The purpose of this study is to provide new insights into our understanding of Indian traditional concepts of painting and into the painter from the point of view of Sanskrit technical treatises. A number of śilpa śāstras explain the concept of painting by highlighting the divine origin of this art, which is defined in the narrative of two myths and in the establishment of traditional authorities such as Lord Viśvakarman and Nagnajit. Closely linked to the divine origin of this art is that of the auspiciousness attached to painting: the texts in this analysis explain the auspicious and inauspicious characteristics of painting, stressing the importance of concepts such as measurement, proportion, beauty and colors. This study will finally examine the painter himself who is considered by the śilpa śāstras as someone capable of grasping and using all these notions together in a skillful way. This article also seeks to highlight some critical discrepancies between the painter as described in the śilpa śāstras and the painter as described in secondary literature, in which he is sometimes identified with a yogī.