Tanjore Art

Folk art is linked with the forgotten art of story telling. Paintings are used to depict the visual
counterpoint in narration in every region of India. Art forms of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bengal narrate
the myths and legends of local heroes and deities and construct a kaleidoscopic image of our glorious
past and rich cultural heritage. Each work is a complete narration in itself, giving us a glimpse of the
past, which has been kept alive by talent and devotion of our artists.

'Religious paintings with a royal heritage' is the best definition for Thanjavur paintings, now better
known as Tanjore paintings. Tanjore painting ranks among the greatest traditional art forms for which
India is noted worldwide. Their themes are fundamentally mythological. These religious paintings
demonstrate that spirituality is the essence of creative work. Few art forms match the beauty and
grace of Tanjore paintings.

Originating in Tanjavur about 300 kms from Chennai, this form of art developed at the height of
cultural evolvement achieved during the rule of mighty Chola empire. The art form evolved and
flourished under the patronage of successive rulers. These magnificent paintings adorned the royal
dwellings and later found their way into every household.

An extraordinary visual amalgamation of both art and craft, Tanjore paintings mainly consist of
themes on Hindu gods and goddesses, with figures of Lord Krishna in various poses and depicting
various stages of his life being the favourite. The characteristics of the Tanjore paintings are their
brilliant colour schemes, decorative jewellery with stones and cut glasses and remarkable gold leaf
work. The liberal use of gold leaf and precious and semi-precious stones presents a splendid visual
treat. These give life to the pictures such that the pictures come alive in a unique way. Adorned with
rubies, diamonds and other precious gemstones, and trimmed with gold foil, Tanjore paintings were
true treasures. Nowadays, however, semi-precious stones are used in place of real ones, but the use
of gold foil has not altered. The shine and glean on the gold leaves used by the Tanjore style
paintings, lasts forever.
Madhubani Painting

Madhubani painting, also referred to as Mithila Art (as it flourishes in the Mithila region of Bihar), is
characterized by line drawings filled in by bright colours and contrasts or patterns. This style of
painting has been traditionally done by the women of the region, though today men are also involved
to meet the demand. These paintings are popular because of their tribal motifs and use of bright
earthy colours. These paintings are done with mineral pigments prepared by the artists. The work is
done on freshly plastered or a mud wall.

For commercial purposes, the work is now being done on paper, cloth, canvas etc. Cotton wrapped
around a bamboo stick forms the brush. Black colour is obtained by mixing soot with cow dung; yellow
from turmeric or pollen or lime and the milk of banyan leaves; blue from indigo; red from the kusam
flower juice or red sandalwood; green from the leaves of the wood apple tree; white from rice powder;
orange from palasha flowers. The colours are applied flat with no shading and no empty space is left.

Figures from nature & mythology are adapted to suit their style. The themes & designs widely painted
are of Hindu deities such as Krishna, Rama, Siva, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Sun and Moon, Tulasi
plant, court scenes, wedding scenes, social happenings etc. Floral, animal and bird motifs, geometrical
designs are used to fill up all the gaps. The skill is handed down the generations, and hence the
traditional designs and patterns are widely maintained.

In order to create a source of non-agricultural income, the All India Handicrafts Board and the
Government of India have been encouraging the women artists to produce their traditional paintings
on handmade paper for commercial sale. Madhubani painting has become a primary source of income
for scores of families. The continuing market in this art throughout the world is a tribute to the
resourcefulness of the women of Mithila who have successfully transferred their techniques of bhitti
chitra or wall painting to the medium of paper.
Warli Folk Painting

Maharashtra is known for its Warli folk paintings. Warli is the name of the largest tribe found on the
northern outskirts of Mumbai, in Western India. Despite being in such close proximity of the largest
metropolis in India, Warli tribesmen shun all influences of modern urbanization. Warli Art was first
discovered in the early seventies. While there are no records of the exact origins of this art, its roots
may be traced to as early as the 10th century A.D. Warli is the vivid expression of daily and social
events of the Warli tribe of Maharashtra, used by them to embellish the walls of village houses. This
was the only means of transmitting folklore to a populace not acquainted with the written word. This
art form is simple in comparison to the vibrant paintings of Madhubani.

Women are mainly engaged in the creation of these paintings. These paintings do not depict
mythological characters or images of deities, but depict social life. Images of human beings and
animals, along with scenes from daily life are created in a loose rhythmic pattern. These tribal
paintings of Maharashtra are traditionally done in the homes of the Warlis. Painted white on mud
walls, they are pretty close to pre-historic cave paintings in execution and usually depict scenes of
human figures engaged in activities like hunting, dancing, sowing and harvesting.

