Radha and Krishna Playing Holi

$135
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Time required to recreate this artwork
6 to 8 weeks
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$27 (20%)
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$108
Item Code: PL29
Artist: Rabi Behera
Specifications:
Paata Painting on Tussar Silk FabricFolk Art from the Temple Town of Puri (Orissa)Artist Rabi Behera
Dimensions 41.5 inches X 18.0 inches
Handmade
Handmade
Free delivery
Free delivery
Fully insured
Fully insured
100% Made in India
100% Made in India
Fair trade
Fair trade
This colourful cloth painting from Orissa, known as ‘pata-chitra’ – painting on cloth, represents Radha and Krishna playing Holi in the suburb of Vrindavana. The painting has used a fine textile-length of cotton blended with silk giving it lustre and smooth surface. Radha has a team of Gopis but Krishna has none except perhaps one from among the Gopis themselves discharging colour from her pipe on one who is targeting Krishna by her pipe and assisting Radha. The painting has been rendered using the characteristic Oriya art idiom in the figures’ iconography: large eye-balls with miniaturised black portion, angular faces, pointed noses with arching central part, cheeks merging with necks and typical eye-brows, Krishna’s body-colour, multi-complexioned Gopis, anatomy with extra tall figures, especially of women folk, style of apparels – colours, prints and mode of wearing, ornaments and hair-dressing, dramatized form of the cows, modeling of vessels containing colour-solutions and ‘gulal’ – coloured powder sprinkled on faces while celebrating the festival of Holi, style of trees and plants and virtually in conceiving the overall background.

The central figures in the upper register are the golden hued Radha and the blue-bodied Krishna, and in the lower, besides a white cow – an essential aspect of Krishna’s imagery, there is a Gopi in short loincloth covering only the upper part of her thighs below her waist. She is filling her pipe with colour from a brilliantly painted and modeled pot containing red colour. By its beauty the pot marks the centre of the painting. Equally beautifully designed, painted and modeled, though taller in dimension, two other pots filled with blue and maroon colours, painted on equi-distance towards the bottom along the border, define the base-line in the painting. A series of horizontal mountains-like upwards curving courses cast with net-design, scattered over the lower half of the canvas, defines the earth with a hilly terrain as against the sky which the tiny stylized blue-white clouds floating in the space define. Widely branching trees with yellow flowers, green leaves and maroon trunks and branches define the sky-line.

Unaware of Radha who is close behind him Krishna discharges coloured water with his pipe on a Gopi mischievously targeting her breasts. Taking its advantage Radha catches hold of Krishna and with her both hands smears his cheeks with ‘gulal’. Radha’s is a strong team. At least four of her ‘sakhis’ simultaneously shoot at Krishna colours from their pipes, one discharges a bust of ‘gulal’, another is readying her pipe for new offensive, two of them are rushing with trays of ‘gulal’ and many others come forward with trumpets, drums and other instruments and begin celebrating by blowing and beating them the Radha’s victory over Krishna who she baffles. A sleek inner white border with a creeper design with red flowers and green leaves alternating, exactly like the inlaid marble courses in the Tajmahal and many other Mughal buildings, distinguishes the main painting from the outer border which is typical of Orissa.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.


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Mastering the Ancient Technique: Exploring the Meticulous Creation of Pattachitra Paintings

The traditional Pattachitra is a scroll painting that is done on cloth. This is revealed in the name; Pattachitra is a Sanskrit term made from two words i.e. Patta meaning cloth and Chitra meaning picture. The main subject of this painting is portraying Hindu mythological narratives, scenes from religious texts, and folktales. Pattachitra paintings are especially practiced in eastern Indian states such as West Bengal and Odisha, and also in some parts of Bangladesh. This art form is closely related to Shri Jagannath and the tradition of the Vaishnava sect. It is believed that Pattachitra art originated in the 11th century and the people of Odisha practice it even today without any discrepancy. Bengalis use these scroll paintings for ritual purposes (as a visual device) during the performance of a song or Aarti.
Pattachitra paintings are characterized by creative and traditional motifs/designs, decorative borders, and bright colorful applications. The outline of the figure and motifs are bold and sharp. Some common shapes and motifs seen in these paintings are trees, flowers, leaves, elephants, and other creatures. The artists of Odisha and Bengal still use the traditional method of painting which gives a unique look to it altogether.

1. Canvas is prepared

The process of painting a Pattachitra begins by preparing the canvas (patta). Generally, cotton cloth is used for making the canvas. The local artists dip the cotton cloth in a mixture of tamarind seeds and water for a few days. The cloth is then taken out and dried in the sun. Now natural gum is applied over it to stick another layer of cotton cloth on it. Thus a thick layer of cotton cloth is formed. This layered cotton is sun-dried and a paste of chalk powder, tamarind, and gum is applied on both sides. The surface of the cloth is then rubbed with two different stones for smoothening and it is again dried. This process gives the cloth a leathery finish and it is now ready to be painted.
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2. Natural colors are made using traditional method

The painters prepare and use vegetable and mineral colors for application in the painting. White color is made from conch shells, black is made by burning coconut shells, Hingula is used for red color, Ramaraja for blue, and Haritala for yellow.
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3. Colors are filled in

The artist now makes a double-lined border on all four sides of the canvas. The local artists are so expert in painting that they do not draw figures and motifs with pencil but directly draw them with a brush. The paint brushes that the painters use are made of the hair of domestic animals, a bunch of which is tied to the end of a bamboo stick. The figures are now painted with natural colors using the indigenous brushes. The outline is thickened with black color.
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4. Painting is given a finishing

Finally, the painting is varnished/glazed to protect it from any damage and to get a glossy shine on the surface.

The making of a Pattachitra is laborious work and therefore, one painting may sometimes take over a month to complete. Due to their classical look, these paintings are admired by people from all over the world. The artistic skills used in Pattachitra are passed down from one generation to another and thus are preserved to date.
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