Arts & Crafts _ Central Board of Secondary Education

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CATEGORY ARCHIVES: ARTS & CRAFTS

Shekhawati Frescos

Posted on August 23, 2012

Quick Facts

1. Locat ion: Shekhawati ( Rajasthan )

2.Themes: Ragamala, Folktale’s, Plants and animals etc.

3.Type: Fresco

4. Period:17th -20th century CE

Shekhawati is located in the semi arid zone in north-west Rajasthan and has a special importance in the history of

India. This region comprises present districts of Churu,Sikar and J hunjhunu. The region was founded in the middle

of 15 c. CE by Rao Shekha, a scion of Kachhawaha Rajput from the house of Amber which is extremely rich in

the tradition of mural paintings. The entire area of Shekhawati had glorious tradition of paintings on walls beginning

from the close of 17 c. CE to modern times.

Actual examples of mural paintings earlier to the 11 c.CE have not been found although the tradition of painting

was very much vogue in Rajasthan. The mural paintings of the Shekhawati were painted by painters who were not

very literate and knowledgeable, as their themes mainly focused daily life but they showcased the local and

contemporary society.

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Themes of the Murals

The subject of Shekhawati murals vary from religious to everyday life as well as designs. The themes depicted in

the murals include religious, ragamala, folktales, historical events a personages, everyday environment, animals

and plants, erotic’s, maps and places, the foreigners and their contraptions and decorative designs.

It was the Shekhawat barons who summoned the first muralists in the region to decorate some of their buildings

with fine figurative paintings. They had probably seen such work during their visits to the court at Amber and Jaipur

and the painters almost certainly came from here.

Classification

The Shekhawati murals can be classified based on their pigments as.

1. Maroon or Dark red

2. Red and Blue

3. Multicolor

These three divisions are related to external murals found on havelis, temples and chattris in particular.

Maroon (1704-1865 )

Dark red ochre pigment is a feature of almost all the early fresco work. Most of the portrayal of human and animal

forms on the outer walls and in some of the chattris is executed with this color.

Red and Blue (1860-1910)

The majority of the paintings surviving on the havelis of Shekhawati fall into this category.

Multicolored (1900-1950)

Under this come most of the murals of the 20 century CE and Shekhawati as the craft declined and disappeared.

In order to study the gradual development of the traditions of these murals in Shekhawati region, it is important to

consider the inscribed cenotaphs of the local rulers, having fine mural painting.

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Phad Paintings

Posted on July 16, 2012

Quick Facts


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Black – It is made either by burning coconut shells or by collecting lampblack from burning edible oil. It is

used to outline the details of all figures.

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When the Bhopa who ordered the painting comes to collect his piece, the Phad is signed, during this short

ceremony the Phad is unfurled to expose the cartouche in front of the central deity and the pupil of the main deity

is painted, symbolizing the giving of life (pranpratistha) to the Phad.


Kalamkari

Posted on July 9, 2012

Quick Facts

1. Location: Southern and Coastal Andhra Pradesh and part of coastal Tami

Nadu.

2. Meaning: Work done with pen.

3. Material: Cotton and silk.

4. Purpose: Cloth, religious (canopying and backdrop), prayer mat, hanging

and curtain.

The word ‘Kalamkari’ is derived from the Urdu word ‘Qualam’ meaning pen, so it can be interpreted as the work

done with pen. But, here the term is referred to the painted and block-printed cotton and silk cloths produced in

the Coromandel Coast. The two important centers producing the cloths of this genre are-

1. Srikalahasti (Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh) – The cloth produced here is painted with the pen made

from bamboo sticks with cotton wrapped around it. The whole process of cloth-making is completed by the family

members. The cloths produced are meant for temples like for canopying and as backdrop. The subject matter of

the paintings mostly focuses on the Hindu religious themes and secular themes like bird, tree of life, etc.

2. Machilipatnam (Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh) – In Machilipatnam, the sinuous lines of pen are

transferred onto the wooden blocks and finally get printed on the cloth surface. The cloths are produced by thekarkhana process and the block-masters, washer-men and printers work under the same roof. The cloth

production is meant for clothing and then for prayer mats, bedspreads, tapestry and wall hanging. The motifs

displayed on the cloth show cross-cultural features such as features of the region as well as Persia and later

Europe. The painted cloth depicts varied and imagery motifs starting from stylized plants, creepers, geometric

designs to animals and human figurines.

The stylistic affinities can be seen between the painted and printed cloths and the murals of the Vijaynagara period

(15 -16 c. CE) and in the paintings of the Nayak rulers (16 – 18 c. CE). Thus, some relation can be seenth th th th


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between the cloths from Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam and the murals from Lepkashi temple, Hampi and Pata

paintings from Telangana.



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Documents

Arts & Crafts _ Central Board of Secondary Education