Paintings found from Mesolithic sites are the chef evidence of Mesolithic art. The Adamgarh Mahadeo and Bhimbhetka hills in the Vindhyan range of Madhya Pradesh are full of Paleolithic and Mesolithic cultural remains especially Mesolithic paintings.
Verma, Pande, Mathpal and Wakankar have done important work on the art of this region. The earliest paintings are of bison’s elephants, tigers, rhinos and boars. Later on, the Mesolithic paintings are smaller in size although the themes did multiply.
The paintings are found on wall and on the ceiling. Some paintings were made with white pigment, with black compounds to produce a bright shade of green while the great majority of paintings were done with hematite or other oxide of iron to provide colour: red, yellow, orange or brown.
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Sometimes females were painted both in the nude and with clothes. Occasionally, engraft figures of animals have also been found. Serious scientific work on rock paintings has just begun Math pal (1984) in his significant and path breaking work has tried to study the techniques pigments of the rock paintings of Bhimbhetka; he has also tried to identify various species of birds depicted in these paintings.
Mathpal divides the paintings into four technical styles which are:
1. dry cool or crayon painting
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2. wet transparent colour painting
3. wet opaque or oil tempera paintings
4. spray colour painting
He says that crayon painting is rare in India. Mineral and ochre colors were used with either vegetable juice or some kind of fat as solvent. He has found used hematite pie throughout the Mesolithic pieces occupation at Bhimbhetka.
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The attempt to identify various species birds depicted in the paintings has revealed very interesting conclusions; perching birds are absent in the earliest groups of painting as these birds depended upon grain which was not available in a gathering-hunting society.