Visual Diary

 After spending so much time in research work, i am finally into the 8th week of the assignment. At the end of this week, I have my summative exam which is the end of this module and assignment too.  In this module we have to make a visual diary in which we have to mention our research ,with the visual and written form.

I started my visual diary with my visit to Dilli Haat, I have already mentioned about the different crafts I found there from different places.Then I started with my research topic in which I covered History, Introduction, Tool and Material, Making Process of Painting, Theme and Styles, Composition, Motifs, socio-culture, Innovation and Evolution of Pattachitra painting(Orisha). I also wrote about Bengal Pattachitra Painting in my visual diary, which is also an important part of Pattachitra Painting.

Crafs in Dilli Haat

Pattachitra Painting

Making Process of Canvas

Tools and Material Used in Pattachitra Painting

To get a detailed knowledge of Pattachitra Painting, every one is welcome to view my blogs and visual diary. I hope the information will help you to understand the Pattachitra Art work.

EVOLUTION IN PATTACHITRA PAINTING

Evolution means "the gradual development of something". After Innovation Here I am with my next blog which is about Evolution of Pattachitra Painting.We know Innovation and Evolution are correlated with each other

From available research work and blogs on evolution in Indian Art I come to know that Pattachitra has largely remained uninfluenced by the other schools of Indian paintings namely the Mughal and Pahadi, due to the fact that Orissa had remained uninvaded by the Muslim rulers for a fairly long time giving the art form enough time to evolve its own unique styles and convention and establish the same. This has allowed the art to form its own category – the Puri school of painting.

In part of evolution, the art of pattachitra has made a slow progress from the temple premises to the walls of drawing rooms and lounges of big hotels, restaurants & guest houses. The theme of the paintings are also upgraded. With the passage of time other themes also started to take prominent places in PattaChitra. In addition to the stories from Ramayan and Mahabharat, new themes on Lord Buddha, Jainism and important historical events have also found place in pattachitras. Now a days Pattachitras become collectors’ items.

New Theme on Lord Buddha
source of image: https://www.google.co.in/

Chitrakaras also play major role in evolution, they send their children out for exposure and education apart from training them in their family art tradition to ensure that they can run their own business rather than depending on others. Women have also taken up full time painting. Many young girls and women are now trained under trainer, they are also joined by women from other village.

References:

                        1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_painting

                        2.http://www.shreekhetra.com/pattachitra.html

                        3.http://gaatha.com/pattachitra-story-orissa/

Innovation in Pattachitra Painting

Hello, everyone so I am here with my next blog which is an interesting topic "Innovation in Pattachitra Painting". Innovation can be defined simply as a "new idea, device, or method".

After spending so much time on research work and my visit to Delhi Haat (as mentioned in my first blog) I come to know that apart from paintings, Pattachitra artwork is also widely used on Cotton, Silk and Georgette. It is strange but it is very cool, unique and a refreshing appeal from the traditional saris, Pattachitra artwork lends a different sense of ethnic fashion to the 9 yard apparel. Bright hues such as red, pink, purple, yellow, green and white are used to adorn classic saris which add a vibrant twist to the epic tales that are narrated on the sari pallus or borders.

Apart from saris, the artwork has become rampant with household accessories as well which includes ceramic bowls, pend, coasters, plates, wall hangings, key chains, and boxes as well. Currently, several designers and craftsman have come up with quirky ways of introducing this art work on large handbags and totes, t-shirts, skirts, jeans, belts and even on stationary.

Nowadays, all products are also available on many E-Commerce sites for world wide peoples like Pattachitra artwork products.

All the image are taken from: https://www.google.co.in/

The Pattachitra paintings that originate in such small blissful villages reach across the world. Soaked in Puranic culture and classical romances, with vibrant colours and superb craftsmanship, the Pattachitra has become a distinct art form and has captured the imagination of artists and art lovers alike both in India and abroad.

