PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION: GASTÉ IN INDIA : 1905-1910

The Great Mosque of Agra, (c) G. Gasté, circa 1906

A photo exhibition paying tribute to the people and the magic of India at the turn of the twentieth century through the works of Georges Gaste who was born in Paris in 1869 and died in Madurai, India in 1910 — this one's for photography enthusiasts and history buffs.

Over a century after Georges Gasté’s death in Madurai, the Institut français in India offers a new life to the photographic work of this French Orientalist painter.  The project  — GEORGES GASTÉ IN INDIA : 1905-1910 — comprises of 34 remarkable photographs taken by Georges Gasté during his sojourn in India in the first decade of the twentieth century. And they will be showcased at the National Gallery of Modern Arts in Bengaluru

Georges Gaste

 The artist as an inspired reporter captured the daily Indian life — religious scenes, celebrations, crowds and markets. The pictures are 'strong' in its narrative, which is as close to reality as possible. There's a depiction of pathos of human life in the frames. This could also be the reason why these photos still have contemporary relevance. 

The exhibition also showcases colour reproductions of his paintings and a few of the letters written by the artist. A documentary film on Gasté’s life will also be screened in the gallery.

Constant-Georges Gasté was born in Paris in 1869 and died in Madurai, India in 1910. Trained from the highly selective Ecole des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts) in Paris, Gasté was a noteworthy painter of his time. Reputed among the French Orientalist movement, which focused on foreign -especially Nothern African and Middle-Eastern- cultures, he received multiple awards at the Orientalist Salon in his lifetime. 

Pilgrims by the Ganges, Benares, (c) G. Gasté, circa 1906

Two retrospectives of his work were organized at the Grand Palais after his death, in 1911 and 1913. His most famous canvas, The Brahmins’ Bath, is conserved at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Following a trip to Northern India in 1905, he settled down in Madurai in 1908 where he breathed his last. In the nineteenth century, while the theme of the journey to the East was most often adopted as a way to excite the fantasies of a few Europeans, artists like Gasté refused to fuel this perception – certainly exotic and fascinating, yet far from reality. In addition to the remarkable composition and lighting effects, his work presents an ethnographic interest: due to the proximity between the painter and local populations, those photos narrate the everyday life in Agra, Benares, Delhi and Madurai at the turning point between two centuries.

Exhibition is on till 27th March at the National Gallery of Modern Art, 49, Palace Road, Manikyavelu Mansion, Bangalore 52. Phone: 080 22342338. Hours: 10 am to 5 pm

A Dancer and Musicians near the Pond of Teppakulam, Madurai (c) Georges Gasté, circa 1909

Sita's Terrace, (c) G. Gasté 1906

The Boatman and the Taj, (c) G. Gasté 1906

Unnamed

STUNNING EYE MAKEUP OR IS IT ART?

Anti-bullying. Words can be dangerous, use them wisely.
All photos in this post is courtesy of  Tal Peleg

She tells stories — about depression, dementia, bullying...and sometimes even classic tales like Snow White or the Little Red Riding Hood — using a bit of eye shadow, eyeliner and false eyelashes even.

Tal Peleg, a in-her-twenties make-up artist and graphic designer from Israel, uses eye-art (artistic makeup and illustrations on the eye) to give voice to issues that she cares about; and which capture her imagination.

Fruity eye

Tal, who has been painting from the time she could hold a brush, grew up a typical teenager loving make-up. She enrolled in a make-up school. But, she also loved art. So, after make-up school, she studied four "hard and demanding" years of visual communication. Then, the conundrum: "Should I become a full-time make-up artist or a graphic designer? I was confused," says Tal. In the end, she combined her passion for art and make-up — she became an eye-artist.

On Tal's deep-set sea-blue eyes, make-up — the capote of vanity — morphs into a medium for powerful narration. "I use make-up to express feelings," she says. Tal's canvas is small, delicate and difficult, but tells influential stories.

