Tanjore painting is a kind of classical painting form that originated in the South Indian Kingdome of Tanjore. With further evolvement and refining, its style emerged in Madurai, Thanjore and eventually in Mysuru. Tanjore Painting differs from other forms of paintings with the application of richly textured Henna or Acrylic colour stains to canvas by using a technique called Beni.
What is Tanjore Painting?
Tanjore paintings are a combination of classical Indian and Indonesian painting, with the colors obtained through natural source rather than synthetically. The history is traced back to 12th century when Multani people from Sindh region migrated to Tanjore following the conquest of Muhammad ’Uttânzî by Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji. In 1902, the British took control of Tanjore and all traditional craftsmen were lost although many continue to be interested in this form today
The Artist And Different Castes
The community that paints the paintings are called asuris. Tanjore painting is a form of art from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu which depicts the scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Art in Tanjore
Tanjore was one of the most prosperous cities in Tamil Nadu. It developed a style seen as unique in India with its orderly fashion of painting. The figures were stylistically shaped, mannerly and active. Tanjore paintings were created on stone, metal, wood or pottery.
Differences between traditional and contemporary tanjore paintings
There are a few differences between traditional and contemporary tanjore paintings. The main difference is the usage of colors. Traditional painting is less decorative and more realistic than contemporary paintings, as it uses a limited color palette and has the emphasis on vivid symbolism which are mainly made from flowers representing happiness, chrysanthemum for victory in living and peony, symbolizing glamour, fragrance and modesty.
What the art means?
This post is going to go over what the art means. Tanjore paintings are a style of painting from India that dates back 800 years ago and it involved using powders, paints, and brushes on various surfaces.
Appreciating Tanjore paintings: A Unique Indian art form
Tanjore paintings are done on a dry palm leaf wide and narrow, using oil paint. The paintings have a variety of subjects such as gods and goddesses in Hindu temples, scenes from Hindu mythology or folklore, elephants and other animals, musical instruments, etc. Different colours of gold are used to depict sculptures in Hindu temples. Artists usually use two different techniques to do the paintings: wet on dry or dry on dry.
