At Paramparik Karigar, it has always been our endeavour to uplift the heritage and tradition of Indian craftsmanship and to create awareness about our country’s vast expression of art forms.

This December, for a second consecutive year, Paramparik Karigar, is exhibiting 12 select forms of traditional Indian art by 14 of the finest artists in their particular genre. Paramparik Karigar is aiming at providing these traditional masters with a new framework to exhibit their work.

Following art forms will be represented:Pattachitra from OrissaGond from Madhya PradeshKalamkari from Andhra PradeshMithila Paintings from BiharPichwai Paintings from RajasthanPatua paintings from BengalMiniature Paintings from RajasthanMata ni Pachedi from GujuratPalm leaf etching from OrissaBronze sculptures from KarnatakaStone sculptures from OrissaPhad painting from Rajasthan

Let us celebrate the diversity of our own heritage and acknowledge the complexity and detail in our traditions. Let us understand that even today, traditional art in India is an expression of our country’s legacy. By supporting and elevating it we are keeping this tradition alive.

An exhibition of select paintings and sculptures by traditional master craftsmen

December 7 to 11, 2011 Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sangrahalaya

Pattachitra

A traditional art of Odisha, pattachitra is the art of painting on patta (primed cloth) in the finest detail. The themes depict Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, the famous Rath Yatra festival as well as the Krishna Leela.

The chitrakars (artists) stick layers of old dhoti (thin cotton) cloth together using tamarind paste, lime and water. After drying, the surface is polished with a white stone to give it a smooth finish. The theme is sketched with a pencil and then coloured with a fine bamboo brush using colours made from minerals. After completion, the painting is held over hot charcoal. Lac mixed with resin powder is sprinkled on the surface and rubbed to strengthen the painting. These days the artists add an extra layer of cloth to strengthen it and do not use lac.

Born in 1972, Dilip Kumar Maharana started learning this art from his father, Arjun Maharana, at the age of 12. Dilip and Pranab continued to work with Arjun Maharana for ten years. Dilip specialises in painting on patta (cotton canvas). Both Pranab and Dilip conduct demonstrations in schools and colleges to create an interest among young people in this art form.

Born in 1976, Pranab Narayan Das started learning to paint from the age of ten from his guru, Arjun Maharana. Besides painting on cotton, Pranab also paints on wooden boxes, often used as dowry boxes for weddings. He specialises in painting with black colour on Tussor silk and is notorious for his immense detail and beauty.

Kalamkari

Kalamkari is the art of painting on cloth and derives its name from the word kalam (pen/brush). Traditionally, Kalamkari paintings were used to decorate temple chariots in religious processions or stretched behind the idols of Gods. The designs usually have a main central panel and are surrounded by smaller blocks arranged in rows, which depict the major scenes from a legend. It may also have verses from original texts written in black ink beneath the rows.

The cloth to be painted is dipped in a mixture of milk and harada (Terminalia chebula) before being dried in the sun. The design is outlined on the cloth with a bamboo sliver using kasimi – a black dye made from iron filings and jaggery. The interior of the design is then painted with various natural dyes one after another, each involving a laborious process of application and washing. Red colour is obtained by painting the relevant part of the design with alum, washing in running water and then dipping in a dye of madder.

Traditionally, the craftsmen of Srikalahasti, painted stories and scenes derived from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which include the story of Krishna and themes from the environment such as the ‘Tree of Life’. These days, they also paint social themes, stories of Buddha, his previous births, and Jesus Christ.

Born in 1937, Guruppa Chetty learnt the art of kalamkari from his father. He won the National Award in 1976 and the Shilpaguru award and is a master in his own right. He has held many workshops and demonstrations in India and abroad.

J. Niranjan, Guruppa Chetty’s son, was born in 1967. Niranjan received a two year scholarship from the Government of India to study temple art. He was awarded the Shilpjan (Young Master Craftsman) award in 2002. He has worked with the ICEF (India Canada Environment Facilities) project to promote environmental-friendly natural dyes in India, and in 2011, Niranjan was invited to conduct workshops at the Kennedy Centre in Washington and to participate in an arts residency programme at the Museum of Norwich.

