Kerala Paintings

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The tradition of painting in Kerala goes as far back as can be conceived. Drawing large figures of deities such as Bhagavathy and Bhadrakali has been in vogue either as Kalamezhuthu or in some other form.

Mylanchi or henna tattooing is an art the women of Kerala have practiced since eternity. Tainting their fingertips and nails and palms with the paste of the Mylanchi shrub’s leaves was heir age old method of beautification. With time they refined this art with intricate designs and assimilated Arabic patterns. They perfected the use of contrasts and floral patterns to give a grandiose effect.

Face and body paintings forms an integral part of Kerala’s performing arts. Dances such as Kathakali, Theyyam and the Ottan Thullal are virtually unimaginable without the fine art of face and body painting.

Mural painting in Kerala has its source in prehistoric rock paintings found in the region. Mural paintings in Kerala took its first steps as an infant in about the 8th century A.D. the art assimilated various influences such as the Pandiyan style of mural painting from Tamil Nadu and northern influences from Maharashtra and yet was only enriched by the association. Kerala never lost its identity and testimony stands in the form of the many palaces, temples and churches which are being studied by artists and archeologists alike.

Water colors and charcoal sketches were the traditional forms of canvas art in the state. Raja Ravi Verma introduced the region to the expansive world of oil paintings. Having won international acclaim the maestro was either being praised or criticized at home. Either ways his presence could not be ignored. He started a lineage which has been taken up in current days by the likes of talented artists such as George Oommen.

Paintings are a part of the Keralan lifestyle. Chedikkalam for example, is a style of floor drawing. The variety, style and innovativeness of Malayali artists in the world of paintings are unsurpassed.

Key words: kerala paintings, kerala art, kerala culture, Oil painting, mural paintings

Kerala Mural Painting

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Art in Kerala is as old as civilization in the region. Kerala Mural paintings are as old as the 8th century AD and have gone through an intensive time tested process of alteration and development.

Origins:
A distinct temple culture was what gave birth to Mural Paintings in Kerala. The walls and the ceilings of the shrines and temples were painted with exquisite depictions of scenes from Hindu mythology. As with most of the other art fors of the region, religion formed the inspiration and provided theme to this art. The murals painted in Kerala's various palaces and temples were full of Gods/Goddesses images and other scenes from the Puranas. The highly colorful background was formed by paintings of flowers, gardens, trees, animals and other natural elements.

The rock paintings of Anjanad valley in the Idukki district are probably the earliest evidences of mural paintings in Kerala. The style seems completely Dravidian but also bears some influences of the Sittanavasal art.

Development:
Mural painting in Kerala entered its glorious days since the 16th century. The murals and frescos of this age show that the artists held Silparatna a Sanskrit text on painting related subjects by Srikumara, in high esteem. In this work, Srikumara has explicitly described the various intricacies of paintings such as the style. This treatise also addresses topics such as the themes and techniques to be used in mural paintings.

Method:
Preparation of the wall is of extreme importance and great care is to be taken in this process. One of the many methods of preparing the wall is as follows. A mixture of crushed lime and sand is stored for about 3-4 days. Now a molasses solution is added to his mixture and then the entire mix is applied evenly over the wall. Lime and tender coconut water is applied over the mortar mixture many times o prepare the wall. The 5 colors primarily used are yellow ochre, red, Indigo, green and black. Blue is found but is not very common. The colors are all organic and herbal or vegetable dyes, fruit extracts, and minerals, powdered stones etc. are used as paint. The paintings are top coated with pine resin and oil. This gives the paintings a glazy look and also protects them for a long time. The outlines were made of cow dung pencils called Kittalekhini and then the colors filled in. Grass blades and tree roots are generally used as brushes. Eyyam Pullu is treated and tied to bamboo sticks to make brushes of appropriate size. The images of deities are highly stylized in Kerala murals. Long eyes, curved shapes and intricate jewellery mark the figurines.


FAMOUS MURALS OF KERALA:

Palaces:
The Krishnapuram Place of Alappuzha District is noted for a large mural depicting Lord Vishnu rescuing his devotee elephant- Gajendra Moksham. The Mattancherry Palace in Ernakulam district is also famous for its various mural paintings. The Padmanabhapuram palace is especially noted for the mural paintings sprawling over the walls of its Central Hall.

Temples:
The walls of the Sapta Mata temple of Panayannakkavu are adorned with traditional Kerala mural paintings. Similarly, the walls of the sanctum sanctorum of the Shiva Temple at Ettumanoor are noted not only for the intricate work but also for the fertile imagination exercised by the artist. Pundareekapuram, a small temple in the Kottayam district is often visited by art connoisseurs who study and admire the various scenes of Krisna Leela depicted on its walls. At Mattancherry, in Cochin City stands the King's palace full of mural paintings from the Hindu Epics. These epics also form the theme of the 40 famous murals in the Venkatta Tevar Siva Temple in Kottakkal.

Churches:
The St. George's Orthodox Church in Cheppad is a fine example of Christial religious theme based mural painting in Kerala. The frescos at Mar Sabore and Aforth Church, Akapparambu are full of characters and tales from the Bible. St. MAry's Church, Kanjoor has delicate yet beautiful paintings on either side of the main door and around the altar.

Key words: Kerala art, kerala culture, kerala tourism, kerala travel

Oil Painting in Kerala

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Like in the rest of India, oil painting is a recent introduction in Kerala as well. Traditional Indian painting does not include this art technique but with the influx of Europeans, Indians learnt oil painting and learnt it well.

How can one speak of oil painting in Kerala, or in India for that matter and not speak of Raja Ravi Verma? Born in 1843 at the Kilimanoor Palace, 25 km from Thiruvananthapuram, Raja Ravi Verma was one of the greatest artists in the world of Indian Art.

He won the first prize in Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873 and won international acclaim in addition to the laurels headped on him back home.

The themes of Ravi Verma’s paintings were scenes from the Indian epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata or stills from the myths and legends of India such as the tale of King Nala and Princess Damayanti.

Having learnt water paintings under Ramaswamy Naidu and oil paintings under the British painter Theodor Jenson, Raja Ravi Verma's style was a classic fusion of the two.

His depiction of the saree clad women seems extremely realistic and the folds of their sarees, their tresses and their ornaments were almost lifelike. But what enthralls the onlooker is the expression on the face of these characters, the glaze in their eyes, and the "lost in her thought" look of these women.

It seems that the master painter has captured a moment of these women's lives for eternity. None of his models are of extraordinary beauty but they all have an ethereal quality that lends radiance and even the ordinary women look like Goddesses.

Raja Ravi Verma's expertise was his use of oil to depict the contrast between light and shadow.

This theme is brought out best in his masterpiece painting Lady with the Lamp. Some of his other popular pieces are-

* Damayanti Talking to a Swan
* Lady Lost in Thought
* Village Belle
* Shakuntala
* Harischandra in Distress

Though not many oil painters were present in Kerala before Raja Ravi Verma, the maestro’s lineage has been successfully carried forward by many in the state. George Oommen is one of the contemporary oil painters of international acclaim.

Though he lives in the USA, he derives his inspiration from the beauty of Kerala and in the last decade has painted a series of landscapes, a series called "Sacred Places within You" and a series of miniature paintings.

Key words: Kerala painting, kerala murals, kerala oil paintings, kerala tourism, kerala travel