We went shopping for my nephew’s school art project recently, where he had to recreate the image in his art book – which happened to be the ancient art form of Kalamkari – on a canvas board. The task was simple and we came home loaded with the basic art supplies including a smart looking canvas board. Since the project also involved a write-up on the art we got researching, and what we learnt about Kalamkari enthralled us. Despite the simplicity of the tools used, the miniature detailing of the finished product was impressive. The canvas board purchased which we were proud of seemed to be pale in comparison to the “canvas” that Kalamkari painters worked on. But more on that later. Here’s what we discovered about Kalamkari art during our research.
What is Kalamkari?
Kalamkari is a style of intricate hand painting or block printing using natural material right from the brush to the colors to the cloth. Literally translated, Kalamkari is a combination of two words, i.e. kalam meaning pen, and kari meaning art. The pen is used for freehand drawings and for filling in the colors made of various natural material like flowers, vegetables, spices, leaves, minerals etc.
The almost 3000-year old art is believed to have originated in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, and has two broad styles namely Masulipatnam Kalamkari and Srikalahasti Kalamkari. History shows that Andhra Pradesh witnessed a boost in economic growth through trade due to Kalamkari fabrics. The geographic location of Andhra Pradesh worked in favor of Kalamkari artisans due to proximity to river water and to the hubs of cotton-producing regions.
The Srikalahasti style involves free-hand painting and entire color work using the pen. It incorporates sketches from Hindu mythology and religious symbols and motifs. The Masulipatnam style involves block-printing art influenced by motifs of Islam culture, flowers, animals, and finishing touches are given using the pen. Stunned by the reference to Islam? We were intrigued too and further reading showed us that the Kalamkari art actually flourished beautifully under the Mughals and the artists found devoted patrons in several Mughal rulers.
The Masulipatnam style uses motifs – mostly flora and fauna, and bright floral backdrops – and colors that are more attuned to Islamic culture; and unlike Srikalahasti which involved freehand drawing, Masulipatnam artists used hand-carved wooden blocks. The Sri Kalahastisvara temple, an important pilgrimage site, was well known for its architecture. The Kalamkari textiles were mainly used as canopies and hangings as the backdrop in the image of deities. The themes of such paintings and murals were inspired by Hindu mythology and religion including-bird and tree of life motifs. The Kalamkari cloth produced in the Masulipatnam was entirely made for mass production and had no representations of religion or scriptures. The cloth was used to make clothes, tapestries, prayer rugs, bedspreads etc. The designs reflected the social scenario of the contemporary word including the geometric figures, animals, stylized plants, creepers, women etc.
The amazing Kalamkari “canvas”
Kalamkari paintings are not just intricate and colorful and simply breathtaking. There’s a reason why the colors in Kalamkari paintings stand out so much and have a light sheen. It’s because of the way the cloth used for the paintings is treated and prepared. Preparing just one yard of this fabric is a laborious process involving 17 steps and 8-10 craftsmen who work patiently at creating the perfect base that highlights the richness of the colors produced by rapid absorption of natural dyes. The fabric used for painting Kalamkari is of such high quality that even after repeated washes, the appearance and finish of the painting is not affected. The multi-fold canvas preparation process contributes to the durability and attractiveness of the fabric. The fabric is treated with cow or buffalo milk, cow dung, water, mordant etc so as to get the desired finish.
The stories we learn through Kalamkari
Thousands of years ago, a bunch of storytellers would roam from village to village telling ancient Indian tales, like the Panchtantra, or singing out the great Indian epics of Ramayana and Mahabharatha, while showing the artwork. Over the years this declined and the stories were told almost entirely through art and pictures. That’s why Kalamkari Art is usually used to depict stories and scenes from Indian mythology.
Breathtaking Kalamkari colors and motifs
Traditional motifs in Kalamkari include cypress trees entwined with a flowering vine, poppies and intricate jaal, all in indigo and white and depict summer in India. Artists use special pens of tamarind twig or bamboo reed rolled with wool and entwined with cotton thread. Pictorial depictions from folklore and everyday life are also common.
The gloss on the fabric comes from the use of natural elements like myrobalan, and cow’s milk. No theme nor design is simply carried on to the next creation as a repetition. There is variation, novelty and creativity in every work of art that ensures each painting is unique reflecting the devotion, skill and eye-for-detail of the ethnic craftsmen.
Though multiple colors are used, the basic ones are red, green, yellow and black or blue. Indigo, mustard, limestone etc are used as natural colours. Jaggery, water and iron fillings are blended together to make black which is used for the outlines. Pomegranate peels are used to make yellow. There is also a common pattern where specific colors are used for different drawing. For example, yellow is used for female characters, darker colors are used to depict evil characters while gods are portrayed in blue.
What’s amazing is that even today, with all the modern amenities easily available, true Kalamkari artists still follow the same manual techniques and dedication and use natural dyes. The art has been passed down from generation to generation and continues to be the primary source of livelihood for several families. Several artists have started combining the two styles of Kalamkari art into one common style of colorful combinations. With the art now manifested through sarees, dress materials, upholstery, decorative items etc, Kalamkari has rejuvenated itself. As we work on completing my nephew’s art project, we can only hope to be as dedicated and patient as a Kalamkari artist. However, my contribution is likely to be restricted to shopping for some beautiful sarees and pottery! ☺
About the author: Sushmita Vobbilisetty is the concept creator at Chitrapata. She has a deep understanding of old masters, modern, and contemporary artworks. Sushmita is an expert in evaluating the market value and fair value of art based on heritage, availability, sell-through rate, market performance over time, secondary sales track record, and other key factors. Sushmita frequently predicts the bidding prices for day sales and evening auctions hosted by leading art houses.
About us: Chitrapata is a digital atelier with an in-house generative art technology platform enhanced with machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities. Our vision is to spark thoughts, conversations, and debates among different groups. Visit “About us” section to know more about our philosophy, vision, bio, artist statement, story and technology process.
Image credit: DreamStudio AI, StableDiffusion.
