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Table of Contents • About Us • Introduction • Mythology • Material Used • Process of Mysore Painting • Motifs • Contemporary Adaptations • Additional References • Image Source
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About Us CraftCanvas is a link between rural artisan communities and the urban customer, translating an ages old craft into something that is relevant today. It is based on the idea of contemporizing Indian Handicrafts through a common platform and canvas where stake holders of the craft community like artisans, designers, craft practitioners, etc can come together to create unique products and experiences suited to modern day living. India has a rich handicraft heritage and we owe this to generations of artisans who have blended tradition, religion, social norms and functionality to bring craft where it is today. However, there has been a significant shift in sensibilities of present-day craft patrons thereby highlighting a need for Handicrafts to adapt to these changes. We believe that there is a place for India’s traditional crafts even in the most modern of spaces and this process of evolution is what CraftCanvas facilitates. Handicraft patrons like you can express your requirements ranging from wall murals, soft furnishings, paintings, furniture and lighting among many others. Our team will assist you in transforming their ideas and aesthetic preferences to final products with a high level of artistry. On the other end, we are constantly forming collaborations between the craft and design community through which an interesting blend of experiences and products are developed. Working with designers, traditional artisans are trained to adapt to this new design scenario. For designers, it gives them an opportunity to create solutions that embody the essence of the craft. Subsequently, these innovations are marketed by CraftCanvas through channels like online store, workshops, exhibitions etc. Please feel free to browse through our site for specific information on our various initiatives and we look forward to welcoming you to our world of crafts.
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Introduction
Mysore Painting depicting Krishna with his eight principal wives
Mysore painting is an important form of classical South Indian painting that originated in and around the town of Mysore in Karnataka, encouraged and nurtured by the Mysore rulers in the 17th and 18th centuries. This form of painting was at its zenith during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Traditional Mysore Painting was normally done on paper pasted on cloth or wood. After the sketch was made, a distinctive relief work called gesso was done in the areas where jewellery and other ornamentations were to be painted. Gesso was done to enhance these areas. These areas were later covered with 24 carat gold leaf and then the painting was given the final touches.
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Mythology
Painted ceiling, Virupaksha temple, Hampi, 15th century
The paintings evolved as a refinement of the old Vijayanagar School as is evident from the art forms in the ceiling of the Sri Virupaksha temple at Hampi in Bellary district. In 1565 after the Vijayanagar empire fell, it came to be called the Mysore school of painting. Raja Wodeyar rehabilitated the families of painters who were in distress after the fall of Vijayanagar Empire. The successors of Raja Wodeyar namely Ranadhira Kantheerava Narasimharaja Wodeyar and Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar patronized art by getting the various temples painted with deities and mythological scenes. But the consequent wars between Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan and the British led to loss of these treasures. The Mysore style was again revived in early years of the 19th century under Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (17991868). Some of the most beautiful and refined work was produced during his rule as the king himself took a very keen and personal interest in the art of painting. The illustrations in the manuscript of the famous cultural encyclopedia 'Sri Tattva-nidhi' are examples of the king's sophisticated taste and patronage.
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Materials Used
Tools and materials used
In the traditional Mysore paintings, all the inputs like brushes, paints, board, gold foil, etc. were made by the artists themselves. Brushes The brushes were made of different materials, like squirrel hair, camel hair, goat hair, etc. Even today the artists prefer squirrel haired brush instead of synthetic brushes because they are more durable and refined. Some artists use a plucker to remove the excess of gold foil. Colours used The sketches were made with the help of charcoal, which was prepared by burning tamarind twigs in an iron tube. Variation exists in the procedure of mixing colors. Some artists use ceramic tiles for better mixing of colors. For the background colors, they use small dishes and coconut shells. The basic colors that we can see in any Mysore painting are primary colors: Red, Green and Blue. Earlier the colours used were made out of natural resources and were very few like green, blue, yellow, red, black and white. Colours were extracted from vegetables leaves and flowers. Earth colours were also used to a large extent. Colour preparation was an interesting process in which the artists themselves were involved. For instance green was made from lemon juice, which www.craftcanvas.com
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was filled in a copper container and buried for a few days, and allowed to turn into green. Nowadays, they source readily available colors in granular form and use it by mixing water. In case of poster colors, they remove the excess oil from the top to achieve matte finish. The process of making Arabic gum involves the artist getting it in a granular form and then dipping it in water overnight and then filtering it using a muslin cloth.
