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Named after a place called Thanjavur
located in the southern part of India, Tanjore paintings evoke a sense
of pride as one cherishes the rich embellished colorful images rooted
deep in the Indian tradition. Tanjore paintings flourished in the 16th,
17th and the 18th century in Tanjavur, which was the capital city of the
Chola dynasty. Later, the Maratha princes, the Nayaks of Vijaynagar, the
Rajus of Tanjore and the Trichi and Naidus of Madurai patronized the
sacred art of Tanjore painting.
The uniqueness of Tanjore art lies in its decorative art form of various
Gods and Goddesses. These paintings are known for their embellishment
and adornment. They are decorated with gold, pearls, glass pieces and
precious and semi-precious stones which gives them a three dimensional
effect. This is what makes Tanjore paintings look so grand and elegant!
Tanjore art flourished at a time when many temples were being built all
across the country because of which one will see the depiction of
various deities including Lord Krishna and many events in his life, Lord
Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati, Goddess Laxmi and Lord Vishnu. The
old Tanjore paintings had round divine faces of the Lord which has
changed in the recent times. Today, the figures are no longer round and
the paintings too depict new forms. Also, the art has undergone change
in terms of the raw material used.
Tanjore paintings are of various sizes, ranging from huge whole
paintings to small miniatures pieces. Originally, to make a Tanjore
painting, the wood of Jackfruit tree was used over which a layer of
cloth was pasted with gum. The cloth was then coated evenly with some
limestone and was left to dry. This was the canvas over which the artist
would sketch and paint. Today, most people use plywood to make their
canvasses. Colors like red and green are used for the background while
dark brown is usually used for outlining the picture. Blue, white and
yellow are used for embellishing the divine figures used in the
painting. All said and done, Tanjore paintings are absolutely
breath-taking.
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