The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to

A young girl touched by Tal's eye-art — the one inspired by her grandma's illness — writes her a long email. "Her grandmother too was suffering from dementia," remembers Tal. "It is a good feeling. To know that make-up can influence people and touch them at a deep emotional level."

Tal at work

Eye art is difficult. Patience of saintly proportions is a pre-requisite. It takes Tal one to three hours and more to complete an image, depending on the complexity of a design. And she doesn't rest till the work is complete. "It is challenging sometimes to stay put in one place for hours and paint," says Tal.

She believes that "inspiration is everywhere — from fairytales to books, pretty flowers and favourite food." Or even things that she finds interesting and challenging. Like the story of Anne Frank or anti-bullying or manic depression.

She paints at least one image a week; photographs it and posts it on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (where she has thousands of followers) before washing it away. Her art is transient, but it initiates crucial discourse and remains in the realm of social consciousness long after the make-up flows down the drain. "This is my art," affirms Tal. However fleeting it might be. Her art tells universal stories.

Hope for a better future. Art created for cancer awareness campaign

The hills are alive with the Sound of Music

See Tal Peleg's work on Facebook.com/talpelegmakeup

Instagram.com/talpeleg

Twitter.com/talpeleg

WILLIAM PENN'S WORK OF ART

Ah, look what we found. PENS. Not just any pens, but sheer works of art. 

This is truly pushing new boundaries in hand-made writing instrument design.  The William Penn Store, (AP Limited Ediions in association with William Penn), has created six stunning Russian Lacquer art limited edition fountain pens dedicated to Hindu Gods — Shiva, Krishna Vishnu,Lakshmi, Ganesha and others. 

Russian Lacquer Miniature Art was developed in the early 1920s. The four villages of Fedoskino, Mstera, Kholuj and Palekh, are the centres for this iconic art, which blends European and Oriental traditions of lacquer miniature. The base material on which the painting is done is called Ebonite, a type of hardened rubber found in Japan which is 100% natural.

The pens are hand crafted and created over several months. Pricey? Yes. Priceless art? Definitely yes. 

The Dancing Ganesha

Popular Hindu God, the elephant-headed Ganesha is also known as the God of Wisdom. Invoked in his dancing form he is renowned as  the guarantor of success in all pursuits especially those related to the fine arts.

Writer's Edition Dancing Ganesha in Russian Palekh Miniature Art. Rs.2.75 lakhs.

The Divine Couple

Hindu God Vishnu and His consort, Goddess Lakshmi in a radiant Palekh depiction — The Couple resting on the legendary Sheshnaga, the 1000 headed serpent as they traverse the celestial waters of the Milky Way and the Eternal Cosmic Consciousness.He is known as the  Preserver of Life and She is known as the Goddess of wealth and prosperity.

Connoisseur’s Edition The Divine Couple. Rs.4.5 lakhs. 

The Divine Melodies

The art work depicts Krishna, the most revered of Indian Divinities. The Eighth incarnation of Vishnu —  playing the flute.

Connoisseur’s Edition The Divine Melodies. Rs. 4.5 lakhs

 The Blessings of the Lord

 This one is a tribute to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi. The duo is worshipped all over the world during Diwali. This is by done by artist Natasha Kurkina from the Palekh School of Art in Russia.

Connoisseur’s Edition    The Blessings of the Lord. Rs.4.5 lakhs

The Young Krishna 

Here Krishna is depicted in his childlike form. Growing up as a cowherd, He is considered the  embodiment of divine love and purity in all forms, thought included

Writer’s Edition Young Krishna. Rs. 2.75 lakhs

The Almighty Shiva

Known as  Mahadeva, the destroyer of evil, and a form of limitless energy, Shiva is often seen with the  Nandi, a strong, magnificent, white Bull. He is one of the most enigmatic Hindu Gods.

