Tanjore Paintings

Tanjore painting

Tanjore Painting is an art-form that was developed in a South Indian town called Tanjore the capital city of the Chola dynasty, encouraged by it's Maratha rulers of the 17th century. The same art form was patronized in Mysore by King Krishnarajendra Wodeyar. This is a unique art-form where precious stones and gold foils were used. Tanjore paintings were initially used to depict Hindu Gods and Goddesses in grandeur. Mostly the figures in these paintings are large and the faces are round and divine.

Technique

Making a Tanjore painting involves many stages. First the artist makes a preliminary sketch of the image on the base, which is a piece of cloth pasted onto wood. Then chalk powder or zinc oxide is mixed with water-soluble adhesive and applied on the base. Sometimes a mild abrasive is used to make the base smoother. After the drawing is made, the jewellery and apparel in the image are decorated with semi-precious stones known as Jaipur stones. Lace or thread is also used to decorate the jewellery. A mixture called "muk" is prepared using chalk powder and African gum in a ratio of 2:1. The muk is applied in places around the stones and other areas to give an embossed look.

Theme Of Tanjore Painting

The paintings are mostly of Gods and Goddesses because this art of painting flourished at a time when fine-looking and striking temples were being constructed by rulers of several dynasties. The figures in these paintings are large and the faces are round and divine. While most of the paintings would depict the Child Krishna and his various pranks, paintings of other deities were also created. Over a period of time changes have occurred in the stylization - for example, the figures are no longer round. Presiding deities of various famous temples are also being depicted in the paintings. The technique is now more in use than the style.

Tanjore painting

Tanjore Painting is an art-form that was developed in a South Indian town called Tanjore the capital city of the Chola dynasty, encouraged by it's Maratha rulers of the 17th century. The same art form was patronized in Mysore by King Krishnarajendra Wodeyar. This is a unique art-form where precious stones and gold foils were used. Tanjore paintings were initially used to depict Hindu Gods and Goddesses in grandeur. Mostly the figures in these paintings are large and the faces are round and divine.

Technique

Making a Tanjore painting involves many stages. First the artist makes a preliminary sketch of the image on the base, which is a piece of cloth pasted onto wood. Then chalk powder or zinc oxide is mixed with water-soluble adhesive and applied on the base. Sometimes a mild abrasive is used to make the base smoother. After the drawing is made, the jewellery and apparel in the image are decorated with semi-precious stones known as Jaipur stones. Lace or thread is also used to decorate the jewellery. A mixture called "muk" is prepared using chalk powder and African gum in a ratio of 2:1. The muk is applied in places around the stones and other areas to give an embossed look.

Theme Of Tanjore Painting

The paintings are mostly of Gods and Goddesses because this art of painting flourished at a time when fine-looking and striking temples were being constructed by rulers of several dynasties. The figures in these paintings are large and the faces are round and divine. While most of the paintings would depict the Child Krishna and his various pranks, paintings of other deities were also created. Over a period of time changes have occurred in the stylization - for example, the figures are no longer round. Presiding deities of various famous temples are also being depicted in the paintings. The technique is now more in use than the style.