Art of Thanjavur Paintings :Where Creativity Blends Tradition
Thanjavur Paintings are known as one of the most popular painting among the classical South Indian paintings. As the name suggest, it is the famous native art form of Thanjavur (also known as Tanjore) city of Tamil Nadu. The surface richness, dense composition and also the vibrant colours of Indian Thanjavur Paintings distinguish them from the other types of paintings in South India. Then, there are embellishments of pearls, glass pieces and semi-precious stones that add further to their appeal. The relief works gives such paintings a three dimensional effect. Thanjavur Paintings of India originated under the reign of the Cholas, during the 16th century.
Every Thanjavur paintings exhibits all the classical features such as stylised eyes of the human, decorative pure gold ornamentation, godly and animal figure, and the etched out figures are really providing a visual depth. The gold ornamentation and the structured classical features of these amazing famous paintings are not only just about simplistic iconography, it describes about a culture. These paintings can be studied as interesting problems and influences, Thanjavur paintings records about the various influences of Nayaka period’s paintings and sculptures. The curtains and pedestals came from the European paintings.
Every portraiture in Thanjavur Paintings shares stylistic similarities with the Mughal paintings But narratives come from mural paintings. The first and the oldest well known Thanjavur paintings are approximately about 40,000 years old. It was designed using gold foils and original precious stone. The Oil paints used in these paintings bring a bright colour and longitivity to to it. That’s the reason why the quality of painting remains same for ages.
Thanjavur paintings are widely available in various designs. Some of the popular designs of them are Chettinad Thanjavur Paintings, Mysore Thanjavur Paintings etc. Apart from all other paintings Tanjavur Paintings are unique and also very authentic art. The artisans uses pure gold foils or lot of semi-precious and precious stones to fill in as clothing and ornaments of the figurines, which mostly depicting the Hindu Mythological Gods such as Shiva, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Sarastwati, Parvathi, Krishna, Radha, Nataraja and others.
Each and every Thanjavur Painting is different because it has different shape and size as these are handmade and not even a single part is made using machine. These paintings well protected using teak wood or rose wood frames which also gives a bold look to the paintings. It brings a different kind of positive vibe and energy to the house or workspace where it is kept. It also enhances life force and vitality of the surroundings where the paintings are placed. These paintings can be a source of vibrations needed for your work. High Quality gold milk and gold foils are used in the making of it which ensures that it lasts for long. Thanjavur Paintings are really worth for gifting to your closed ones since it have a high traditional value and also lasts for generations.