Connoisseur’s Edition    The Almighty Shiva. Rs. 4.75 lakhs

All the pens are limited editions and only nine pieces of each were made by William Penn, one of the world’s biggest multi-brand retail chains for premium and luxury fine writing instruments. At the William Penn Store (27 outlets in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and Kolkata) you will find around 20 of the world's best known brands of pens —  Sheaffer, Caran d’Ache, Lapis Bard, Lamy, Sailor and the likes. Check out their online store  www.williampenn.net

I HAVE AIDS — ADRIAN CHESSER'S PHOTOGRAPHY IS GROUND-BREAKING

Debbie, photographed by Adrian Chesser

Adrian Chesser was raised to be a Pentecostal preacher. Adrian Chesser discovered he was gay. Adrian Chesser was later diagnosed with AIDS. 
Adrian Chesser is a photographer. Now what?

That could easily be the preamble to the seminal photography project I have something to tell you by Adrian Chesser, who was born in 1965 and grew up in a small town in South Florida, USA. He studied the Bible, played the piano and spoke in 'tongues'. He learnt to cast out demons. He knew, as a gay man, he would be an outcast in this environment. "I left home at the first opportunity," recalls Chesser who grew up with deep-seated fears of rejection and abandonment.

His twenties became a "life that was unhinged from the grounding forces of family and home and was fuelled by alcohol, drugs and sex." He says photography gave this "brave new life" form and structure.

A friend gave Chesser a camera; he fell in love with light and image. In a closet under a stairwell, he taught himself

SHADOWS COME ALIVE

Prasanna Rao creating magic with his fingers. Photo courtesy: RMAC

All you need are the fingers on your hands — to create magic. That is if you are Prasanna Rao, the renowned shadowgrapher. Though the doyen of shadowgraphy bid adieu to this world in 2003, remanants of his work still lives on in the form of photographs. And you can see them at the Rangoli Metro Art Centre on MG Road where it will be exhibited from December 11, 2014.  

Prasanna’s love for shadows-on-the-wall began at a very young age. As a child, he used to fall sick often; he spent more time in bed than on the playgrounds kicking ball with his friends. In order to keep himself entertained in the sick bay, he would lie on his back and create shadows on the walls of his bedroom — dogs, cats, birds and so; apparently, they became his good friends. Soon, his ‘shadow games’ became something that everybody around him enjoyed. And when he went to Shantiniketan to pursue art is when he discovered his life’s passion to become a shadowgrapher.

He was famous for creating 'shadow portraits' on the wall

Prasanna then went to Czechoslovakia to research shadow puppets; he even worked on a TV show. He also worked in Paris for close to a decade. Soon, Prasanna became famous and began performing for people like Jawaharlal Nehru.  There was a time when he regaled audiences in a dark hall, from Germany to America, with a focus light that brought his shadow-figures alive.

Known as a man who saw the world around him differently, minutely and with great love, Prasanna was renowned for his‘shadow portraits’ of even complete strangers. Just like a portrait artist, he would study a person’s face then create a portrait on the wall using his fingers, light and shadows. Till the very end, Prasanna remained a creative man. Twisting his fingers to bring joy.

If you have the time, go check out the photography exhibition of shadowgraphy by Prasanna at The Rangoli Metro Art Centre, MG Road, Bangalore. From 11 am to 7.30 pm. From December 11 to 14. 

NEW ART WORKS OF 90-YEAR-OLD VETERAN ARTIST ON SHOW IN BANGALORE

It’s a riot of colors. Captivating. Mesmerising. You catch your breath and go beyond the hues, tints and shades. The connotations of the subject make you breathless again. Such is the power of K.G. Subramanyan’s works.

