This painting here is my first Tanjore painting.
Tanjore painting is an infamous 16thcentury traditional art style
that originates from Tanjavur a town in south India, yes the same place that’s
famous for 1000 year old brihadeeshwarar temple, built by
king Raja Raja Chola – I. I’ve spent most of my childhood at Karaikal (2 hrs
away from Tanjavur) thus have had the opportunities to visit the place several
times. I used to love the paintings on the temple walls, painted in this art
technique. Actually they were a little dim and worn out, yet bore the antique
charm. This art form mostly involving Hindu gods is used for worshiping as well
as decorative purposes in offices, hotels and houses as it adds an authentic
and rich look. My teacher told me that it is also a very prestigious possession
hence transferred from one generation to another similar to ancestral property.
For me, I love the intricate details in the traditional painting especially the
faces, so chubby with sparkly smile and twinkly expressive eyes. More over the
stones, embossing and decoration with gold foil makes the art look divine. It
is a very laborious and time consuming work to do but is worth the effort as I
really enjoyed learning and making it. Sure to make some more and as for this
one I’m planning to frame it and then straight it goes into my pooja room.