Mithila Painting

The ancient Mithila, the birth place of Sita, is a region in northern Bihar. Within this area, a rich tradition of domestic ritual painting has survived from the very ancient times. These paintings can be broadly divided into two categories – floor drawings or aripana and wall paintings or bhitta chittra. Occasions for painting the aripana are mainly birth, first haircut, sacred thread ceremony, marriage, death, etc. Bhitta chittra are usually executed on the walls of homes and in distinct places, such as the family altar room or the room of newly-weds. The women decorate their homes using a mixture of cow dung and water, which is applied to the walls and allowed to dry. The colours used are drawn from all natural sources available close by. Black colour is made from rubbing coal on a hot stone, yellow is collected from the kusum (flame of the forest) flower, the unique tinge of the khaki colour is obtained by mixing mehendi (heena) flowers with cow dung water. The binding resin is acquired from various sources – cow dung, banana tree sap, gum extract of bel (stone apple) tree or neem (Indian lilac) tree. Traditionally, the women from Brahmin and Kayastha castes were the painters. Today, both male and female master craftspersons carry on this tradition. Though practised throughout the Mithila region, this art form is also known as Madhubani as it was practised in the Madhubani districts of Bihar.

Every element in Mithila painting has a deep-rooted symbolism. Paintings mainly depict nature and Hindu religious motifs. Natural objects such as the sun, moon, and religious plants such as Tulsi are also widely painted. Generally no space is left empty, the gaps are filled with paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and geometric patterns. Traditionally, artists prepare paints and brushes from locally-available materials. Charcoal powder is mixed with water to outline the images. Flower and plant extracts serve as paints.

Moti Karn, born in 1960, learnt the art from her mother Kapoori Devi, a renowned Mithila artist. She has participated in many exhibitions and workshops in India and abroad, and has won the National Merit Certificate in 1999 and the Vijaya Deshmukh award in 2005. She lives and works with her husband Satya Narayan Lal Karn in Delhi.

Satya Narayan Lal Karn is considered amongst the finest Mithila painters of today. Born in 1952, he learnt his art from his mother, Jagadamba Devi, one of the first State awardees for Mithila art. He has been teaching arts and crafts at the National Bal Bhavan in New Delhi since 1971. He has participated in many exhibitions and workshops all over India and in Australia, France, Bulgaria and the USA. He received the National Award jointly with his wife Moti Karn in 2001 and the Kamladevi Chattopadhyay Memorial Award in 2001.

Pichwai Painting

Pichwai paintings adorn the walls of temples, behind the idol of Srinathji in Nathadwara, Rajasthan and depict the various forms of Lord Krishna, who, according to legend, lifts the Govardhan mountain to protect the inhabitants from Lord Indra’s fury.

Pichwai paintings are done on cloth and the style is identified by characteristic features such as large eyes, broad nose and a heavy body. Pichwai paintings depict different occasions, seasons, and festivals and a strict code is used while depicting particular scenes. Rich embroidery, gold and appliqué work is used to embellish the paintings.

The painter first makes a rough sketch of the painting on a rough cloth and then starts filling in the colours. Brushes are made of horse’s, goat’s or squirrel’s hair and the colours are made entirely from natural sources such as flowers and minerals. The artist can take up to a few months to finish a painting depending on the intricacy of the work.

Sushil Soni was born into a family of pichwai painters and started learning the art from his father from the age of ten. He has won many state level competitions and was honored by the state government of Rajasthan in 2000. Sushil Soni’s works have been published in many books and he has been invited to participate in exhibitions across India.

Bengal Patua Painting

The tradition of patua painting is associated with Paschimbanga (previously, West Bengal), where there are small colonies of patuas (village artists), who create long vertical paintings illustrating stories in a series of descending panels. In these scrolls, the deeds of Krishna, adventures of Rama and other popular figures are depicted scene after scene as the scroll is gradually unwound. Such scrolls are not intended for sale but rather to equip the artist for his second important trade – that of a wandering minstrel. Covering a radius of 10–15 miles from his village, the patua goes from village to village gathering an audience around him, displaying his scrolls and intoning their contents. More often than not, the stories are well-known to the listeners, but each patua or chitrakar furnishes a slightly different inflection to the tale.

The patuas (also known as patidars) take a very long, old piece of cloth on which they smear a mixture of black mud paste and cow dung. When dry, a coating of lac is given to stiffen it and fill up the porous surface. The figures drawn on it are symbolic and bold in style and painted in bright colours made from extracts of flowers and minerals.

Anwar Chitrakar, born in 1980, is a traditional patua painter and singer from West Bengal and has been practising his art for 20 years. He has participated in many group exhibitions and has won the West Bengal State Award and the Rabindra Bharati University Award, amongst other prizes. His paintings were part of the Devi Art Foundation exhibition – Vernacular, in the Contemporary.

Miniature Painting

A miniature is an intricate form of illustration, executed meticulously with delicate brushwork. This exquisite form of art was used in early times to document historical accounts, literary works, biographies and other important texts. Though the history of miniature painting can be traced to the sixth century AD, this form of art flourished in the courts of the Mughals and then spread to the other kingdoms in the north of India creating Rajput, Pahadi, Punjab, Jaipur, Kota, Boondi, Kangra, Alwar, Malwa, Bikaner and many other schools, each giving the art form their own distinct style.