One of India’s most senior artists, Padmavibushan K.G. Subramanyan is affectionately known as "Mani Sir" or "Mani da" by his students and fellow artists. He turned 90 on Feb 5th 2014.  And now, 90 of his most recent paintings are being showcased via the exhibition New Works of K. G. Subramanyam at the National Gallery of Modern Arts (NGMA)

What can you say about a man who paints every single day -- on paper, board, canvas, reverse acrylic sheets and on terracotta plates. It doesn’t stop there for a man who is adept at using his hands to breathe life into any material. He makes wooden toys; sculpts in a variety of mediums; persuades terracotta to do his

FAMOUS PEOPLE GET A NEW 'LEAF' OF LIFE

While other kids played football, Omid Asadi would draw — with a needle, on the back of rose petals and leaves. People 'looked' at fallen leaves, Asadi 'saw' them. "For thousands of years apples fell from the trees and everybody 'looked at them', only Isaac Newton 'saw' them, because of which our life has changed forever," says thirty-five-year-old Asadi.

Asadi's intricate hand-cut leaf art is all a rage now. Last year his artworks were auctioned in Milan to raise funds to provide clean water in Tanzania. To this Manchester-based Iranian artist, leaves are representative of our "too short" lives. Hence he yearned to give the leaves "longer life" through art.

VERA BUGATTI'S 3D STREET ART

Raft of human rights

Bang in the middle of the asphalted street in Sarasota, USA, was the raft carrying Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, Gino Strada, Rigoberta Menchu and the young Malala, fighting a storm. They seemed real — almost! At a vantage point was a camera mounted on a tripod and a line of people snaking behind it; they were queuing up to see the historical figures — in 3D. Created by Italian street painter, Vera Bugatti, The raft of human rights was inspired by the 19th century French artist Theodore Gericault's work, Le Radeau de la Meduse.

Vera, born in Brescia, Italy, comes from the land of street painters or madonnaris (called so because of their practice of drawing images of the Madonna or Mother Mary). The 35-year-old artist has been painting the streets — of Italy, Netherlands, France, Germany, Ireland, Croatia, USA and Mexico — with captivating art for the last seven years, and winning numerous awards and prizes.

SAMANTHA LEE'S FOOD ART

Tweet birdie, tweet! Ingredients: Toast, cream cheese, strawberries,grapes or blueberry 

Samantha Lee, a Malaysian, was pregnant with her second child. It was December 2008. Her first born was 19 months old. Samantha's biggest dilemma was how to get her older child to eat independently after her baby sister arrives. Since mommy would be busy with the newborn. 

How do you make a child eat vegetables, rice, fish and other healthy foods that they usually hate — independently, voluntarily and happily? That's asking for the moon on a platter. Well, Samantha didn't ask for a moon....instead she created one — on a plate.

Samantha Lee

She began making attractive food art that told captivating stories. Her daughter was hooked. And to mommy's delight her two-year-old ate every last morsel on the plate. "Food art made her look forward to every meal," Samantha says. It made eating and family dinners "so much more fun". 

Until August 2011, Samantha's food art was a family affair. Then one day, Samantha clicked a photo of her art-on-the-plate and Instagrammed it. Bingo!
Fans came in droves and soon Samantha's hobby turned into a food-art series. Currently, she has more than 465,900 followers — a number that keeps growing by the 'plate'. 

Ingredients: Onigiri (ketchup + rice) and Nori (seasweed)

Cooking three meals a day, 365 days, till your child grows wings and flees the coup is an ongoing nightmare for any mother. For Samantha, it doesn't stop with cooking the meals alone, she also turns them into stories of people, places, animals and so on. She has created more than 450-500 plates of food art till now. The art appears on the table either during lunch or dinner atleast four times a week. "Can't do more than that," she quips. 

Bonjour

Samantha is constantly thinking about things like "What ingredients should I use? How should I present it? Can I give a twist to the tale? How to reduce wastage?" She first sketches her ideas, which is based on the contents in her fridge. This way, she says, she is organised and "does not waste food. The aim is to keep it healthy, simple and avoid wastage." She also keeps the drawing in front of her when she cooks the food. Samanth uses scissors, knife and a toothpick to create her food art. 

