Tribal and Folk Art Forms of India - 2

Up till we have become familiar with some of the Folk and Tribal Art Forms of India. Here are some more to get acquainted with.

Cheriyal Scroll Painting

Cheriyal Scroll Painting and Nakashi Art are interchangeably used because Ceriyal Scrool Painting is a stylized version of the Nakashi Art, which is from Cheriyal Village situated in Telangana, India. A khadi or cotton cloth serves as the canvas. A concoction of tamarind seed paste, white clay, starch and gum from timber trees is prepared. Three coats of this mixture are applied to the cloth and it is allowed to dry. This process of treating the cloth takes a day. The paints are prepared from nature – white colour from seashells; black from soot; yellow from sulphur-based rocks, etc. The Scrolls are panited in a narrative format, much like a film roll or a comic strip, depicting stories from the Indian Mythology and Puranas.

Nirmal Painting 

The art community of craftsmen in Nirmal town, Telangana are called as ‘Naqash’ and they have made this region, quite famous for the Nirmal paintings. The paintings capture rustic ethos to splendid royal environment, and right from flora to fauna, there are an explicit array of beautiful expressions which are portrayed in myriad colours and attractive forms on Nirmal products. There are many colours are used in the Nirmal painting and mostly derived from natural resources. 

Tanjore Painting

Tanjore paintings or Thanjavur paintings has its origins in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu. The paintings are decorated with precious or semi-precious stones, cut glasses and trimmed with gold leaf. The most popular subject explored in Tanjore art include Gods and Goddesses while birds, flowers and animals are other recurring themes. The paintings are intricately handmade using traditional techniques and the beauty of this art lies in the fact that the shine and glean of the gold leaves used in these artworks last forever.

Miniature Painting

Miniature paintings are beautiful handmade paintings, which are quite colorful but small in size. The highlight of these paintings is the intricate and delicate brushwork, which lends them a unique identity. The colors are handmade, from minerals, vegetables, precious stones, indigo, conch shells, pure gold and silver.The subjects of these paintings are in relation to the subjects of the manuscripts mostly religious and literary especially Sanskrit and folk literature. It is on the subject of love stories. These paintings were created on "Taadpatra" that means the leaf of the palm tree, and Paper. Mostly Natural colours have been used in these paintings. Black, red, white, brown, blue, and yellow colours are used to decorate the paintings. Most of the human characters are seen with side profile. Big eyes, pointed nose and slim waist are the features of these paintings. The skin colours of human being are Brown and fair. The skin colour of the Lord Krishna is Blue. The colour of the hair and eyes is black. Women characters have long hair. Human characters have worn jewellery on the hand, nose, neck, hair, waist and ankles. Men and women wear the traditional Indian dress, slippers and shoes. Men wear turbans on their head. In these paintings trees, rivers, flowers, birds, the land, the sky, houses, traditional chairs, cushions, curtains, lamps, and human characters have been painted.

Rangmala Painting

Ragamala paintings are a series of illustrative paintings from medieval India based on Ragamala or the "Garland of Ragas", depicting various Indian musical modes called Ragas. They stand as a classical example of the amalgamation of art, poetry and classical music in medieval India. In these painting each raga is personified by a color, mood, a verse describing a story of a hero and heroine (nayaka and nayika), it also elucidates the season and the time of day and night in which a particular raga is to be sung; and finally most paintings also demarcate the specific Hindu deities attached with the raga, like Bhairava or Bhairavi to Shiva, Sri to Devi etc. The paintings depict not just the Ragas, but also their wives, (raginis), their numerous sons (ragaputra) and daughters (ragaputri).The six principal ragas present in the Ragamala are Bhairava, Dipika, Sri, Malkaunsa, Megha and Hindola and these are meant to be sung during the six seasons of the year – summer, monsoon, autumn, early winter, winter and spring.

Basohli Painting

Basohli Paintings evolved in the 17th and 18th centuries as a distinctive style of painting fusing Hindu mythology, Mughal miniature techniques, and the folk art of the local hills. The painting style derives its name from the place of its origin Basohli town in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The most popular themes of Basohli Paintings come from Shringara literature like Rasamanjari or Bouquet of Delight (a long love poem written in 15th century by Bhanudatta of Tirhut Bihar), Gita Govinda and Ragamala. These paintings are marked by striking blazing colors, red borders, bold lines and rich symbols. The faces of the figures painted are characterized by the receding foreheads and large expressive eyes, shaped like lotus petals. 

Marwar Painting

Marwar, a southwestern region of Rajasthan has added immense glory to India’s artistic landscape. The paintings developed in the royal families of Bikaner, Kishangarh, Pali, Nagaur, Ghanerao and Jodhpur are collectively called Marwar school and it greatly reflects the influence of the Mughal school of art. The magnificence of the Marwar School of Painting is splendidly expressed in the Jodhpur style, the Bikaner style and the Kishangarh style. 

Pichwai Painting

Pichwai Painting is one of the most spectacular and old form of art in India.  Pichwai are devotional pictures found on cloth or paper which portray Lord Krishna. They originated in the Deccan, India, and the villages of Aurangabad and Nathdwara in Rajasthan state. The purpose of Pichwais, other than artistic appeal, is to narrate tales of Krishna to the illiterate. This unique word 'Pichwai' comes from the Sanskrit words, ‘picch’ meaning back and ‘wais’ meaning hanging. It therefore means traditional paintings are hanging behind the idol of Shrinathji. The wall art is created by depicting the story of Shrinathji, another form of Lord Krishna. The standing pose of Shreenathji is the theme of all pichwai paintings.

Mandana Painting

Mandana paintings are one of the oldest forms of tribal art in India that has survived over the ages. It is done in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh by one of the oldest tribal communities, the Meenas. This art is done on walls and floors, both within and surrounding the house, as a way to ward off evil and welcome the blessings of gods into the home. Mandana in the local language refers to ‘drawing’ in the context of chitra mandana or ‘drawing a picture’. Mandana is derived from the word Mandan which implies decoration and beautification. Historically, they have been practiced for centuries by women of the Meena community as decorations for special or festive occasions, religious worship, festivals and fasts and lastly auspicious days in the life of the community such as birth or marriage.

 

Kerala Mural Painting

Kerala mural paintings are the frescos depicting mythology and legends, which are drawn on the walls of temples and churches in South India, principally in Kerala. The traditional mural paintings of Kerala are a fine art of skill and creative excellence. They bear a stamp of uniqueness in techniques used and aesthetics.The materials used in mural art work like pigments, brushes, gum etc. are all taken made of natural materials like minerals and plants. The most frequently used pigments in Kerala murals are saffron-red, saffron-yellow, green, red, white, blue, black, yellow and golden-yellow.The murals of Kerala are unparalleled in their subtlety, sharpness and ethereal beauty.