       Reference:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pattachitr

2.http://www.orissa.oriyaonline.com/patta_chitra.html

LOOK,THEME AND STYLE OF PATTACHITRA PAINTING

I am here with my another blog which is about Look, Theme and Style of Pattachitra Painting.In last blog I talked about Making process of Pattachitra Painting.

Since no art form is popular without it's uniqueness. So I think it's the correct time to mention some points which make this popular art form even more appealing.

What makes Pattachitra Unqiue?

Although Pattachitra style of painting is a unique blend of classical and folk elements, but it is more bent towards folk style in the larger sense. What is even more interesting is that this art work has a Mughal influence as well when it comes to the character’s apparel and fashion sense.

As we all know that uniqueness can't come without styling.So here I am discussing styling of Pattachitra painting:

This incorporates unique style in which each characters are defined with clear dark lines which give a definite shape and appeal. The theme of Oriya painting centers round the Jagannath and the Vaishnava sect. Since beginning of Pattachitra culture, Lord Jagannath who was an incarnation of Lord Krishna has been the major source of inspiration. The subject matter of Pattachitra is mostly mythological, religious stories and folk lore. Themes are chiefly on Lord Jagannath and Radha-Krishna, different "Vesas" of Shri Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra, temple activities, the ten incarnations of Vishnu basing on the 'Gita Govinda' of Jayadev, Kama Kujara Navagunjara, Ramayana, Mahabharata.

Pattachitra were inspired by Jagannath culture in Odisha

During research on Pattachitra painting I observed that there is lack of depth or perspective visualization in the paintings, giving them a two-dimensional feel.All the incidents are seen in contrast. The background on which the figures are represented, is delineated with decorations of flowers and foliages (leafly parts of a tree or plant) motives and is mostly painted in red colour. All the paintings are given decorative borders. The whole painting is conceived in the form of a design on a given canvas.

while researching one thing that I found common in most of the paintings is the use of detailed borders which may or may not be in relation to the rest of the painting since they are used to give uniformity to the entire painting.

One interesting point that I noticed while researching in painting and to know more about that i searched on it and I found on a website  that faces of characters have long beak like noses, prominent chins and elongated eyes and when I deeply researched about that I got to know that this is the typical style of Pattachitra paintings .They are distinguished from each other by facial features, hairstyles, clothing etc. Central focus of the painting is the expression of the figures and the emotion they portray, the strong colours only reinforce them.

The bold lines, the bright colours and the fine pictorial conceptions distinguish this art form from the rest. Its uniqueness lies in its overall fineness and rhythmic juxtaposition of elements.The postures are largely well defined and repetition as a style creates an interesting aesthetic appeal. Another feature to note is that the chitrakaars begin painting with white, followed by the riot of colours and end the painting again with white, highlighting the entire composition.

The similar technique and style are not only use on canvas but when adapted on walls is known as ‘Bhitti Chitra’ and when seen as palm leaf engraving is popular as ‘Tala Pata Chitra’ or ‘Pothi Chitra’. It is also experimented on multiple objects and surfaces to create aesthetic pieces of art.

Bhitti Chitra

Tala Pata Chitra

 References:
                 1.http://www.orissa.gov.in/e-magazine/orissareview/july2003/jul.pdf
                 2.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattachitra
                3.http://indiahistoryspeaks.blogspot.in/2007/11/puri-paining-part-one.html
                4.http://www.dsource.in/resource/patachitra-painting-orissa/themes-and-styles

 Source of Image:
                1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattachitra
                2.www.google.co.in

Making Process Of PATTACHITRA PAINTING

      Hello, I am back with my next blog which is about making process of pattachitra painting.In my last blog I spoke about tools and material that, Pattachitra painters use in the paintings.

