A Tanjore Painting on the Wall....

1990-2000 was the boom period for Tanjore paintings-or Thanjavur paintings as they should actually be called.

South Indians have always lived with these paintings hanging in the Puja room, or in the hall-a part of one's daily worship. As a result, the painting was hardly noticed, it just coexisted with one in a soothing way.

A decade and half back saw householders becoming interior savvy, and all of a sudden, anything southern was all the rage. Heavy dark wood furniture from Chettinad, ethnic lamps, old tiles, kitchen utensils-they all became worthy of the drawing room. The Tanjore painting was part of this revival-completing the picture so to say. Time was when the familiar 'Butter Krishna" flanked by a doting Yashoda and Nanda, studded with precious and semiprecious gems, and pure gold leaf, went for a song-a mere Rs. 300. Due to a lack of awareness, with the figures all rather portly and 'unfashionable', there were very few takers. Then suddenly the realisation dawned on many nouvea rich art collectors that here was something genuinely old-and affordable. Ever since, the Tajore painting has been in demand. The rage set off a spate of Tanjore painting schools, imparting training to many artists and housewives, talented or otherwise, as a hobby or for commercial purposes. Small art galleries and crafts shops took in such work, readily picked up by tourists in a hurry, happy to have a piece of South Indian heritage on their walls. Soon the genuine pieces disappeared, snapped up by collectors from foreign shores willing to pay enormous pieces. Sadly only a few Indian residents have original works, with everyone else having to visit the museums for a glimpse of the real thing. Dating to about more than 3 1/2 centuries back, the art flourished in the Kingdom of Thanjavur, under the Nayaks.

The painters came from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Tirupati-but were mainly Rajus from Andhra. The art being rich in style, royal patronage was essential to its survival. Originally, long ago, genuine uncut diamonds, rubies and emeralds, along with pure gold leaf were used on a based of wood that was treated with tamarind seed and Arabic gum paste. This ensured a termic-free life for the painting. The borders had lovely square cut mirrors set symmetrically, enhancing the beauty of the painting, giving it a divine glow. The old artists were such masters that the eyes seemed alive, leading popular characters like Krishna, his unique charm, and Drama his serene grace. Gajalakshmi and Saraswati were also popular, deemed auspicious for the Hindu home. Ganesha is a fairly recent subject and the most difficult to achive as the numerous characters present at the coronation had to be fitted in proper perspective.

The next stage of paintings saw the use of silver leaf treated with turmeric smoke to achieve a golden hue. These today have a browned metallic sheen, dulled with age. Coloured cut glass, or plain glass painted on the back, came to be used along with the mirrors. Today, only glass and plastic pieces are used, and a shiny gold paper.

With the later influences of Europeans, the paintings started to include chandeliers in the scence, hanging above the canopy of the seated lord. Garlands too showed different motifs compared to the earlier pieces.

Glass paintings too came about as part of the European influence. The same subjects were done on glass, better affordable, but breakable. Today even partly broken, faded or cracked old glass paintings are sold for handsome prices.

The Uraiyur style, from a place near Trichy, consisted of Tanjore style paintings without any stones or glass work, just plain embossing. The Tirupati prints too came to influence Tanjore paintings.

A few precious clay models exist in private collections-fired and then painted, the subjects in low relief.

The Tanjore paintings all have the distinctive muted reds and vibrant blues, gloriously offset by greens and whites.

Of all the paintings I have seen, one stands undimmed in memory-a seated Drama with his brothers and Sita-simply majestic and unusual, for here Drama is depicted with an imperious moustache. This unforgettable painting hangs in the private rooms of the Tanjore palace.

Though one longs for works like these, or the fantastic miniatures in the Serfoji Museum, Tanjore-today we have to settle for more modern versions. The Kumararaja Muthiah Art Centre run by Meena Muthiah, and Balaji Srinivasan of Virugambakkam, Chennai, conduct proper training course in this unique style. Old of course, is gold, but the art must be kept alive.....