Even though Thanjavur was not the birthplace of these paintings ,this style of paintings developed during the Maratha rulers of Tanjore (Thanjavur)between the 16th and 18th century.
The paintings at that time were rooted in tradition , innovation was limited and the art was a sacred piece of art
The technique of these paintings was shrouded in mystery because the artists kept it a close secret , but as years passed by and with the declining patronage from the Kings and rulers and with work hard to come by they were forced to relent and the technique used by them spread to others. In an attempt to revive this dying art the artists have developed techniques where easily available materials have been replaced with the ones used centuries ago.
Earlier the base of this painting was from jackfruit tree where as today we use ply-board.
Earlier paintings were embedded with real diamonds , rubies & precious stones.Now the gem stones are replaced with semiprecious and artificial stones like jaipur glass stones
The old artists restricted their themes only to divine figures.But today we use all types of subject from rajasthani to Buddhist figures.
Artists used to mix their own natural vegetable colors for painting.Whereas at present we make use of the chemical paints which is widely available in the market to give the painting a better shade and contrast .
Earlier the painting would consist of the figures which were with well rounded body and with almond shaped eyes but nowadays the figures being round is not strictly followed.
The presiding dieties of various temples are also being depicted today.
The Characteristic of earlier Tanjore painting were its brilliant colors scheme ,decorative jewellery ,fortunately these are maintained even today in the depiction of these paintings.
Themes are also varied according to the taste of the creator.however they are still plump having chubby cheeks!
Hope this post inspires
Cheers
Last week I received "Creative Blogger" award from suganthi.Whatever I speak of her work will fall short of words, one should make a visit to her blog to marvel her creations.Thankyou suganthi for your lovely award!
I would like to pass on this award to my blogger friends
Usha shantaram(extraordinarily gifted lady)
http://usettyblog.blogspot.com/
Mona Jain
http://monartstudio.blogspot.com
Bhavana Kesarkar
http://blendingartandcraft.blogspot.com/
Shobana Ramanan
http://varnam-addcolortolife.blogspot.com/
Swathi
http://candycraft.blogspot.com/
Nithyakalyani
http://nityakalyani-kalmat.blogspot.com/
Oh Thank You for so much of informaton. I have always been intrigued by Tanjore paintings and wanted to try one.Do you make the embossed base yourself?
ReplyDeleteThank You
Sonia
very informative post.. the paintings are just beautiful.. and thank you for considering me for the award.
ReplyDeleteThey all look fabulous. I love reading your posts they are so very inspiring and informative.
ReplyDeletenice intro to the ancient art, its history and its current status and changes that have come into it.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful painting with nice info.I always wanted to try one,but never got a chance.will see in future.thanks much for considering me for the award.You made my day.
ReplyDeletecongrats paintings are super
ReplyDeleteLovely paintings- I adore this craft because the eyes in most of the paintings talk a lot
ReplyDeletecongrats...amazing paintings...love ur blog and ur works...
ReplyDeleteLoved reading abt the tanjore paintings! Nice write-up!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on ur award! :)
Dear Anandhirajan
ReplyDeletePlease drop by my blog and accept an award from me
Love,
Sonia
http://cardsandschoolprojects.blogspot.com
Hi.. All the paintings are really superb.. I am glad that I found your blog.. Good works
ReplyDeletehttp://merlyn-fineartgallery.blogspot.com/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSignifying grandeur with godly features in an accentuating canvas, Tanjore paintings are well known for scintillating charm. They are deeply rooted in religion, culture as well as tradition, showing attractive postures of various gods, such as Vishnu-Lakhmi, Ganesh, Shiva -Parvati and Lord Krishna with Radha and even Gopis.
ReplyDelete