Michael Jackson. Ingredients: Onigiri, charcoal noodle, Nori, cheese and sesame seed for buttons

Her favourites? "Batman, Harry Potter, Wednesday Addam...and all my celebrity-food art." Her most challenging work so far? "Michael Jackson," she says. "He is the King of Pop. And there was tremendous pressure to get the essence of his spirit and a semblance of resemblance." She nailed it. It takes Samantha around one to one-and-half hours to create an art work. "And that includes cooking the meal right from scratch." She loves to work with rice, seaweed and vegetables. Rice makes for a good base, while seaweed is used to add details and vegetables come handy to make outfits. 

Snoopy's starry summer night. Ingredients: Onigiri (rice ball), Nori (seaweed) and cheese

Even as her children are growing up, Samantha's art is taking her on a different trail: She hopes to publish a cookbook with her food art soon, and promote positive parenting through workshops and "inspiring talks". 

Simpson: Ingredients — pancakes, blueberry, strawberry, cape gooseberry, choco chips for the eyes and choco icing for the lines.

Though Samantha's hard work results in fascinating art, it is ephemeral — gobbled up within minutes; disappearing into a dark hole, literally. But that's her prize, Samantha says. "The original purpose of food is to savour it. So I'm happy to see my daughters (who are now four and six years old) enjoy their food wholeheartedly." That's burpy-love for you. After all there is no love sincerer than the love of food.

SIMON BECK'S SNOW ART

Simon Beck. photo courtesy: SB

Once he created an art work the size of 10 soccer fields — that is 108 km; roughly the distance between Bangalore and somewhere close to Srirangapatnam. Simon Beck, 55, 'walked' hours on end, with a compass and some twine, to create this mammoth piece de art of geometrical patterns on a canvas of snow. His drawing instrument — a pair of snowshoes. The result was a spectacular creation that could be enjoyed only from a higher place — mountain top, chopper or a cable car.

The art work lasted for just a few days. Once, Beck did an extremely complicated design that took him an entire day. When he woke up the next morning, it had completely disappeared. 

Photo: Simon Beck

Simon's elaborate designs usually last till the next heavy snowfall. "Most people think I am a bit mad and it is a waste of good skiing time," he says. But most people are not artists. And all artists have a bit of 'crazy' in them; it's the cog that makes their creations astounding.

Simon's tryst with snow art began in 2004 "as a little fun". He took a compass, went to the snow covered lake outside his home and plotted five points. He joined them to make a star; filled the triangles and added some circles. The outcome was impressive. But fresh snowfall wiped away the design. So, Simon made another one — a 10-pointed star.

CLASSICS COME ALIVE — BOOK SCULPTURES

Pride and Prejudice

Jodi Harvey-Brown's book sculptures will make your jaw drop. Her Darcy and Elizabeth will make you want to read Pride and Prejudice again — for the umpteenth time. Tom Sawyer, Moby-Dick, Alice in her wonderland, the Old Man from the Old man and the sea and other such famous characters bound out of the pages of the very book that they occupy in words.

Three years ago, Pennsylvania-based Brown bought a box of old books from a yard sale. "One book in the bottom of the box had been crushed by the others," recalls the lover of old books. She started folding the pages to form a design. "Everything grew from there," says the self-taught book-sculptor. "It felt good to make something new from something that was ruined.

Book sculptures are depictions of a story made from the pages of that story. They can be created with the book as part of the sculpture or by taking the pages from the book and creating a free standing sculpture. They can be open or closed book sculptures.

3 STRIKING ARTWORKS OF A CHINESE ARTIST IN BANGALORE

Legendary international artist, Liu Bolin, also known as the Invisible Man, had come down from Beijing to participate in Art Bengaluru 2014.  He created some exclusive art works in the city for his celebrated 'Hiding in the city' series (You can read about Liu Bolin and his works here). 

