Paintings

¤ Cave Paintings

Bhimbetka and Pachmarhi Designes
The Pre-historic paintings in the cave shelters of Bhimbetka and Pachmarhi are simple designs showing scenes of hunting, farming and dancing against mottled rock and were initially done in black or earth colors. The palette soon expanded to include white, red, yellow, blue and green. This progression can clearly be seen in the wall art of Bhimbetka.

The tradition of painting living spaces continued well into the 20^th century till it was finally overtaken by the Western practice of painting walls a boring old pastel. Art slowly began to jump off the walls and on to palm leaves, wood blocks, cloth and ivory. As you read up more about painting in India, you’ll find that it was entirely dependent on religious and royal patronage. This is perhaps why ‘art’ became a big thing only during the reign of the Mughals. The Delhi Sultanate was too philistine to understand anything but the language of the sword. They probably thought heads impaled on spears were the best exhibit money could buy.
The kinds of paintings you are likely to encounter in India are:

Alpana
(Bengal), kolam (South India), rangoli (Maharashtra), osa (Orissa), aripana (Bihar), sona rakhna (Uttar Pradesh), sathiya (Gujarat) are all names for auspicious, multi-colored floor decorations made by Hindus all over the country. Usually drawn at the doorway of a home, they can be geometric or floral and are done afresh every morning.

Kalamkari
The technique of painting cloth with a pointed bamboo kalam or pen, Kalamkari is almost an industry in Andhra Pradesh. Black outlines of the pattern are painted onto the cloth which is then given other colors like yellow, blue and green. Motifs may range from traditional (Hindu deities, the sun, flowers) to present-day (Biblical, even corporate logos). However, most of the Kalamkari work you see today is a mix of printed and pen work and is generally aimed at the home furnishing market.

Mandana
Auspicious wall paintings of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, mandanas are meant to protect the home and hearth as well as to welcome gods into the house. Mud and cow dung are usually plastered on the walls which are then painted white. The women of the house paint symbols like the swastika, the sun or the tree of life in black and red.

Madhubani
Traditionally painted on walls and floors by the women of Bihar to invoke divine protection, the humble Madhubani has come a long way. Scenes from Hindu epics, fertility symbols, auspicious birds and beasts are daubed on walls with the paste of newly harvested rice. In recent times, however, Madhubani artists have been selling their work commercially by putting paper, pen and colors to good use. Full of intense energy and bright colors, they are extremely popular with foreign tourists.

¤ Mughal & Rajput Miniatures

Fierce camel fights; bejeweled women; the blood and gore of a tiger hunt; the amorous dalliances of Rajput princes and the pomp and ceremony of the Mughal court – miniatures unabashedly celebrate every aspect of life. Most of them use natural colors derived from insects, shells, minerals, vegetable matter as well as silver and gold leaf. Using the finest squirrel hairbrushes, it takes a miniaturist weeks to complete a commission. The artist’s lack of originality – most of them merely replicate the work of their forefathers – is more than compensated for by their breathtakingly precise and detailed workmanship. Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner in Rajasthan; Chamba and Kangra in Himachal Pradesh; and Delhi are some of the most happening centers of miniature art.

Phad
A phad is a long rectangular cloth painting that tells of the adventures and travails of some local or epic hero. They have been used for centuries as a backdrop by bhopas or the bards of Rajasthan who go from village to village singing about the exploits of legendary heroes. Usually about five metres by one and a half metres in size, the phad is painted in bold colors and is rolled on two shafts of bamboo, thus making it easy to carry.

Pichvai
The pichvai (literally, ‘something at the back’) unfolds scenes from the life of the Hindu deity Lord Krishna and is used as a backdrop for his idol at the Nathdwara Temple, near Udaipur, Rajasthan. Like many other forms of painting, the pichvai too has made its transition from the religious to the secular – they make colorful decorative hangings in urban homes.

¤ Thanjavur Paintings

Highly ornate paintings from down South (Thanjavur and Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu), Thanjavur paintings flourished under the reign of the Maratha kings. They usually depict the plump and mischievous baby Balkrishna and rely on intricate gesso (plaster of Paris mixed with glue applied to a surface and then painted or gilded), gold leaf and jewel work on wood to catch the buyer’s eye.


¤ Warli Paintings

These are the tribal paintings of Maharashtra and are traditionally done in the homes of the Warlis. Painted white on mud walls, they are pretty close to prehistoric cave paintings in execution and usually depict sowing and harvesting scenes. Originally made with rice paste, they were turned into a marketable commodity when the India Handicrafts and Handlooms Board provided the poor Warlis with brown paper and white paint.