The Indus Valley civilization, also known as the Harrapan civilization, prevailed from 3300 to 1300 BCE and spanned sections of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwestern India as far as Rajkot. The people who lived during the course of the Indus Valley civilisation seemed to be artisans or craftsmen.
They created art through many mediums. A few of them being Seals, sculptures, pottery, terracotta figurines and gold ornaments.
They not only drew flawlessly from memory and observation, but they also created their gods and goddesses using their artistic abilities and imagination.
Stone sculptures:
Bust of a bearded priest(2000–1900 BCE):
This sculpture of a bearded man depicts how the craftsmen exaggerated features in order the emphasize the characteristics of the man. The elongated eyelids give a sense of peace and wisdom. The simple lines accurately depict an unembellished beard, the detail of the shawl over one shoulder tells the viewer about the type of clothing that priests during the period of the Indus Valley civilization wore. This piece of art also effectively displays the emotion of serenity and respect one feels when in the presence of this priest.
It also shows how the artisans tried to create 3-dimensional sculptures.
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Male torso
This stone sculpture while being the complete opposite of the earlier stone sculpture clearly demonstrates how exceptional the observational skills of some the earliest artisans were. The sockets have been created for the attachment of the rms and the head. This sculpture has perfectly captured the weight and realistic feel of this torso.
The various styles of these stone sculptures demonstrate how various artistic forms were promoted and developed during the civilisation.
Copper Figure:
The Dancing Girl (2300–1750 BCE)
This is a 4-inch copper figurine that depicts a girl dancing.
The ornaments she is wearing, and her pose give the viewer so much information about how the dancer was meant to look like.
Seals:
While trying to mimic the realistic features of peoples and animals that one would see in everyday life, the artisans of the Indus valley civilization also created symbols and seals of their deities.
The Pashupati Seal(2350-2000 BCE)
The goddess of fertility. ‘Pashupati’ in the Sanskrit language means the lord of animals. Even though the Script has not been completely deciphered, this seal perfectly depicts the meaning. The tiger and elephant on the right-hand side and the rhinoceros and buffalo on the left-hand side along with the two antelopes at the bottom all surround the deity representing their worship and respect for the female goddess.
Unicorn Seal:
Archaeologists have found numerous seals depicting various animals, monsters and mythical creatures. This is one of the famous depictions of the unicorn bull.
Works cited:
Indus valley civilisation context and facts: https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/kefa102.pdf