Here's a look at the artworks he created in the city...

Liu Bolin's Auto Drivers of Bangalore: His art work featured 10 auto drivers from the city. It's aim: to shed light on the perpetual traffic issues, smoke and pollution in the city.

Liu Bolin's attempt to understand Indian society and the issues plaguing the girl child/woman. 

Bolin attempted to highlight numerous issues affecting the girl child/woman in India though this art work. The representation of a single girl child blending silently into the background while her classmates continue to enjoy their play-time in school, oblivious to her unhappy state of mind, is to emphasize the fact that there are many children/women who are facing horrific gender issues behind closed doors while society at large is unaware of their plight. While they continue to suffer silently, people around them go on with their lives.

Liu Bolin at work

 Liu Bolin's Hiding in the city series goes to the slums of Marathalli in Bangalore: Apparently, one of the first things that struck Bolin about India is the disparity between the rich and the poor here — Just like in China! The artist in him desired to express his sympathy towards the poor, which resulted in this particular art work.

The blue of the slum tents standing out against the backdrop of a high-rise construction behind, creating a distinctive contrast. Liu Bolin explains this artwork as: "The purpose was to blend these people into their background, at the same time emphasizing their presence by making them the subject of the work. The idea was to draw attention to them and give a wake up call to the more privileged members of society to come forward to do their bit to help give these people a better future."

Read about Liu Bolin and his work here

ARTISTS VILLAGE OF ORISSA — DANDASAHI

Art is everywhere. Even wedding invitations are painted on the walls of homes.

Dandasahi — it has an artistic lilt as it rolls out of your mouth. Apt!  Dandasahi is an artist’s village in Orissa. Lesser known than its famous cousin, the Raghuajpur artist village — the latter is prominent on the tourist-map of Orissa while Dandasahi is more of a dot on the map. 

Native art on the walls of an underpass. 

What's striking about Orissa, the land on the Eastern coast of India, is its natural beauty and ART. Native art follows you everywhere — starting from the airport arrivals. You cannot miss it. It is there on the walls of the underpass, on the sidewalks, on lanes and bylanes. People here seemed to have descended upon this earth with an extra artistic- gene. 

The wall outside Shilpa Guru Ananta Maharana's house

So, when I was told about Dandasahi, I wasn't surprised. An artist’s village conjures up images of pretty houses with painted flower boxes on the window sill, set in a beautifully laid-out environment — effects of Hollywood films! Unlike such stereotypical artist villages, which exist within a controlled-environment created by urban minds, Dandasahi is au naturel. It is a rudimentary village which is home to Pattachitra artists from eons — 12^th century or before to be precise. And it is a mere half-a-kilometer drive from Chandanpur near Puri; tucked in the midst of coconut grooves on the banks of the Bhargabi River.

The homes are not extravagant, but the art is

Narrow tarred roads flanked by trees, shrubs and small houses on either side lead to what is essentially a one-road Dandasahi village. There’s more vegetation here than houses and more goats than people — or at least that’s what it seemed like. Total population: 150

Colours used are made out of natural materials 

On the day I went to Dandasahi, it was raining. I don’t know whether the grey weather made the village seem cloaked in gloom or it was the coat of impoverishment worn by the village. The houses that speckle the village are small, dark one or two room tenements. There are no signs of opulence in any form — maybe a two-storeyed house, with a looming embellished wrought iron gate, here and there. But...you find a different form of richness — in abundance — here. ART. It peeks at you from every nook and cranny.

The homes are decorated with native art.

A two-storeyed house.
A rare sight in the village

Art is everywhere —  on the walls, windows, doors, floor, on the threshold, on the footsteps and any space that can be turned into a canvas. Every aspect of the people’s lives in this village revolve around art. For example, a walk down the lonely road will reveal homes that has just celebrated weddings. How do I know this? The wedding invitation is painted on the walls of the home — ‘so and so weds so and so’. I found it to be utterly charming — not to mention eco-friendly and artistic. People here breathe art the way we Bangaloreans breathe in pollution — it is a way of life for them. And it has been like this for hundreds of years for pattachitra artists’ living in this village. (Pattachitras are paintings on cotton, silk and palm leaves).