     From already published research work I got  to know that Traditionally the painters are known as chitrakars. A patta painter's home is his studio, and every member of his family involve in making process,Woman members of the family prepare the glue, the canvas and apply colours what we call the fill-in, and give the final lacquer coating. The master hand, mostly the male member, draws the initial line and gives the final finishing. 

woman prepare colour and man doing painting on object

    As we are aware from the previous blog, that paintings are done on specially prepared cotton cloth, which is coated with a mixture of gum and chalk and then polished, before applying natural colours. The process begins with creating a canvas, or the surface on which the painting is to be executed. A gummy paste of boiled tamarind seeds and soft granite powder is plastered on a stretched piece of cloth, twice over, so that it becomes stone hard and does not crack. Once dry, the bare outlines of the painting are sketched with charcoal or limestone (chalk) by a master painter. This is usually done free-hand and from memory, though decorative motifs like borders and certain geometric forms are copied from pre-cut stencils in order to save time, as i showed from image in previous blog. 

     While observing painting, the colours in a painting might be the first thing a viewer notices. Now a day for giving glorious look to  the painting, painter used colours which are obtain from the leaves of plants, flower petals, fruits (like mango, for yellow), ground rocks and even the urine of domesticated animals contribute to the production of a variety of shades and hues. But for mass production the artists are using stencils, chemical-based dyes and paints. The process of glazing or varnishing is quite interesting. The painting is held over a fireplace so that the back of the painting is exposed to heat. On the surface of the painting fine lacquer is applied. The paintings are polished and mounted before sale.

'      Here is a table of making process of Pattachitra Painting:

Process of making PATTCHITRA PAINTING

References:

                 1.http://artculturefestival.in/regional-art-form/

                 2.http://blog.yappily.com/folk-art-tribal-art-paintings-of-india/

                 3.http://www.dsource.in/resource/patachitra-painting-orissa/making-process

source of Image:

              1.https://www.google.co.in

              2.http://www.dsource.in/resource/patachitra-painting-orissa/making-process

Tools and Materials

      In my last blog I talked about History of Pattachitra Painting, It was so interesting that in order to know more about it  I insisted dilli haat painter to take me a look of his worksite .Where I noticed tools which are used to make Pattachita painting. Then he introduced me to most important tools which are used to make pattachita painting which are, Rubbing stones – “khaddar stone and Chikna stone”,Treated cotton cloth or Patas, Brushes, and Lacquer and they also have pencil and eraser.

     

Process of sketching on canvas

    Then he told me about use of tools in painting, HB pencils to draw rough sketches and drawings on the canvas.They use two type of  Rubbing Stones, one of them is Khaddar stone which is used for smoothening and another one is Chikna stone which is used for shine on the canvas on which, paintings have done.

      Then he showed me canvas, when I touched it, it seemed like paper.Then I asked him "Is it a paper?..if yes..what is special about it?"  He smiled on our innocence and  said "no ma'am" then he continued that the canvas is specially prepared  from cotton cloth, which is coated with a mixture of gum and chalk and polished, before applying natural colours. The process begins with creating a canvas, or the surface on which the painting is to be executed. A gummy paste of boiled tamarind(Imli) seeds and soft granite powder is plastered on a stretched piece of cloth, twice over, so that it becomes stone hard and does not crack.

      This is time consuming process,  this process is known as ‘NiryasKalpa’.  I asked him,"How much time?" He said"min. 5 days." The moment he told me that minimum time required for preparing canvas is 5 days..I am like what.?? 5 days. Then I realised that each and every material they use are very special that is the one of the reason to make this painting special.They also have same other  bases on which the Pattachitras are  done which are tussar silk and wood. 

      And yeah how can I forgot about the most important tools which are colour & brush as no painting can be created without these tools. In an artical I comes to know about, the speciality of brush which is used by painters ,is that they are of animal hair and plant fibers. These includes mongoose or mouse hair for fine tip, fixed over a bamboo or wooden handle.The coarser brushes are made from the hair of the buffalo neck. “Kiya” plant is popularly used to make brushes of various thickness. 

Finest tip of brush are used to highlight outline

    While I was searching about colour I got to know that the materials used in the paint are from vegetable, earth, and mineral sources. Black is made out of lampblack, yellow from haritali stone, and red from hingal stone. White is prepared from crushed, boiled, and filtered shells. 

colours used in painting

     After painting gets ready,  painters use Lacquers (made from resin seeds) which gives lovely shine to the painting. This process is known as “Jaulasa”.

