PEER REVIEW PAPER
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REJUVENATING FOLK PAINTINGS ON TEXTILE PRODUCTS: A REVIEW NIKITA SACHWANI Guest Faculty, Department of Garment Production and Export Management, Government Arts Girls College, Kota Abstract India is a diverse country with a vast range of art forms and cultures which serve as a unique identification for the area of their origin. These together contribute to the rich heritage of this country. This study titled “Rejuvenating Folk Paintings on Textile Products: A Review” is an attempt to bring together various efforts made by entrepreneurs, researchers, academic institutes, designers, organizations and craftsmen of this country to bring back Indian folk painting to life through their application on textiles/ textile products. Work done during the last five years (2016-2020) has been reviewed and discussed. The aim of this study is to help and provide necessary inputs related to past work done in this field. This is expected to be beneficial for textile revivalists, designers, students and all those who are working or are willing to work for the revival of folk paintings of India by applying them on different media and product diversification. Keywords: Heritage, rejuvenating, craftsmen, product diversification, designers, entrepreneurs. Introduction India is a land of diversity, a fact that is blatantly visible in people, culture, and climate of this nation. “This country has hundreds of ethnic groups scattered from north to south and east to west, each with its own art form representing its taste, needs, aspirations, aims, joys, sorrows and struggles”. “With regional peculiarities, nature around and a different pattern of daytoday life apart, their art reveals each group’s ethnic distinction and creative talent” [1]. Along with adding richness
to heritage of India, these art forms have fascinated people all over the world. Warli Paintings of Maharashtra are creative expression of the women of a tribe known as Warli. The name of this painting is dedicated to this tribe. These paintings are a picturization of daily life. Scenes in these paintings include animals, birds, humans in their daily activities, celebrations, hunting etc. These paintings are expressed by these words- “Painted white on mud walls, they are pretty close to pre-historic cave paintings in execution and usually depict scenes of human figures” [2]. Another bold and colourful expression of the feminine creativity is the Madhubani Painting of Bihar which is also named as of Mithila Art due to its roots in the Mithila region of Bihar. Originally painted on mud walls, motifs of hindu deities like Devi Durga, Devi Saraswati and Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Krishna, Tulsi plant, Moon and Sun, wedding processions and rituals etc. are depicted using mineral pigment colours. Geometric shapes eg: fine lines are used for the purpose of filling. Aipan paintings of Kumaon region is a ritualistic folk art, is believed to provide protection from the evil. Events like festivals, auspicious occasions and even death rituals are prominently expressed in white colour (cooked rice paste) in this painting. Floor and walls of the houses serve as the canvas for this art. Red ochre mud called ‘Geru’ in local language is coated to provide a background. Phad painting of Rajasthan is done on cloth depicting local deities and sto-
ries, and the legends of local rulers. It is a type of scroll painting made using bright and subtle colours. The outline of paintings are first drawn using blocks and later on filled with colours. These paintings are often carried from place to place by the traditional singers, who narrate the various themes depicted on scrolls. Along with Phad, Rajasthan is also known for its elaborate, highly intricate and refined, Pichwai paintings. They are used as backdrops in the famous Shrinathji Temple at Nathdwara. Their main theme is Shrinathji and his miraculous stories [3]. Gond community is famous for their unique style of painting which is famous by the name of Gond paintings. These paintings feature the relation of nature and its connection to humans on the walls and floors of the buildings of this tribe. “It is done with the construction and re- construction of each and every house, with local colors and materials like charcoal, coloured soil, plant sap, leaves, cow dung, limestone powder, etc. The images are tattoos or minimalist human and animal forms” [4] [5]. According to the beliefs of the tribal people, these paintings attract good luck, so they used to paint these on their walls and floors. This artwork was also very skilfully used by the Gond tribe to record their history. Rogan Paintings, an art form used for painting textiles in the Kutch district (Gujarat), declined in the latter half of the 20th century. This is now mastered and practiced by only 2 families of Kutch. “In this craft, paint made from boiled oil and vegetable dyes is laid down on fabric using either a metal block (printing) or a stylus (painting)”[6].
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