My first stop was at the thatched-roofed house of Ananta Maharana, the famous pattachitra artist and recipient of the Shilpa Guru award. The dimly lit room, an artist's workshop of sorts, is occupied by a battered wooden table covered with precious paintings in various stages of completion. It’s the artist’s table  — there were a couple of artists sitting 'on' the table and around it — bent over treated paper and drawing painstaking lines and circles with brushes dipped in paints made out of natural materials  — just like how their ancestors had done before. Nothing has changed much in Dandasahi since the 12^th century, except for the dim electric bulb hanging  overhead and the paved road outside the door; the technique used to create pattachitra today is the same as it had been hundreds of years ago.

Artist at work in Shilpa Guru Ananta Maharana's house

First, for the base of the painting, two cotton fabric pieces (“Used cotton saris are the best,” says Vikram Singh, grandson of Maharana) are prepared by coating it with glue made out of tamarind seeds and white chalk powder. This is allowed to dry for a few hours. Then it is coated again with soft white stone powder and tamarind gum. This gives the cloth tensile strength; it is then smoothened with round pebbles making the surface smooth and a semi-absorbent surface, allowing it to accept the paint. The paint is made out of natural materials — vegetables, earth and mineral sources. The colours used predominantly in pattachitra are are black, red, yellow and green. Black colour is obtained from the black of wick-burning lamps; yellow from haritali stone and red from the hingal stone. White colour is obtained by crushing, boiling and filtering shells. Earlier, the artists didn’t use pencil or charcoal for the preliminary drawings, but now some of them do. Still, most start by making a rough sketch directly with the brush using light red or yellow colour. The borders are painted first. The artist finishes the painting with fine strokes of black brush lines, giving the effect of pen work. Then the painting is held over a charcoal fire and lacquer is applied to the surface. This makes the painting water resistant and durable, besides giving it a glossy finish. The subject matter of the pattachitras are mostly religious, mythological, and folk themes. Krishna leela and Lord Jagannath are recurring motifs.

Shilpa Guru Ananta Maharana

The one-room workshop led to the residence of Maharana  — a humble tenement with a rich intricately painted doorway. Maharana, now well into his seventies, is a frail but extremely skilled man. Sitting in the corner of the room, framed by an artistically embellished window frame, he seemed to be weighed down by dreams unfulfilled.

The room was filled choc-a-block with pattachitras and painted wooden boxes, bottles, coconut shells and others. Maharana’s sons proudly displayed the traditionally painted playing cards or Ganjifa and Chitra-pothies, a collection of painted palm leaves stacked on top of each other and held together between painted wood covers by means of string. The theme was mostly mythological. The life of Krishna has been an inspiration to these artists for eons. They  never tire of showing the works to the visitors. And the guests can never tire of such artistic works. One can buy pattachitras directly from the artists in the village or one can go into town and buy rip-offs for a much lesser price. But even the rip-offs are beautiful. Such is the character of pattachitras.  

Mythology is a recurring theme in Pattachitras.

After spending some time at Maharana’s I walked down the street. Most of the homes are similar to Maharana’s, beautifully painted outer walls, thatched roof, intricately painted doors and window frames; beyond which is darkness punctured with flickering light and the men of the house bent over painting an ancient art. Women help in preparing the canvas, but it is the men who paint — women are not allowed to paint pattachitras. 

The women of Dandasahi 

A regular house in Dandasahi. See the painted walls and door frames

If the art was inspiring enough, the hospitality of the villagers was even more so. They readily open their doors and invite strangers in to share their legacy and livelihood — the patachitra, which is a way of life for them. The only life they know.