        References:

        1.http://www.dsource.in/resource/patachitra-painting-orissa/tools-and-materials

        2.http://artycraftyarena.blogspot.in/2009/10/tanjore-paintings-and-steps-make-them.html

        3.http://puzzledesh.com/inspiration/

         

         source of image: http://www.dsource.in/resource/patachitra-painting-orissa/tools-and-materials

                                     https://www.google.co.in/search/colour+used+in+pattchitra

Introduction of Pattachitra Painting,odisha

You all have no idea how much happy I am, I finally posted my first blog about my visit at Dilli Haat and my assignment.Now I m here with my second blog and I took lots of time to decide the title of this blog, and finally I kept" introduction of Pattachitra Painting, Odisha", I know this title makes this blog sound formal, still i continued  with it. As I told  firstly I visited Dilli Haat where I found lots of crafts, painting and so on. I was mesmerised by Pattachitra Painting and it fascinated me so much that I thought of implementing that so , I met with the painter and gather as much information as I can . And obviously he started with its origin " Pattachitra Painting" the oldest form of artwork found in Orissa, Pattachitra literally means clothPainting; ‘pata’ (cloth) and ‘chitra’ (painting). It depicts Hindu mythological tales and wonders,while discussing he told me that it is based on the stories from the past, Patachitra art is vibrant, unique and is a fine display of skilled Indian craftsmanship.

Pattachitra Painting

He also discussed its historical evidences, the first forms of Pattachitra art originated in the village of ‘Puri, where this artwork is still quite popular. And also he intoduced himself as Mohapatra, after listening this word, I was blank and I asked"Mohapatra..??  then he replied that The artists who practice this craft were known as Mohapatra's or Maharanas, although no clear distinction was given between the two.  As I am design student, what ever we design or discussing about idea of our design from our teachers ,they definately  ask us from were did you get inspiration and the same thing I have done,  He told me that" The impressive temples and architecture in Orissa gives inspiration to so many craftmen to narrated pictorial stories through their paintings". While I was surfing about it in internet I found  in an artical that most widely known example of past who promoted the craft  were the Jagannath’s and Vaishnava’s. The basic Patachitra tales revolved around their beliefs and ideologies. Hindu gods such as Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva, Hanuman, and Hindu goddesses such as Radha, Parvati and Sita were the main images used to depict tales and stories which were related to Hindu scriptures and texts.  
At the time of exit,I found another stall of painting, and that stall had a board of " Pattachitra Painting" I got confused but when I saw the painting, I found lots of difference between odisha's Pattachitra painting and that one.Then  I asked him,Is this the Painting from Orrisa..? Then he replied that apart from Orissa, this artwork is also widely practiced in West Bengal.     

                                                                                            Tribal and Folk Art, Pattachitra Painting,Bengal
                                                                                                    Image courtesy- Akankshika Prakash

                                                                              
The only difference between these two places  is that in Orissa, it is done on Cotton fabric, whereas in Bengal silk is used.The painters are called Patras. They not only paint but sing as well .These songs are known as Pater Gaan. Here is a video 

PATER GAAN,sung by Bengal Pattachitra Painter,At Delhi Haat

Earlier done only on a cloth canvas and traditionally known to depict only religious and cultural aspects Nowday, Patachitra artists are seen experimenting new mediums and themes. Seen as a significant cultural memorabilia in the temples, a rare collectable in the form of Ganjappa cards or as an object of pure home décor, Patachitra is an art to live and flourish.



Reference:

[1]Fork Art, Odisha .Getting the fact on Pattachitra Painting available on<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pattachitra>.[Accessed 17 JAN 2017].

[2]"The Art of making Picture on Cloth" Weblog Prof. Bibhudutta BaralandMr. Antony William, entry posted January 19, 2013,  <http://www.dsource.in/resource/patachitra-painting-orissa/introduction>  [Accessed January 18, 2017}