Stylistically, they can be recognized by the fact that they are painted on an austere mud base using
one color, white, with occasional dots in red and yellow. This colour is obtained from grounding rice
into white powder. This sobriety is offset by the ebullience of their content. These themes are highly
repetitive and symbolic. Many of the Warli paintings that represent Palghat, the marriage god, often
include a horse used by the bride and groom. The painting is sacred and without it, the marriage
cannot take place. These paintings also serve social and religious aspirations of the local people. It is
believed that these paintings invoke powers of the Gods.

In Warli paintings it is rare to see a straight line. A series of dots and dashes make one line. The
artists have recently started to draw straight lines in their paintings. These days, even men have
taken to painting and they are often done on paper incorporating traditional decorative Warli motifs
with modern elements such as the bicycle, etc. Warli paintings on paper have become very popular
and are now sold all over India. Today, small paintings are done on cloth and paper but they look best
on the walls or in the form of huge murals that bring out the vast and magical world of the Warlis. For
the Warlis, tradition is still adhered to but at the same time new ideas have been allowed to seep in
which helps them face new challenges from the market.
Pattachitra Painting

Pattachitra style of painting is one of the oldest and most popular art forms of Odisha. The name
Pattachitra has evolved from the Sanskrit words patta, meaning canvas, and chitra, meaning picture.
Pattachitra is thus a painting done on canvas, and is manifested by rich colourful application, creative
motifs and designs, and portrayal of simple themes, mostly mythological in depiction.

Some of the popular themes represented through this art form are Thia Badhia - depiction of the
temple of Jagannath; Krishna Lila - enactment of Jagannath as Lord Krishna displaying his powers as a
child; Dasabatara Patti - the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu; Panchamukhi - depiction of Lord Ganesh
as a five-headed deity. More than anything, the themes are clearly the essence of the art form,
conceptualising the meaning of the paintings. It is no surprise therefore that the process of preparing
the paintings engages undeterred concentration and careful craftsmanship, stretching the preparation
time of the patta alone to around five days.

Making the patta is the first thing that comes in the agenda, and the painters, also called chitrakars,
go about their work in preparing a tamarind paste, which is made by soaking tamarind seeds in water
for three days. The seeds are later pounded with a crusher, mixed with water, and heated in an
earthen pot to turn it to a paste, which is called niryas kalpa. The paste is then used to hold two
pieces of cloth together with it, and coated with a powder of soft clay stone a couple of times till it
becomes firm. Soon as the cloth becomes dry, the final touch of polishing it with a rough stone and
then a smooth stone or wood is given, until the surface becomes smooth and leathery, and is all ready
as a canvas to be painted on.

Preparing the paints is perhaps the most important part of the creation of Pattachitra, engaging the
craftsmanship of the chitrakars in using naturally available raw materials to bring about indigenous
paints. The gum of the kaitha tree is the chief ingredient, and is used as a base for making different
pigments, on which diverse raw materials are mixed for diverse colours. Powdered conch shells, for
instance, are used for making a white pigment, while lamp soot is used for a black pigment. The root
of the keya plant is usually used for making the common brush, while mouse hair is used on the
requirement of finer brushes, to be attached to wooden handles.

The creation of the Pattachitra paintings is a disciplined art form, and the chitrakars maintain rigidity
in their use of colours and patterns, restricting the colours to a single tone. Limiting themselves within
the boundaries of some rules, the chitrakars come up with such remarkable paintings depicting stark
emotional expressions that it is a surprise shading of colours is a taboo. In fact, it is this display of
emotions of the figures expressed in the paintings, which is the crème de la crème of the art form,
and the chitrakars put in their best to bring out the most through their rich colourful motifs.

With the passage of time, the art of Pattachitra has gone through a commendable transition, and the
chitrakars have painted on tussar silk and palm leaves, and even created wall hangings and
showpieces. However, this kind of innovativeness has never proved to be a hindrance in their
customary depiction of figures and the use of colours, which has remained intact throughout
generations. This constancy is the key factor that has maintained the effervescence of Pattachitra,
backed with the fact that the setting up of some special centres for the art form in Odisha speaks
volumes for its popularity.

