Rajasthani handicrafts and the outstanding art forms are renowned globally. And Udaipur, the capital of Mewar, is a major contributor to this recognition. Last year we got a chance to explore a few exclusive art forms of Udaipur city practiced by the artisans for generations. Here is an account of a few which caught our attention.
Exploring the Miniature Paintings in Udaipur City
Wandering the streets of Suraj Pol, in the look out for something original, we stumbled across some beautiful elephant wall paintings. On inquiring about the artist we were directed to his studio nearby. Lalit Sharma gave us a warm welcome and showed us around his displayed pieces of artworks.
He mentioned that his family has been in the profession of designing miniature paintings for several generations. His grandfather used to serve great king Maharana Bhupal Singh and garnered many awards for his excellence. His great-grandfather used to create artworks for Maharana Fateh Singh. He still owns a masterpiece by his great- grandfather which depicts a procession of Maharana Sajjan Singh – a beautiful painting made using real gold paint. Needless to say it is priceless for him.
He showed us his works with such alacrity that the vibes were infectious! He showed us Radha Krishna paintings in blue colored theme, each of them had great detailing involved immensely appealing to the eyes. His creations were in varied shapes and sizes to suit what art aficionados may prefer.
Each creation takes a couple of days to weeks to design depending upon the detailing and size of artwork. The astonishing part was that the same panting could be reproduced by him in different sizes, surely an outcome of practice, dedication and experience of more than 17 years. Check out the collection on Kalacafe’s facebook page.
The paintings are made with stone colors. The powder that is available in local markets is mixed with water and gum. In order to check if the color mix is ready to be used for painting, it needs to be touched with finger to see if it doesn’t stick back which confirms that the color is mixed well. It can then be used for painting on silk cloth or canvas. Black colors is derived from soot which is obtained from vessels put over chulhas – fireplace used for cooking in villages. Gum doesn’t mix very easily with soot but after laborious mixing it develops into color black for the paintings.
He is no less than a true art director as composing a painting on a 12 X 4 feet canvas is surely a talent. This one particular painting had been decorated with delicate work using acrylic colors – there were musicians – horse riders, elephant pair (gajraj), dhola maru – camel and followers donning exquisite ornaments. He deals in wall hangings, conference wall arts, weddings, gifting pieces, etc.
Although his children study in schools and colleges, he makes sure they do practice this art form during their free time as he wishes to ensure that this art form survives through generations.
To buy some of these paintings, call us on +91 9920458957
Also, here are some sneak peaks into the marketplace as we roamed the streets of Udaipur city.
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KalaCafe deals in exclusive interior|exterior decors, art installations, custom designs of authentic Indian art forms like miniature art, terracotta works, batik, etc. – created by our highly experienced traditional artists and an in-house design team. We also organize workshops for art lovers who wish to learn new art forms from only the masters or none. Here, art aficionados get to stay with the artist gurus to learn and experience the process of creating the art form.
To buy authentic Indian art forms, call us on + 91 9920458957.
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