravitate toward these, you may be nostalgic, layered, and deeply romantic, someone who believes stories live forever when told well.

    Radha-Krishna in Miniature Painting by Mohan Prajapati

    Kalamkari is all about storytelling. If you’re drawn to it, chances are you’re a listener. A feeler. Someone who understands the world through tales, and carries compassion in every thread of your being.

    The Divine Darbar: Rama's Coronation in Kalamkari by Mannasamudram Viswanath Reddy

    To love Pattachitra is to love legacy. You’re likely someone who honors the past—not out of habit, but from a sense of duty. A guardian of memory, a believer in the power of continuity.

    Radha-Krishna Pattachitra Painting by Apindra Swain

    Do boundaries bore you? Are you stirred by hybrid, provocative works? Then you may be the Postmodern Rebel questioning, reimagining, challenging. For you, art is not an answer. It’s a spark.

    Traditional Loin Loom Naga Textile Art in Contemporary Wall Hanging by Nagaloom

    The Role of Cultural Conditioning

    Of course, not all preferences emerge from within. Sometimes, they’re planted by the world around us. Our aesthetic leanings are often shaped by what we see, feel, and live. If you grew up with Kalamkari curtains or saw Pattachitra scrolls in your grandparents’ home, those impressions may live on. This is called aesthetic imprinting when early visual exposures sculpt lifelong tastes.

    And platforms like MeMeraki show us that our relationship with art doesn’t have to be passive by reintroducing forgotten styles, revive dying crafts, and most importantly make us believe in art again. By honoring authenticity and story, the platform helps recognise our place in a continuum much larger than the self.

    Art as Inner Dialogue

    Perhaps your favorite art styles are not just reflections of taste but invitations to know ourselves better. In choosing the boldness of bronze or the softness of miniature, the values are often revealed. Our longings. Our lens. And in doing so, we begin a quiet conversation with the self, one that doesn't need words, only wonder. So the next time a painting, a pattern, or a piece of pottery stops you in your tracks, just pause. It may be saying something about who you are. Or, even better, who you’re becoming!

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