The tradition of painting in Assam goes far back and can be extended to the Puranic time. Of course the evidence of that tradition we only obtain from a legend. In that beautiful legend a lady, named Chitralekha, was endowed with a great talent in portrait-painting. We get the earliest literary evidence in Banabhatta's Harsa Charita Where mention has been made of the gift from Bhaskara-Varman, the King of Kamarupa of 7th century to Harsavardhana. The gifts included coloured or painted cloth in the pattern of jasrnine flower, and carved box for keeping paints and brushes. The Kalikapurana also mentioned about decorated cloth which were used for offering to the deity. in the Babruvahana Parva of Harivar Vipra (19th cent.) we get reference of the paintings on walls. Besides these, we have in our possession three historical relics which, 1 believe, may be the earliest evidence of the art of drawing in this region. There are of course rock engravings. At Umatumoni, near Biswanath, on a huge boulder some engraved drawings of animals and geometrical designs have been noticed. It is also clearly visible from the style of these drawings that they belong to two distinctly seperate phases. The style of the earliest phase consisting of the drawings of birds and animals, reminds us of primitive rock art, discovered in the different parts of the world. But besides the style, we do not have any other material evidences to ascertain the date of these drawings. The other two we get in two cut-out stone slabs collected from Lanka Davaka respectively, now preserved in the Assam State Museum. 

In the first slab, below some scripts there are two animals carved in lines. On the other stone there are some human and animal figures which are also engraved in fives, along with some script. Then until the 16th century, we do not have any other material evidence of this tradition's continuation.With the rise of the Neo-Vaisnavism under Sankardeva from16th century onwards, we get a host of concrete examples that can be called painting in its real sense, that flourished until the last part of the 19th century. These polychrome paintings, popularly known as manuscript painting, done on sancht pat or tulapat, were the illustrations of the stories of the Bhagavata, the Puranes, the Ramayana, the Mahabhorata, etc., which contained written descriptions along with there paintings. At least more than one hundred such manuscripts, each containing on an average forty such paintings, have been discovered so far. From these paintings it is apparent that both their form and spirit are traditionally integrated with the basic aesthetic concept of the Indian painting tradition. For example in almost all these paintings the Hindu spirit of religious fervour is clearly visible. 

Though in the later period the Mughal influence become evident, yet it had been able like the Rajasthani and Pahari School to synthesize that influence to its own advantage, and thus had been able to maintain its distinct regional entity. In the paintings of the manuscript of the Shankhachuda Vadha, the Hastividyarnava, Kumara Harana, we experience the highest manifestation of this assimilation. On the other hand, in the paintings of Chitra Bhagavata we experience something very original in its vigorous lines, contrast of colours and uniqueness of composition, which very well establishes its distinct identity. Some of these manuscripts are preserved in the Historical and Antiquarian Department, Assam State Museum and Kamarupa Anusandhan San-dty, while the rest are in private collection. So, at last, when in the thirties of this century, after such a long stretch of time, the painters again started their works they created some strange paintings, unique in both their form and content. These painters had accepted the new idioms of culture that invaded the land in the wake of the British. 

The painting, higher to an intergral part of religion, resurrected itself in the western art institutions and academies with an independent entity. Under the influence of this concept there emerged in Assam during the thirties painters like Mukta Bardoloi, Pratap Barua and Suren Bardoloi. These painters used oil for the first time in Assam and their work also bear the mistakable influence of Ravi Varma. The subject matter of their paintings included still life, landscape, portraits, rural life etc. The portrait of Radha Kanta Handique painted by Suren Bardoloi is perhaps the best product of this period. With the beginning of the forties, Tarun Duwara and Asu Dev had made their first appearance on the scene and produced some beautiful paintings. Sobha Brahma and Benu Mishra made their appearance during the fifties. Both these painters live in Guwahati and are still active. The beginning of the sixties is marked by the arrival of four important painters. They are Pranab Barua, Gauri Barman, Pulok Gogoi and Neelpavan Barua. While Pranab Barua has his studio in Nagaon the rest are working in Guwahati. The beginning of the seventies is an important era and is marked by the emergence of a good number of painters. Much activities also have been noticed during this period which is generated around two art organisations, etc.

The Assam Fine Arts & Crafts Society and Gauhati Artists' Guild, both situated at Guwahati. In Jorhat also the Jorhat Fine Art Society occupies are important position away the artists of the upper Assam and has been playing a significant role.Though in other North Eastern States also a few artist are engaging themselves in the persult of fine art, yet it is only in Manipur and Mizoram where the artists have been able to create a distinctive visual idiom of their own. landscape is the recurring theme of the artist of Mizoram. Through their works they are trying to capture the beauty of their wonderful hilly regions. In contrast the artists of Manipur are busy in translating the myth, legend and folklore of their people in their works.