Process of Mysore Painting Preparation of pigments
Preparation of base Earlier to make a base for painting, artists pasted 10-20 layers of newspaper, on which they pasted the drawing sheet over which they apply the paste of refined flour (maida). Now days, artists have changed the technique of using the base. They use mount board, over which they paste ivory sheet or cartridge sheet and start the painting.
Working on the painting • The first step requires the artist to make a preliminary sketch of the image on the base. • Thereafter, he makes a paste of zinc oxide and Arabic gum, known as 'gesso paste'. This paste is used to give a slightly raised effect of carving to those parts of the painting that require embellishments and is allowed to dry. The artist does two coatings of this paste to make a proper raised surface. • Then, gold foil is pasted onto the surface, using Arabic gum. Nowadays fevicol is used in place of gum. Some artists apply varnish after gesso paste so as to avoid cracking of gold foil in future. They leave the gold foil to dry for 6-8 hours, after which they use brush to remove the excess gold. Some use cotton in place of brush. Since it is gold foil, which is very expensive, they use the left out gold foil on some other surfaces of painting. • The rest of the painting is prepared with the help of water colors. Initially they used natural dyes, which were replaced by synthetic poster colors and water colors in modern times. www.craftcanvas.com
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• They complete the painting in two coats. Starting with one color, the artist applies the same color in the painting where ever it is needed. In the place of gold, they apply yellow color and later on cover it with slightly thick layer of gesso paste. Gold foil is pasted on top of this • Using a mixture of black Indian ink and poster color, an intricate design is drawn on the gold foil to reduce the glossy effect. • After the painting is fully dried, it is covered with a thin paper and rubbed lightly with a smooth soft stone. There are three types of paintings: • Paintings with plain gold foil without embossing • Paintings with embossing • MakkiSafeda Work: firstly the base color is painted, thereafter shades of white color (zinc oxide: super white) is applied. Border is compulsory in every painting; done in black and yellow color prominently. The artist highlights the main figures in yellow color mainly to differentiate it from the background.
Motifs
One of the theme of Mysore Paintings
In Mysore style of paintings the most popular themes are Goddess Rajarajeshwari and Sri Rama Pattabhishekam, Kodandarama, Dashavathara, Chamundeshwari apart from Lakshmi and Saraswathi, the coronation of Sri Rama (Rama pattabhisheka), wedding of Shiva and Parvati (Girijakalyana), Sri Rama with bow and arrows (Kodanda-Rama), Sri Krishna with his foster mother (YashodaKrishna) and the goddess Chamundeshwari, the family deity of the Mysore royal house. Occasionally portraits of the king and his family were painted. 19th century Mysore artists created paintings of Hindu Myths, Gods and epic heroes as well as scenes of court life and battle. Though the subjects were religious and mythological, the models were from real life.�.
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The figures have features like rounded face , fish shaped eyes, round protruded chin, typical Mysore royal hairdo and drapping style in sarees, turbans and depiction of royal jewellery. They depict sugarcane as bow and arrow in the pictures of Raja - Rajeshwari. The foot of the Goddess is placed on a flower in order to show respect. And the architectural backgrounds of many paintings are faithful copies of the architectural features of the Mysore palace. There are many paintings in which the subjects they have shown are based on shlokas that are mentioned in the book named “Devatahanama kusumamanjari” written by the king of Mysore, Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar. “Krishna Sakhis” is the example of painting in which the backside of the figure is shown. Another example “Mantramayi Rama” where the artist has made the figure of Shri Rama, in which they have made the outline by writing Rama in Kannada. Schematic themes of Tirupati, Sringapatna, Kanchipuram, Srikakulam, Kalhasti etc. provided the base for the paintings in earlier times.
Contemporary Adaptations
Ashtamangala (Welcoming icons), Bangalore International Airport by Siddhartha Das
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Additional References
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http://www.dsource.in/resource/mysore-painting/introduction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_painting http://www.cohands.in/handmadepages/pdf/367.pdf http://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/mysore-painting-13451887161
Image Source • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_painting#/media/File:Mysore_Painting. jpg • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_painting#/media/File:Mysore_painting.j pg • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_painting#/media/File:Vijaynagara_Pain ting.jpg • http://www.dsource.in/resource/mysore-painting/subjects-and-techniques • http://www.dsource.in/resource/mysore-painting/mysore-painting-process
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