This colourful cloth painting from Orissa, known as ‘pata-chitra’ –
painting on cloth, represents Radha and
Krishna playing Holi in the
suburb of Vrindavana. The painting has used a fine textile-length of
cotton blended with silk giving it lustre and smooth surface. Radha
has a team of Gopis but Krishna has none except perhaps one from among
the Gopis themselves discharging colour from her pipe on one who is
targeting Krishna by her pipe and assisting Radha. The painting has
been rendered using the characteristic Oriya art idiom in the figures’
iconography: large eye-balls with miniaturised black portion, angular
faces, pointed noses with arching central part, cheeks merging with
necks and typical eye-brows, Krishna’s body-colour, multi-complexioned
Gopis, anatomy with extra tall figures, especially of women folk,
style of apparels – colours, prints and mode of wearing, ornaments and
hair-dressing, dramatized form of the cows, modeling of vessels
containing colour-solutions and ‘gulal’ – coloured powder sprinkled on
faces while celebrating the festival of Holi, style of trees and
plants and virtually in conceiving the overall background.
The central figures in the upper register are the golden hued Radha
and the blue-bodied Krishna, and in the lower, besides a white cow –
an essential aspect of Krishna’s imagery, there is a Gopi in short
loincloth covering only the upper part of her thighs below her waist.
She is filling her pipe with colour from a brilliantly painted and
modeled pot containing red colour. By its beauty the pot marks the
centre of the painting. Equally beautifully designed, painted and
modeled, though taller in dimension, two other pots filled with blue
and maroon colours, painted on equi-distance towards the bottom along
the border, define the base-line in the painting. A series of
horizontal mountains-like upwards curving courses cast with
net-design, scattered over the lower half of the canvas, defines the
earth with a hilly terrain as against the sky which the tiny stylized
blue-white clouds floating in the space define. Widely branching trees
with yellow flowers, green leaves and maroon trunks and branches
define the sky-line.
Unaware of Radha who is close behind him Krishna discharges coloured
water with his pipe on a Gopi mischievously targeting her breasts.
Taking its advantage Radha catches hold of Krishna and with her both
hands smears his cheeks with ‘gulal’. Radha’s is a strong team. At
least four of her ‘sakhis’ simultaneously shoot at Krishna colours
from their pipes, one discharges a bust of ‘gulal’, another is
readying her pipe for new offensive, two of them are rushing with
trays of ‘gulal’ and many others come forward with trumpets, drums and
other instruments and begin celebrating by blowing and beating them
the Radha’s victory over Krishna who she baffles. A sleek inner white
border with a creeper design with red flowers and green leaves
alternating, exactly like the inlaid marble courses in the Tajmahal
and many other Mughal buildings, distinguishes the main painting from
the outer border which is typical of Orissa.
This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.
Free Shipping. Delivered by 
to all international destinations within 3 to 5 days, fully insured.
Mastering the Ancient Technique: Exploring the Meticulous Creation of Pattachitra Paintings
The traditional Pattachitra is a scroll painting that is done on
cloth. This is revealed in the name; Pattachitra is a Sanskrit
term made from two words i.e. Patta meaning cloth and Chitra
meaning picture. The main subject of this painting is portraying
Hindu mythological narratives, scenes from religious texts, and
folktales. Pattachitra paintings are especially practiced in
eastern Indian states such as West Bengal and Odisha, and also in
some parts of Bangladesh. This art form is closely related to Shri
Jagannath and the tradition of the Vaishnava sect. It is believed
that Pattachitra art originated in the 11th century and the people
of Odisha practice it even today without any discrepancy. Bengalis
use these scroll paintings for ritual purposes (as a visual
device) during the performance of a song or Aarti.
Pattachitra paintings are characterized by creative and
traditional motifs/designs, decorative borders, and bright
colorful applications. The outline of the figure and motifs are
bold and sharp. Some common shapes and motifs seen in these
paintings are trees, flowers, leaves, elephants, and other
creatures. The artists of Odisha and Bengal still use the
traditional method of painting which gives a unique look to it
altogether.
1. Canvas is prepared
The process of painting a Pattachitra begins by preparing the
canvas (patta). Generally, cotton cloth is used for making the
canvas. The local artists dip the cotton cloth in a mixture of
tamarind seeds and water for a few days. The cloth is then taken
out and dried in the sun. Now natural gum is applied over it to
stick another layer of cotton cloth on it. Thus a thick layer of
cotton cloth is formed. This layered cotton is sun-dried and a
paste of chalk powder, tamarind, and gum is applied on both
sides. The surface of the cloth is then rubbed with two
different stones for smoothening and it is again dried. This
process gives the cloth a leathery finish and it is now ready to
be painted.
2. Natural colors are made using traditional method
The painters prepare and use vegetable and mineral colors for
application in the painting. White color is made from conch
shells, black is made by burning coconut shells, Hingula is used
for red color, Ramaraja for blue, and Haritala for yellow.
3. Colors are filled in
The artist now makes a double-lined border on all four sides of
the canvas. The local artists are so expert in painting that
they do not draw figures and motifs with pencil but directly
draw them with a brush. The paint brushes that the painters use
are made of the hair of domestic animals, a bunch of which is
tied to the end of a bamboo stick. The figures are now painted
with natural colors using the indigenous brushes. The outline is
thickened with black color.
4. Painting is given a finishing
Finally, the painting is varnished/glazed to protect it from any
damage and to get a glossy shine on the surface.
The making of a Pattachitra is laborious work and therefore, one
painting may sometimes take over a month to complete. Due to their
classical look, these paintings are admired by people from all
over the world. The artistic skills used in Pattachitra are passed
down from one generation to another and thus are preserved to
date.
