The Tanjore paintings of the South India depict Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva and reflect the mythical source of music. In south India, at the end of the eighteenth century, the impact of foreign armies, particularly the French and the British, had hindered temple building. But the last spurt of inspiration, given by the Maratha Maharajas, Shahaji and Sarfoji II, to cultural activities in their capital Tanjore revived the art of dance, encouraged music and also brought about a hero-worship of the Maharaja and the courtiers in paintings on glass.
Some of the paintings of Sarfoji II, of familiar personages and of favorite divinities like Krishna, have survived in vivid colors on glass. They are in bold outlines, with an emphasis on decorative jeweler, done in a bizarre montage technique and have the naive charm of near-folk painting.
From the time of the Chola dynasty, Thanjavur was a center for art and learning. The fall of the Cholas saw the rise of the Vijaynagar empire and much of the south was unified under the Nayakas, the hereditary chiefs of the Vijayanagar kingdom who continued to patronize the arts. However, invasions and changes in rulership left their mark on the arts, and the Tanjore school of painting imbibed the culture and style of various conquering rulers. Tanjore paintings on wood were commissioned by patrons whose wealth decided the quality of art work on gold leaf or gems. The artists were Kshatriyas of the Raju community, for whom art was a ritual expression rather than a creative one. Infact, paintings followed prescribed themes and it was only on the lowest part that the artist was allowed to exercise his own imagination.The communist themes for Tanjore paintings are the ones, portraying Krishna or the coronation of Rama, called the Rampattabhishekam. The Navnita Krishna, or Krishna holding a ball of butter is an oft-repeated theme, as is the Darbar Krishna, Radha Krishna or Krishna with Rukmini and Satyabhama. Other popular themes are the Sreeranganatha or sleeping Vishnu, gajalakshmi and Vishnu with his consort Bhudevi and Sridevi. Uncommon themes are subjects like Markandaya, Dasavatar, Ashtadipala or the secular company school portraits and Sikh themes using the Tanjore technique.
Tanjore painting is an important form of classical South Indian painting native to the town of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu. The art form dates back to the early 9th century, a period dominated by the Chola rulers, who encouraged art and literature. These paintings are known for their elegance, rich colors, and attention to detail. The themes for most of these paintings are Hindu Gods and Goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology. In modern times, these paintings have become a much sought after souvenir during festive occasions in South India.
The process of making a Tanjore painting involves many stages. The first stage involves the making of the preliminary sketch of the image on the base. The base consists of a cloth pasted over a wooden base. Then chalk powder or zinc oxide is mixed with water-soluble adhesive and applied on the base. To make the base smoother, a mild abrasive is sometimes used. After the drawing is made, decoration of the jewellery and the apparels in the image is done with semi-precious stones. Laces or threads are also used to decorate the jewellery. On top of this, the gold foils are pasted. Finally, dyes are used to add colors to the figures in the paintings.
Thanjavur or modern Tanjore is famous for a special style of decorating the paintings, which are done both on glass and board. In both types, the figures and the background are richly embellished with gold leaf and gems as ornaments. The relief work on board is achieved by applying gesso, a mixture of gypsum or Plaster of Paris and glue. The characteristics of the Tanjore paintings are its brilliant colour schemes, decorative jewellery with stones and cut glasses and its larger-than-life figures. The themes are mostly mythological, with figures of Lord Krishna in various poses and depicting various stages of his life being the most favourite. Today people are experimenting with birds, animals, building structures and other subjects. Though Thanjavur was not the birthplace of this art, this style of painting developed here during the 18th century under the patronage of the Maratha rulers. It reached its pinnacle during the rule of Sarfoji Maharaj who was a great patron of art. As people and artists migrated to Tanjore from Mysore, Andhra, Bijapur, Maharashtra and Gujarat, the theme and style came to be largely influenced by various schools of arts and religion as well as the Western and Chinese techniques. |