The artists painted on a variety of materials such as paper, ivory-panels, wooden tablets, leather, marble, cloth and walls, and used colours derived from minerals, vegetables, precious stones, indigo, conch shells, pure gold and silver. The brushes were made from very fine hair, mostly squirrel hair. Even today, masters of miniature painting follow the same methods and use the same natural colours to create their masterpieces. They frequently use paper from old manuscripts and books for their paintings.

Shakir Ali started painting from the age of 15. After a break, during which he completed his undergraduate studies, he returned to painting under the guidance of Vedpal Sharma. Shakir Ali has specialised in Mughal art though his creativity is inspired by the Kishangarh school. He has participated in numerous exhibitions and demonstrations in India and abroad. He is the recipient of many awards including the National Award. The Government of India has presented his paintings to many visiting foreign dignitaries.

Mata Ni Pachedi

Mata ni pachedi, which translates to ‘behind the mother goddess’, is a cloth that features a temple of the Goddess. When members of the nomadic Vaghri community of Gujarat were disallowed from entering temples, they made their own shrines with depictions of the Mother Goddess on cloth. The boldness of the paintings, which usually follow a set pattern, is reinforced by the starkness of red and black, the only colours used. In the centre is the commanding figure of the Mata or Mother Goddess in various iconographic forms, either sitting on a throne or mounted on an animal.

In Ahmedabad, artisans make these paintings using the same methods followed 200 years ago. Cotton fabric is first de-starched and then treated with harada paste, to prepare it for absorbing the colour. The outlines of the figures are painted first, with black colour prepared from jaggery and iron. After this, red colour, extracted from tamarind seeds, is filled in and the areas supposed to be white are left blank.

After the application of each colour, the fabric is boiled in alizarin solution, to bring out the colour, and then washed. For washing, the craftsmen go to Sabarmati (a river in Gujarat) as the cloth must be washed in running water only, so that excess colour flows away, instead of staining the cloth. It takes days of patience and dedication, to prepare one piece. For instance, painting a cloth of 5x9 inches can take up to two months.

The strong lines and bold use of colour, that reflect the power and energy of the goddess, have now transformed to more artistic and detailed illustrations; but the style of depicting mythical characters remains the same. The artists now incorporate many more colours such as indigo, green and yellow in the paintings, using the age old methods of extracting colour from natural materials.

Born in 1978, Sanjay Manubhai Chitara started painting at the age of 15 and learnt the technique from his father. The mata ni pachedi has been painted by his family for religious purposes for more than three hundred. His father Manubhai Chunilal and mother Manjuben Manubhai jointly received the National Award in 2004. Sanjay has received the State Award and the National Award.

Palm Leaf Etching

One of the oldest art forms in India, palm leaf etching goes back to the advent of the written word. In ancient times, all knowledge of religion, philosophy, history and myth was carefully recorded by scribes on specially-treated palm leaves with a stylus. This was how most of India’s legacy—the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, works on astronomy, astrology, mathematics and medicine—reached posterity.

This technique has been adapted into an art form in Odisha. Leaves of the palm tree are cut, dried in the sun and then stored in a cool, dry place for two years. They are then cut to size and boiled in water with tamarind, harada, behada (Terminalia belerica) and turmeric for 30 minutes and dried in the sun. The ready leaves are stitched together and the artist etches the form or design on them with an iron stylus. After the etching is complete, the leaf is rubbed with a paste of kajal (fine carbon) and gum. The leaves are washed again and rubbed with bean leaves and then with turmeric to prevent fungus. The artists of Odisha create etchings that are of incredible detail, elegance and beauty. The inspiration for the works is derived mostly from legends, myths and folklore of Odisha. The figures are highly stylised and embody the traditional concept of beauty. Stories featuring the Gods and Goddesses from the Hindu pantheon such as Radha and Krishna, Durga, Ganesh, Saraswati and the ten incarnations of Vishnu as well as scenes from the Kamasutra are some of the themes for these paintings.

Narayan Das started learning to etch on palm leaves at the age of 12. He learnt the art from his father Chandrashekhar Das who received the State Award and the National Award. His great grandfather would record the janam patri (horoscope) on palm leaves when children were born. He would also inscribe Bhagwata, the holy text, translating it from the original in Sanskrit to Oriya. Ayurvedic manuscripts originally in Sanskrit were also translated into Oriya and given to physicians on request. It was Narayan’s grandfather who adapted this technique of calligraphy to an art form and since then, the family has created the most beautiful paintings.

