" MASTER INDIAN FOLK ARTISTS"

                                            PATTACHITRA  Paintings

                                                                           by

                                         Rabindra Nath Sahu

                            Dilip Kumar Maharana

                             Pranab Narayan Das

India is blessed to have such a rich tradition of folk art from different parts of the country . We are even more lucky that these traditional art forms have not been allowed to die, and have been revived , nutured, encouraged and exposed by several organisaions, most notably by Paramparik Karigar . I have been involved with Paramparik Karigar since its inception and seen first hand the amazing work they do .

These wonderful people have really worked hard and hand picked the master artists, who have raised their art to a level, where it can now be considered as fine art . These are mere labels, but when you see the dedication, fineness and love that is pured into these paintings, you understand what " art " is truly about .  

JAMAAT is proud to host shows of these master folk artists . They deserve better exposure to show their fine work, and from 15th September onwards till early December ' 09, we will be doing 4 shows of different folk art forms painted by these master folk artists .

PATTACHITRA PAINTING

BYRABINDR NATH SAHU, DILIP KUMAR MAHARANA,

     PRANAB NARAYAN DAS

3rd November ' 09 to 23rd November ' 09

This is a fascinating art form of Orissa and has a tradition that goes back many centuries. Soaked in Puranic culture and classcial romances, with vibrant colours, superbe craftsmanship and simplistic designs. Pattachitra has become a distinctive art form which has caputred the imagination of both artists and art-lovers. The style of these pattas paintings resemble old murals from the Kandagiri, Udaigiri and Sitabhinji that date back to the 5th Century.

Pattachitra is derived from the Sanskrit word Patta, meaning vastra or cloth, and chitra means painting. Hence, Pattachitra are paintings on cloth. They evolved , were nourished and flourished mainly under the cult of Lord Jagannath and around the religious centres of Puri, Bhubaneshwar and Konarak. Therefore the Pattachitra paintings of Orissa, are considered to be as old as the construction of the temple of Lord Jagganath. Since the paintings have the their origin in the Jagannath temple, the triad and the great cult have always been the main theme of the pattas. Lord Jagganath is shown as Maha Vishnu and the way of worship is mainly in the Vaisnavite tradition. Therefore, the themes of the traditional Pattachitra are always the mystical stories from the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharat, including that of Lord Jagannath, their perennial source of inspiration.

Pattachitra paintings are prepared by traditional Chitrakars. They have to follow some rituals and austerities while working on these paintings. The techniquie to prepare the pattas or canvas for paintings is very interesting. This is done using old Dhoti cloth and layering it with a mixture of tamarind seed gum and chalk, or powered clay-stone, which gives it a smooth finish. Two to three coats of this mixture is applied on both sides and allowed to dry. After that, the patta is cut to the required size. After cutting, it is then polished first with a rough stone and then with a smooth pebble, which takes a long time. This preparation of the patta, is done by the women of the chitrakars' families. Finally over this polished cloth, which is off white in colour, the paintings are done.

The colour used are bright and primarily white, red, blue, yellow, green and black and the technicality of getting the colours are quite complex. Red is used predominantly for the background . The colours are made from natural ingredients. The finest brushes are made from mouse hair. The theme is first skreched with a pencil, outlined with a brush using white colour and then then body colours are added. The painting is finally covered with a coat of lac so it endures and looks refined.

RABINDRA NATH SAHU

Rabindra was born in 1960. He studied Patta painting at the Handicrafts design and Training institute in Bhubaneshwar . Later he was asked to design many craft development and educational projects all around India. Rabindra has published several books about the arts and crafts of Orissa. He is an advisory member of ORUPA, a founder secretary of ADARSHA and a member of the Kalinga Shilpi Mahasangha. Rabindra has received several awards including the National Award (1994), the State Award (1987), the Orissa Lalit Kala Academy Award (1989). He has participated in many exhibitions and workshops in India and USA.

DILIP KUMAR MAHARANA

He was born in 1972 and learnt the art of Pattachitra from his father, Guru Arjun Maharana, a National Award winner. Dilip started learning painting from the age of 12. His family has been making pattas for many generations. Traditionally the duty of the Maharana families has been to paint divine images on the Jagganath temple in Puri every year. They still follow this tradition, but for devotees, pilgrims, art lovers. Dilip has participated in many art exhibitions and demonstrations.

PRANAB NARAYAN DAS

Born in 1977, Pranab lives in a village called Dandasahi near the holy city of Puri with the imposing sacred temple of Lord Jagannath. He started learning to paint at the age of 10 years under him. He has participated in various craft exhibitions and besides the beautiful paintings, he also paints wooden boxes often used as dowry boxes for weddings.

Traditionally, the Mahapatras are carvers of wooden images and the Das community are weavers of cloth used to cover these images, while the Maharanas painted the images of Lord Jagannath in the temples or later even restored them. 

Do come and see these master artists and their exquisite rendition of our folk art .

Gallery hours 11 am to 7 pm [ except Sundays ]

 Pravina Mecklai