KALAMKARI PAINTINGS -Andhra Pradesh

Dear Members,
These details of Kaamkari Paintings which are very popular in Andra Pradesh are worth to know being a old art of unique painting
KALAMKARI PAINTINGS

Kalamkari literally means, Kalam - pen & kari - work, i.e., art work done using a pen. Vegetable dyes are used to colour the designs applied on cloth. The art of painting using organic dyes on cloth was popular in several parts of India, but this style of Kalamkari flourished at Kalahasti (80 miles north of Chennai) and at Masulipatnam (200 miles east of Hyderabad). The Kalamkari tradition chiefly consists of scenes from Hindu mythology. Figures of deities with rich border embellishments were created for the temples. In Masulipatnam, the weavers were involved in the block printing art, while at Kalahasti, the Balojas (a caste involved in making bangles) took to this art. Owing to Muslim rule in Golconda, the Masulipatnam Kalamkari was influenced by Persian motifs & designs, widely adapted to suit their taste. The outlines and main features are done using hand carved blocks. The finer details are later done using the pen. Under the British rule the designs as well as the end use of the fabric differed - for garments as well as furnishings. During this period floral designs were popular. The artisans were made to create even portraits of English men. The Kalahasti tradition which developed in the temple region mostly concentrated on themes form Hindu mythology, epics (Ramayana, Mahabharatha), images of Gods and heroes. The artists use a bamboo or date palm stick pointed at one end with a bundle of fine hair attached to this pointed end to serve as the brush or pen.The dyes are obtained by extracting colours form parts of plants - roots, leaves along with mineral salts of iron, tin, copper, alum, etc., which are used as mordants. Karrupur is a style of Kalamkari that developed in the Thanjavur region during the Maratha rule. The Kalamkari work was a further embellishment to the gold brocade work in the woven fabric, which was used as sarees & dhotis by the royal family during the period of Raja Sarfoji and later Raja Shivaji. After independence of India, the Handicrafts Development Board took up the task of reviving this art, which had dwindled due to lack of buyers. The specialty is that the finished products are mellow. Bright colours are used but the finish is not gaudy. The fabric looks better and better with further washing, with the designs standing out even better against the background. Some patterns (sections of paintings)

Padma
Very nice article about kalamkari paintings. beautiful artwork too. infact i think henna designs are maybe copied from this kind of artwork too.thanks.

hi padma,

Nice article on kalamkari...yes..i love the bedspreads with these patterns.. but i wish they came in other colors also..

hi padma,

very informative article.thanx a lot.

raji.

hi padma ..nice to see ur post here about kalamkari arts..now it has been trend to do patchwork with these beautiful works on sareesn dresses..preferably old silk sarees..i had been to srikalahasti to get some ..n i have done one for my daughters chudi..

Wow Lakshmi garu,

Super chala bavunayee! Nice designs and neat work, thanks for sharing!

Hi chitti,

I am a kalamkari fan..........and also patch work crazy........

Ur work is as usual too good, I am not getting any words to praise.
Did u stitch the kurta on ur own? Did u do the patch work too on ur own?

hey, I too have a big patch work (I too got it in an exhibition those people had come from kalahasti) a big bird sitting in a branch

what to I do with that patch work?

prabha

thank u sunitha...
few more for my next project on sarees...
4th one i wont use on sarees as its the theme picture of sriram pattabhishekam...

hi prabha thank u..
if ur design is not framed u can use on sarees or dresses...
if the design is small u can use it on chudis..big means u better do on saree pallu...here the people add some more glitters like chamki or kundans..i feel its odd n dont match to the kalamkari work...so i prefer to do outline only..

Hello Lakshmigaru,

Chala baga vundandi! Saree finish chesina theraatha, pictures chupichandi! Just waiting :)

Regards
lilly