Bronzes

Indian bronzes are one of the greatest achievements of Indian artists through the ages. The first Indian bronzes were discovered at the site of the Indus Valley civilization dating back to more than 4000 years ago. The first South Indian bronzes were made during the Pallava dynasty in the 8th century. Thereafter, magnificent icons were made under the patronage of the kings and queens of the Chola dynasty from the 10th to the 12th century. These bronzes were part of sacred architecture. Made in accordance with codified principles set down in the Shilpa Shastra (an ancient sanskrit text on icon making) and sanctified by worship, they were the link between man and God.

Early bronzes were made of copper, silver, gold or brass. Later, alloys were used, particularly pancha loha (an alloy of five metals, gold, silver, copper, lead and tin), to represent the five elements. The main deity in the temple sanctum was made of stone, wood or stucco whereas the idol to be taken on processions was always of metal. These icons were made by the lost wax process involving the use of a wax model to form a mould into which the molten metal was poured. With skillful precision, the artists also made lamps that had images of gods and animals on them.

Born in 1945, MV Lakshmanan, a Bangalore based artist did not follow the craft of his father, a goldsmith or his grandfather, a blacksmith, but mastered bronze casting. He spent three years at the Regional Design and Technical Development Centre, in Bangalore, where he learnt traditional bronze casting under Guru Bhashyam Sthapathy, who received the National Award in 1965. Lakshmanan received the National Award in 1980. He participated in the Festival of India in 1982 in London, Cardiff, Bradford, Sheffield and Glasgow. His sons, Lathish and Liju, work with him, though they also do contemporary sculpture. Lakshmanan specialises in traditional South Indian bronzes, Bhoota masks and lamps.

Stone and Wood carving

Some of the finest stone carvings in India have evolved around religion, particularly Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. The Buddhist stupas of Sanchi in central India, the Hindu temples of Ellora, Elephanta, Khajuraho, Madurai, Mahabalipuram, the Sun temple at Konarak and the Jain temples at Mt Abu are a few of the spectacular examples of stone carving in India.

In Odisha, the Mukhteshwar temple (10th century), the Lingaraj temple (12th century), the Raja Rani temple and the Sun temple at Konarak (13th century) have some of the most impressive sculptures. The sculptor follows the principles of the Shilpa Shastra, which sets the rules for the choice of stone, the measurements and techniques of sculpting. Materials such as black granite, red sandstone, Odisha green stone, tenali stone and green marble are normally used for stone sculpture; and gambhari (beechwood), teak and neem wood are used for carving wooden statues.

Rabi Sahoo was born in 1969 and was initiated into stone sculpting at the age of l5 by his father and guru, Sudarshan Sahoo. He has been practicing this craft for more than 20 years and has acquired the skill and mastery required for detailed carving. Rabi specialises in recreating and reviving ancient sculptures that are made of different stones. He is now the master craftsman at the Sudarshan Crafts Museum in Puri.

Phad Painting

The large horizontal paintings that portray the epic lives of local folk heroes and demi-gods in Rajasthan are popularly known as phad paintings. These paintings have the task of representing a complex folk epic narrative, which they achieve through their very specific style of representation. These paintings form a visual backdrop to all-night storytelling performances by wandering minstrels.

All phad paintings, no matter what hero they depict, have certain similarities. The canvas is crowded with figures and the pictorial depiction is flat. The figures are arranged in such a way that the minor characters never overlap the main characters, whereas the size of the figures depends on their social status and the importance of the roles they play in the story. The overall picture resembles a temple enshrining the deity as well as a symbolic and conceptual map of the geographical territory in which the incidents from the story occur. The figures in the painting do not face the audience but rather face each other, whereas the only frontal views are those of Gods and Goddesses. The phad paintings are traditionally about five feet wide and 15 feet long to accommodate the numerous episodes of the depicted hero-god.

The process of making the cloth ready for painting is an important aspect of phad painting. The cotton cloth is first stiffened with starch made from boiling flour and glue, and then burnished with a special stone device called mohra, which smoothens the surface. The artist makes his own pigments using locally available plants and minerals and mixing them with gum and water. Once the composition is laid out in a light yellow colour, the artist applies the traditional colours – red, white, green, blue, orange and brown.

Born in 1969, Kalyan Joshi is one of the leading exponents of phad painting. He comes from an ancestral line of phad painters that dates back to the 17th century. Kalyan Joshi started painting from the age of eight with his father. Kalyan has experimented with new stories, contemporary style of painting and line drawing, narrative drawing, and has also worked in the field of character animation. He is the founder of Ankan, an institute that has educated children in the field of phad painting. He has participated in many exhibitions in India and abroad, including those at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the Crafts Museum in New Delhi.

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