TANJORE PAINTING

TANJORE PAINTINGS


(India’s Arts and Culture is unique. It has place for every type of skill. To exhibit these skills there are various forums like Temples, Palaces, Art Galleries. There were Maharajas to patronize such arts. The famous Ravi Verma- the Master Artist came from Prince family of the then Travancore. Like wise Tanjore Paintings were encouraged by the kings- who ruled the Chola Nadu. Rich in color and colorful beads and ornaments these paintings find unique place in India’s heritage)


I was ignorant about the beauty and cost of Tanjore Painting. I used admire the paintings of Ravi Verma – whose paintings are Hindu Gods and Goddesses which we will keep in our pooja rooms or hang on the main halls. My Friend in Sri Lanka asked me to get one Tanjore Painting.


Thus started my acquaintance with Tanjore Paintings. I was guided to go to Srirangam
where I can see such paintings. I was able to locate the shops and came to know that there only very few people who knew the secrets of Tanjore Paintings. Original Tanjore Paintings cost Rs.6000 and upwards.


When my daughter wanted to get trained in Tanjore Painting – my interest and
knowledge about this unique art grew. I went in search of a Master who can teach this
Art. Finally I located one Mr.Ramanujam. Ramanujam has got lot of collections and also has done many paintings himself. I spent sometime with him. Elaborate preparations are required for this Art. Selection of base, cloth, conditioning of cloth, selection of drawings for sketch, selection of gum, selection of colors, beads and articles of jewelry to be pasted, gold foils etc forms the
main items.


He says that he has clients all over India and the demand for Tanjore Painting is growing. There is lot of foreign buyers. He says your creative mind can enhance the beauty of the painting. Educated girls and housewives can easily learn this art and can earn substantial amount in their sparetime.

My daughter admitted herself in the course. It took her one month to learn and came out with a painting- Lord Krishna along with gopies. That painting hangs on the walls in my house. There is good demand in countries like Sri-Lanka, Malaysia and USA for such types of Painting. Initial effort in procuring the materials may be time consuming but once you have all of them ready you can prepare 8-10 paintings in the course of one month. You can treat it as hobby or full-time job if you are serious. - The choice is yours.

The beauty of Tanjore Painting is it’s three-dimensional effect plus the liberal use ofcolored stones, pearls and beads. In olden days they were using vegetable colors but now they use postal colors. Gold foils are used for both painting and the frames.
You can see Tanjore Paintings in Tanjore Art Gallery or Srirangam Temple. In variably
in every house you can see atleast one Tanjore Painting. It is a prized possession.


Analysis:
I am emphasizing in this book that opportunities are unlimited in fields like Art, Culture, and Painting. Tanjore painting unlike other paintings is different and unique art. If anyone master the technique he or she can have a profitable career plus immense satisfaction in the creations.

· Unique artistry.
· Solid effect.
· Life presentation.
· Beautiful appeal.

R.Jagannathan