CUET UG 2027 / Fine Arts syllabus

CUET UG 2027 · Paper 312

CUET Fine Arts Syllabus 2027: Units, Chapters and Books

The official CUET UG Fine Arts / Visual Arts / Commercial Arts syllabus (paper 312), unit by unit, with the book chapter each unit comes from, what changed from 2025 to 2026, and where to practise.

Practise CUET Fine Arts in the Study OS Official NTA syllabus PDF

2027 status: NTA has not released the CUET UG 2027 syllabus. This page shows the official CUET UG 2026 Fine Arts syllabus, the latest available, and will be updated when NTA publishes the 2027 version.

CUET Fine Arts at a glance

Paper code: 312 (Fine Arts / Visual Arts / Commercial Arts)
Questions: 50 multiple-choice questions, all compulsory
Time: 60 minutes
Marking: +5 for a correct answer, minus 1 for a wrong answer; 250 maximum
Syllabus: 4 units, 8 chapters in our chapter map

How the CUET Fine Arts paper is structured

CUET Fine Arts (paper 312) is one theory paper on Indian art history, with no practical and no separate visual or commercial arts version. Its four units are the Rajasthani and Pahari schools, the Mughal and Deccani schools, the Bengal School and cultural nationalism, and modern trends in Indian art.

Each unit names specific works with their artist and school, so expect identification questions. The 2026 list matches NCERT An Introduction to Indian Art Part II; guides and papers from before 2026 cite several works that are no longer in the syllabus.

CUET Fine Arts syllabus, unit by unit

Unit titles and topics as printed in NTA’s CUET UG 2026 syllabus PDF.

Unit 1

The Rajasthani and Pahari Schools of Miniature Painting (16th Century A.D. to 19th Century A.D.)

Introduction to Indian Miniature Schools: Western-Indian, Pala, Rajasthani, Mughal, Central India, Deccan and Pahari.
(A) The Rajasthani Schools: Origin and development of following schools in brief: Mewar, Bundi, Kota, Bikaner, Kishangarh and Jaipur, and main features of the Rajasthani schools.
A Folio from Ramayana paintings of Sahibdin (Mewar)
A folio from Gita Govind (Mewar)
A Folio from Ragamala or Rasikapriya (Bundi)
A painting of Hunting scene (Kota)
Radha (Bani-Thani) by Nihal Chand (Kishangarh)
Pabuji Ki Phad, Folk Scroll painting (Bhilwada)
(B) The Pahari Schools: Origin and development of Basohli, Guler and Kangra schools in brief and main features of the Pahari schools
A Folio of Ramayana (Sangri - Early Phase) (Basohli)
A Folio of Gita Govinda of Jaideva by Manaku (Guler)
One Krishna Lila or Bhagavata Purana Folio by Nain Sukh (Kangra)
One painting from Nayaka Nayika or Baramasa or Ragamala (Guler or Kangra)

Unit 2

The Mughal and Deccani Schools of miniature painting (16th Century A.D. to 19th Century A.D.)

(A) The Mughal School: Origin and Development of the Mughal School: A Brief Overview and Main Features.
A Folio from Akbarnama - Basawan (Akbar)
Baber Crossing the river Sone - Jagannath (Akbar)
Jahangir's Dream - Abul Hasan (Jahangir)
Falcon - Ustad Mansoor (Jahangir)
Dara Shikoh with Sages in a Garden - Bichitr (Shah Jahan)
Marriage procession of Dara Shikoh - Haji Madni (Provincial Mughal (Oudh))
(B) The Deccani School: Origin and Development of the Deccani School and main features of the Deccan School.
Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur (Bijapur)
Raga Hindola (Ahmednagar)

Unit 3

The Bengal School and Cultural Nationalism

New Era in Indian art - an introduction
Rama Vanquishing the pride of the ocean - Raja Ravi Verma
Journey's End - Abanindranath Tagore
Tiller of the Soil - Nandalal Bose
Radhika - Abdur Rehman Chughtai
City in the Night - Gaganendranath Tagore
Mother and child - Jamini Roy
Rasa-Lila - Kshitindranath Majumdar
Woman with Child - Jamini Roy

Unit 4

The Modern Trends in Indian Art

Introduction: Indian Modern Art
Sculpture: Triumph of Labour - D. P. Roy Chowdhury
Sculpture: Santhal Family - Ramkinker Baij
Sculpture: Vanshri - Mrinalini Mukherjee
Sculpture: Cries Un-heard - Amarnath Sahgal
Sculpture: Ganesha Figure - P.V. Janakiram
Painting: Mother Teresa - M.F. Husain
Painting: Fairy Tales from Purvapalli - K. G. Subramanyan
Painting: Haldi Grinder - Amrita Sher-Gil
Painting: Tantric Painting - G.R. Santosh
Painting: Dog - K.C.S. Paniker
Painting: Children - Somnath Hore

Chapter map

Each row is one chapter of study, with the book it comes from. Where a syllabus topic is missing from that book, the row says so.

