Indian art forms that have survived for years

“Inside the human shells lies eternity – the eternity of veiled creativity, beauty , and art.”, truly said by a wise man.
Telescoping through the corridors of time, we find a plethora of Indian folk art: The beauties beatified by our artists, generations back. Many such folks have been preserved and are still in the process of recreation and replications. Wow! They have diverse and distinct forms which have been evolved over the years – some untouched by the modern era, others adapting to new artifacts by the use of advanced colors and material. The compositions include natural dyes, charcoal, twigs, and leaves making us relish the reels of ancient times.
Here comes a journey of various art folks from Madhubani to Kalamkari – their voyage of preservation and specialty.
MADHUBANI:
● Also called Mithila art.
● Propounded when raja Janak ordered to adorn his kingdom when his daughter was to woe her life’s not to prince Ram.
● Certified by women revealing their urge to be one with God.
● The background is filled with flora, fauna and geometric designs.
MINIATURE PAINTINGS:
● Originated in the 16th century in Mughal era.
● Specialization includes miniature sized paintings featuring intricate details and cute expressions.
● Paintings depict religious symbols and Hindu epics.
● Humans portrayed feature large eyes, pointed nose, slim waist and men with a turban.
● Presently practiced in Rajasthan.
PHAD:
● Phad refers to 15-30 feet long canvas cloth.
● Show indigenous deities ‘Pabuji’ or ‘Devnarayan’.
● Vegetable colors and a running narrative of the lives and heroic deeds of deities characterize these paintings.
WARLI:
● Found in warlike tribes around 2500 BCE.
● Unique due to use of circles, triangles, and squares to elicit daily life activities like hunting, fishing, dancing!
● The background is usually red or dark colored upon which lies white hued sketches.
GOND:
● Propounded by god tribe in Madhya Pradesh.
● Use of bold and vibrant colors featuring dots and lines.
● The theme revolves around the sense of belongingness towards nature.
TANJORE:
● Encouraged by Nayaks of Thanjavur in South.
● Took beginnings in 1600AD.
● Characterized by use of gold foils
● Royalty and reverence for God, Goddesses, and saints are depicted.
KALIGHAT PAINTINGS:
● Originated in the 19th century, Bengal from Kaleigh at.
● First depicted Gods and Goddesses, but then took a turn towards social reform.
● With cheap paper and paint colors, squirrel hair brushes and color pigments, the art was characterized by flawless strokes, brushwork, and simple but bold drawings.
● It sought to raise awareness about social conditions in its viewers – rich zamindars were depicted drinking wine with women, while priests were shown with ‘unchaste’ women and police babes being sloppy.
PATACHITRA:
● Odisha and West Bengal based paintings in the 5th century.
● Throw light on God and Goddesses with dresses of Mughal era
● Painting strokes were sharply angular and line bolt.
CHERIYAL SCROLLS:
● Captures vibrant imaginations of Takashi families portraying saints reciting epics.
● The tradition was to use long scrolls.
● Presently practiced in Telangana.
KALAMKARI:
● ‘Kalam’ + ‘kari’ implying drawn from hands.
● Bamboo or date sticks used as a brush.
● Characterized by the use of original color obtained from flora like roots, leaves, alum, copper.
● Comprises of Masulipatam jari kalam, Sri Kalahari style, and karrapur style.