Rajasthani Miniature Painting

The art of Miniature painting was introduced to the land of India by the Mughals, who brought the
much-revealed art form from Persia. In the sixteenth century, the Mughal ruler Humayun brought
artists from Persia, who specialized in miniature painting. The succeeding Mughal Emperor, Akbar built
an atelier for them to promote the rich art form. These artists, on their part, trained Indian artists who
produced paintings in a new distinctive style, inspired by the royal and romantic lives of the Mughals.
The particular miniature produced by Indian artists in their own style is known as Rajput or Rajasthani
miniature. During this time, several schools of painting evolved, such as Mewar (Udaipur), Bundi,
Kotah, Marwar (Jodhpur), Bikaner, Jaipur, and Kishangarh.
These paintings are done with utmost care and in minute details, with strong lines and bold colours
set in harmonious patterns. The miniature artists use paper, ivory panels, wooden tablets, leather,
marble, cloth and walls for their paintings. Indian artists employed multiple perspectives unlike their
European counterparts in their paintings. The colours are made from minerals and vegetables,
precious stones, as well as pure silver and gold. The preparing and mixing of colour is an elaborate
process. It takes weeks, sometimes months, to get the desired results. The brushes are required to be
very fine, and to get high-quality results, brushes even to this very day are made from hair of
squirrels. Traditionally, the paintings are aristocratic, individualistic and strong in portraiture, where
the plush court scenes and hunting expedition of royalty are depicted. Flowers and animals are also
the recurrent images in the paintings.

The Kishangarh province in Rajasthan is known for its Bani Thani paintings. It is a totally different
style with highly exaggerated features like long necks, large, almond shaped eyes, and long fingers.
This style of painting essentially depicts Radha and Krishna as divine lovers, and beautifully portrays
their mystical love. Kishangarh miniature painting reached a peak in the eighteenth century, during
the rule of Raja Sawant Singh, who fell in love with a slave girl, Bani Thani and commanded his artists
to portray himself and her as Krishna and Radha. Other themes of Bani Thani paintings include
portraits, court scenes, dancing, hunting, music parties, nauka vihar (lovers travelling in a
boat), Krishna Lila, Bhagavata Purana and various other festivals like Holi, Diwali, Durga puja, and
Dussehra.

Today, many artists continue to make miniature paintings on silk, ivory, cotton, and paper. However,
with the passage of time, the natural colours have been replaced by poster colours. The schools of
miniature have also been commercialized, and the artists mostly replicate the work produced by the
old painters.

Kalamezhuthu

Names like Rangoli, Kolam etc are not new to us, and neither is the tradition of drawing them at the
entrance of homes and temples. In fact it is part of the domestic routine in Hindu households, who
consider it auspicious to draw certain patterns at the doorstep and courtyard to welcome a deity into
the house. This art form is a harmonious blend of Aryan, Dravidian and Tribal traditions.
Kalam (Kalamezhuthu) is unique form of this art found in Kerala. It is essentially a ritualistic art
practiced in temples and sacred groves of Kerala where the representation of deities like Kali and Lord
Ayyappa, are made on the floor. Various factors need to be considered when deciding the nature or
figure on the 'Kalam', which include the presiding deity of the temple or sacred grove, the religious
purpose that calls for the ritual of Kalamezhuthu and the particular caste that does it. In each case the
patterns, minute details, dimensions and colour choice are decided in observance with strict rules. The
patterns vary considerably depending on the occasion, but rarely by the choice of the artist.

Kalamezhuthu is practiced using natural pigments and powders, usually in five colours. The drawing is
done with bare hands without the use of tools. The pictures are developed from the centre, growing
outwards, patch by patch. The powder is spread in the floor, letting it in a thin stream between the
thumb and the index finger. The figures drawn usually have an expression of anger or other emotions.
The powders and pigments are all extracted from plants - rice powder for white, burnt husk for black,
turmeric for yellow, a mixture of lime and turmeric for red and the leaves of certain trees for green.
Lighted oil lamps placed at strategic positions brighten the colours. Kalamezhuthu artists are generally
members of communities like the Kurups, Theyyampadi Nambiars, Theeyadi Nambiars and Theeyadi
Unnis. The 'Kalams' drawn by these people vary in certain characteristics.

Ritual songs accompanied by a number of instruments (namely ilathalam, veekkan chenda, kuzhal,
kombu and chenda) are sung in worship of the deity, on completion of the 'Kalam'. These songs form
part of an oral tradition; the rituals being performed by the artists themselves. The type of song varies
considerably, from folk to classical depending on the deity being worshipped. The drawing of a 'Kalam'
is started at an appointed time and it is erased immediately after the rituals related to it are over.