Decorative Art of India

The artistic expression of the Indian people is not limited to painting on canvas
or paper only. Decorative painting on walls of homes even in rural areas is a
common sight. Rangoli or decorative designs on the floor are made for
auspicious occasions and pujas whose stylized designs have been passed on
from one generation to the other. The designs are called rangoli in the North,
alpana in Bengal, aipan in Uttaranchal, rangavalli in Karnataka, Kollam in
Tamil Nadu, and mandana in Madhya Pradesh. Usually, rice powder is used
for these paintings, but colored powder or flower petals are also used to make
them more colorful. Adorning walls of houses and huts is also an old tradition.
The following are some of the examples of folk art of this kind.

MITHILA PAINTING
Mithila painting, also known as Madhubani folk art, is the traditional art of
the Mithila region of Bihar. They are produced by village women who make
three-dimensional images using vegetable color with few earthen colors and
finish them in black lines on cow dung-treated paper. These pictures tell tales,
especially about Sita’s exile, Ram-Laxman’s forest life, or depict the images
of Lakshmi, Ganesha, Hanuman, and others from Hindu mythology. Apart
from these, women also paint celestial subjects like the sun and moon. Tulsi,
the holy plant, is also found in these paintings. They also show court scenes,
weddings, and social happenings.

Drawings in Madhubani paintings are very conceptual. First, the painter thinks
and then she “draws her thought.” No pretension is there to describe the figures
accurately. Visually, they are images that speak in lines and colors and are
drawn for some rituals or festivals on household and village walls to mark
seasonal festivals or special events of the life cycle. Intricate flora, animal,
and bird motifs can also be found along with geometrical designs to fill up the
gaps. In some cases, it is a special practice for mothers to make these art items
in advance for their daughters as a marriage gift. These paintings also convey
advice on ways to lead a good married life. There is also a social variation in
subjects and the use of colors. One can identify the community to which the
painting belongs from the colors used in them. Upper-class paintings are
colorful, while those made by the lower caste people use red and black line
work. The technique of painting is zealously guarded by the women of the
village, passed down from mother to daughter. Nowadays, Madhubani art is
being used as decorative gift items, greeting cards, and has become a source
of income for local women.

KALAMKARI PAINTING
The literal meaning of Kalamkari is a painting done by kalam (pen). This art
got enriched as it came down from one generation to another. These paintings
are made in Andhra Pradesh. It is hand-painted as well as block-printed
with vegetable dyes applied on cloth. Vegetable dyes are used for color in
Kalamkari work. A small place, Sri-Kalahasti, is the best-known center of
Kalamkari art. This work is also found at Masulipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

This art is mainly related to decorating temple interiors with painted cloth
panels, which developed in the 15th century under the Vijayanagar rulers.
Subjects are adopted from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Hindu religious
mythology. This art form is a continuous legacy from father to son. After
deciding on the subject of the painting, scene after scene is painted. Every
scene is surrounded by floral decorative patterns. These paintings are made on
cloth. They are very durable and flexible in size, made according to the theme.
Figures of deities have rich border embellishments and were created for
temples. Due to Muslim rulers in Golconda, the Masulipatnam Kalamkari
was widely influenced by Persian motifs and designs.

The outlines and main features are done using hand-carved blocks. The finer
details are later done using the pen. This art was started on garments, bed
covers, and curtains. The artists use a bamboo or date palm stick, pointed at
one end with a bundle of fine hair attached to the other end to serve as a brush
or pen. The Kalamkari dyes are obtained by extracting colors from plant
roots, leaves, along with salts of iron, tin, copper, alum, etc.

PHAD PAINTINGS
Phad is a type of scroll painting. The paintings, depicting exploits of local
deities, are often carried from place to place and are accompanied by
traditional singers, who narrate the theme depicted on the scrolls. This type of
painting is a famous painting of Rajasthan, mainly found in the Bhilwara
district. Phad painting depicts the heroic deeds of a heroic figure, the daily
life of a peasant, rural life, animals and birds, flora, and fauna.
These paintings are created using bright colors and subtle colors. The outlines
of the paintings are first drawn in black and later filled with colors. The main
themes of the Phad paintings depict the deities and their legends and the
stories of erstwhile Maharajas. Raw colors are used for these paintings. The
unique features of Phad paintings are the bold lines and a two-dimensional
treatment of figures with the entire composition arranged in sections. The art
of painting the Phads is approximately 700 years old. It is said that it
originated in Shahpura, some 35 km from Bhilwara in Rajasthan. The
continuous royal patronage gave a decisive impetus to the art, which has
survived and flourished for generations.

KALIGHAT PAINTING
Kalighat painting derives its name from its place of origin, Kalighat in
Kolkata. Kalighat is a bazaar near the Kali temple in Kolkata. Patua painters
from rural Bengal came and settled in Kalighat to make images of gods and
goddesses in the early 19th century. These paintings on paper, made with
watercolors, comprise clear sweeping line drawings using bright colors and
a clear background. Subjects are images of Kali, Lakshmi, Krishna,
Ganesha, Shiva, and other Hindu deities.

As its market grew, the artists began to explore contemporary social events in
their paintings. This genre derived inspiration from photography, western-
style theatrical performances, and the rise of babu culture in Bengal due to
the impact of British colonial administration. The nouveau riche of Kolkata,
in response to these diverse influences, inspired these paintings.

All these stimuli gave birth to a new imagery that occupied the center stage of
Bengali literature, theatre, and visual arts of the period. Kalighat paintings
became the best mirror of this cultural and aesthetic shift. The artists created
a whole repertoire of images: courtesans, actresses, heroines, pompous
babus, and conceited dandies, resplendent in their fancy attire and hairstyles,
smoking pipes, and playing the sitar. Kalighat paintings are often referred to as
the first works of art that came from Bengal.