Sorting by

×
  • Tue. Nov 5th, 2024

Folk Paintings in India

ByULF TEAM

Jun 6, 2024 #Static GK
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
image_pdfimage_print

Folk Paintings in India

Madhubani Paintings

  • Traditionally done by the women of villages around Madhubani town (Bihar)
  • Also called Mithila Paintings
  • Common themes usually drawn from Hindu religious motifs
    • Includes depictions of Krishna, Rama, Durga, Lakshmi, and Shiv
  • The paintings depict auspicious occasions like birth, marriage, and festivals
  • Flowers, trees, animals, etc., are used to fill gaps in the painting
  • Traditionally painted on walls using rice paste and vegetable colors on a base of cow dung and mud
  • The base has evolved to include handmade paper, cloth, and canvas
  • Paintings are two-dimensional due to lack of shading
  • Common features include:
    • Double line border
    • Bold use of colors
    • Ornate floral patterns
    • Exaggerated facial features
  • Believed to have originated during the period of the Ramayana
    • King of Mithila instructed people to paint walls and floors for the marriage of Sita and Rama
  • Skill passed down through generations, primarily among women
  • Gained recognition in 1970 when the President of India honored Jagdamba Devi
  • Other famous painters include Baua Devi, Bharti Dayal, Ganga Devi, Mahasundari Devi, and Sita Devi
  • Art has received GI (geographical indication) status due to its confinement to a specific geographical area
Note : A unique art from Bihar, word Tikuli is a local term for “Bindi” worm by women between their eyebrows. Under this Art, painting is done on hardboard and then it is cut in various shapes. Thereafter, four to five enamel coats is applied on it, thereby giving it a polished surface.Madhubani motifs are used in these Tikuli Paintings. 

Pattachitra Painting
  • Traditional painting of Odisha
  • Name “Pattachitra” comes from Sanskrit words:
    • “Patta” means canvas/cloth
    • “Chitra” means picture
  • Mix of classical and folk elements, with a bias towards folk
  • Base is treated cloth
  • Colors come from natural sources including:
    • Burnt coconut shells
    • Hingula
    • Ramaraja
    • Lamp black
  • No pencil or charcoal used; brush used for outlines in red or yellow
  • Background decorated with foliage and flowers
  • Paintings have intricately worked frames
  • Final lines drawn and painting given a lacquer coating for a glossy finish
  • Themes inspired by:
    • Jagannath and Vaishnava cult
    • Sometimes Shakti and Shaiva cults
  • Raghurajpur in Odisha is known for this art form
  • Pattachitra paintings similar to old murals of Odisha, especially in Puri and Konark
  • Pattachitra on palm leaf is known as Talapattachitra

Patua Art
  • Art form of Bengal, Patua art dates back around a thousand years
  • Originated as a village tradition by painters telling Mangal Kavyas (auspicious stories of Hindu Gods and Goddesses)
  • Painted on pats or scrolls
  • Scroll painters or patuas traditionally traveled to different villages to sing their stories
  • Most Patuas are Muslims
  • Traditionally painted on cloth and told religious stories
  • Modern Patuas paint with poster paints on sheets of paper sewn together
    • Often comment on political and social issues
  • Patuas mostly come from:
    • Medinipur region
    • Murshidabad
    • North and South 24 Parganas
    • Birbhum districts

Paitkar Painting
  • Practiced by the tribal people of Jharkhand
  • Paitkar paintings, also known as scroll paintings, are one of the ancient schools of painting in India
  • Culturally associated with Ma Mansa, a popular goddess in tribal households
  • Linked to social and religious customs, including giving alms and holding yajnas
  • Common theme: “What happens to human life post death”
  • Despite being an ancient art form, it is on the verge of extinction due to its decline

Kalamkari Paintings
  • Name “Kalamkari” comes from “kalam,” meaning pen
    • Pen made of sharp pointed bamboo, used to regulate the flow of colors
  • Base is cotton fabric
  • Colors used are vegetable dyes
  • Pen soaked in a mixture of fermented jaggery and water, applied before vegetable dyes
  • Main centers: Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh
  • Images drawn freehand, inspired by Hindu mythology
  • Textiles with handwork also produced
  • Existed during the Vijayanagara Empire
  • Received GI (Geographical Indication) status

Warli Painting
  • Name of the painting comes from the Warli people
    • Tradition dates back to 2500-3000 BC
    • Indigenous people mainly from the Gujarat-Maharashtra border
  • Paintings resemble the mural paintings of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh
  • Central motif is a chaukat or chauk
    • Surrounded by scenes of fishing, hunting, farming, dances, animals, trees, and festivals
  • Depictions include:
    • Goddess Palaghata (goddess of fertility)
    • Male gods represented as spirits in human form
  • Traditionally painted on walls using basic graphic vocabulary:
    • Triangles, circles, and squares
    • Humans and animals represented by two triangles joined at the tip, with circles as heads
  • Base made of mud, branches, and cow dung, giving a red ochre color
  • White pigment used for painting, made of gum and rice powder
  • Wall paintings done for auspicious occasions like harvests and weddings
  • Modern Warli paintings done on cloth with red or black background using white poster color

Thangka Painting
  • Presently belong to Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh region, and Arunachal Pradesh
  • Thangka originally used as a medium of reverence to evoke the highest ideals of Buddhism
  • Traditionally made by Buddhist monks and specific ethnic groups
    • Skill passed down through generations
  • Painted on a base of cotton canvas (white background)
    • Paints made from natural vegetable or mineral dyes
  • Colors in the paintings have specific significances:
    • Red: intensity of passion (love or hatred)
    • Golden: life or birth
    • White: serenity
    • Black: anger
    • Green: consciousness
    • Yellow: compassion
  • Finished paintings often framed in colorful silk brocade

Manjusha Painting

  • Belongs to Bhagalpur region of Bihar
  • Also known as Angika art
    • “Ang” refers to one of the Mahajan Pada
  • Known as snake painting due to the constant presence of snake motifs
  • Generally executed on boxes of jute and paper

Phad Painting
  • Predominantly found in Rajasthan
  • Scroll-type art
  • Religious in nature
    • Drawings of local deities, Pabuji and Devnarayan
  • Painted with vegetable colors on a long piece of cloth called phad
    • Phads are 15 ft or 30 ft long
  • Subjects have large eyes and round faces
  • Pompous and joyful narrative
  • Common scenes include processions

Cheriyal Scroll Paintings

  • Indigenous to Telangana
  • Type of Nakashi art
  • Depicted as continuous stories like comics or ballads by the Balladeer community
  • Common themes include Hindu Epics and Puranic stories
  • Artists use scroll paintings to narrate stories accompanied by music, traveling to different places
  • Scrolls can be up to 45 ft in height
  • Awarded Geographical Indication status in 2007

Pithora Paintings
  • Painted by tribal communities of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
  • Serve religious and spiritual purposes
  • Painted on house walls to bring peace and prosperity
  • Drawn on special family occasions as a ritual
  • Common depictions include animals, especially horses

Saura Paintings, Odisha
  • Made by Saura Tribe of Odisha
  • Similar to Warli paintings
  • Wall mural paintings
  • Ritualistic in nature
  • Dedicated to Idital, the main deity of the Sauras
  • Mostly done in white with red or yellow backdrops
  • Colors extracted from minerals and plants
  • Human shapes are geometrical and stick-like
  • The designs have gained fashion in recent times with lots of T-shirts, female clothing, etc. featuring Saura style designs

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Translate Now