The Manuscript Painting Tradition (Intro to Miniature Schools)An Introduction to Indian Art Part II - Ch 1: The Manuscript Painting Tradition
The Rajasthani Schools of PaintingAn Introduction to Indian Art Part II - Ch 2: The Rajasthani Schools of Painting
Pabuji Ki Phad (Living Art Traditions)An Introduction to Indian Art Part II - Ch 8: The Living Art Traditions of India
The Pahari Schools of PaintingAn Introduction to Indian Art Part II - Ch 5: The Pahari Schools of Painting
The Mughal School of Miniature PaintingAn Introduction to Indian Art Part II - Ch 3: The Mughal School of Miniature Painting
The Deccani Schools of PaintingAn Introduction to Indian Art Part II - Ch 4: The Deccani Schools of Painting
The Bengal School and Cultural NationalismAn Introduction to Indian Art Part II - Ch 6: The Bengal School and Cultural Nationalism
The Modern Indian Art (Sculptures and Paintings)An Introduction to Indian Art Part II - Ch 7: The Modern Indian Art

What changed from 2025 to 2026

Rajasthani origin list adds Kota (2025: Mewar, Bundi, Bikaner, Kishangarh, Jaipur).
Mewar work 2 changed: 2025 'One Court scene or Hunting scene or Festival scene - Jagat Singh II' -> 2026 'A folio from Gita Govind'.
Kota work reworded: 2025 'One painting of Hunting scene in a Forest with Kotah Maharaja' -> 2026 'A painting of Hunting scene'.
Mughal: 'Jahangir holding the picture of Madonna (Abul Hassan)' -> 'Jahangir's Dream (Abul Hasan)'; 'Kabir and Raidas (Ustad Faquirullah Khan, Shah Jahan)' -> 'Dara Shikoh with Sages in a Garden (Bichitr, Shah Jahan)'.
Bengal School: 'Parthasarthi' (Nandlal Bose) -> 'Tiller of the Soil'; 'Ghalib's Poetry Painting' (Chughtai) -> 'Radhika'; 'Select a cubistic painting' (Gaganendranath) -> 'City in the Night'; 'Female Face' (Rabindranath Tagore) -> 'Rasa-Lila' (Kshitindranath Majumdar); 'Hill Women' (Amrita Sher-Gil) -> 'Woman with Child' (Jamini Roy).
Modern sculptures: 'Standing Woman' (Dhanraj Bhagat) -> 'Vanshri' (Mrinalini Mukherjee); 'Dhanpal' (Sankho Chaudhuri) dropped (6 -> 5 sculptures).
Modern paintings: 'Birth of Poetry' (K.K. Hebbar) -> 'Fairy Tales from Purvapalli' (K.G. Subramanyan); 'Gossip' (N.S. Bendre) -> 'Haldi Grinder' (Amrita Sher-Gil); 'Words and Images' -> 'Dog' (both K.C.S. Paniker).
Net effect: the 2026 list now matches the rationalised NCERT 'An Introduction to Indian Art Part II'; 2025-era guides and PYQs will cite works no longer in the syllabus.

Compared against NTA’s CUET UG 2025 syllabus PDF. When the 2027 syllabus is out, this section will compare 2027 with 2026.

Books to study from

NCERT An Introduction to Indian Art Part II (class 12)
CBSE Fine Arts curriculum (classes 11 and 12)

NCERT books are on ncert.nic.in; NIOS course material is on nios.ac.in.

Practise CUET Fine Arts chapter by chapter

The Study OS CUET track follows the chapter map above. Choose Fine Arts as one of your papers, revise a chapter, then test it with exam-style questions and read the explanation after every answer.

Practise CUET Fine Arts

Frequently asked questions

What is the exam pattern of the CUET Fine Arts paper?

CUET UG Fine Arts (paper code 312) has 50 compulsory multiple-choice questions to be answered in 60 minutes. A correct answer earns 5 marks and a wrong answer costs 1 mark, so the paper is out of 250. This is the CUET UG 2026 pattern; NTA has not announced any change for 2027.

Has NTA released the CUET Fine Arts syllabus for 2027?

Not yet. The syllabus on this page is the official CUET UG 2026 Fine Arts syllabus, which is the latest one NTA has published. This page will be updated when the 2027 syllabus is released.

Which books should I study for CUET Fine Arts?

Study from: NCERT An Introduction to Indian Art Part II (class 12); CBSE Fine Arts curriculum (classes 11 and 12).

What changed in the CUET Fine Arts syllabus?

Many named works changed in 2026, for example Jahangir's Dream (Abul Hasan) and Tiller of the Soil (Nandlal Bose); Kota was added to the Rajasthani schools. This compares the 2025 and 2026 syllabi; the 2027 syllabus is not out yet.

Is there a practical exam in CUET Fine Arts?

No. Paper 312 is a single theory paper of 50 multiple-choice questions on Indian art history.

Which book covers the CUET Fine Arts syllabus?

NCERT An Introduction to Indian Art Part II (class 12). The 2026 list of paintings and sculptures was updated to match this book.