MODULE - 1 Folk Art of India
Introduction of
Indian Art
Notes
4
FOLK ART OF INDIA
India has inherited a pre-Aryan culture which is reflected in the folk art. Different
religions, sects and beliefs have co-existed throughout Indian traditional life. Cults
like Tantra Shakti, Vaishnav, Buddhist are very important in the life of folk
artists. The rural society’s needs for art and craft objects are supplied by the local
artists and craftsmen which are mainly of three types viz ritualistic, utilitarian and
individualistic.
There are many kinds of ritualistic folk art like Patachitra, Pichuai, Alpana, Kolam
etc. Decorative wood carving, embroidery, basket work, earthen ware etc. are
among the typical utilitarian folk art. These are made by rural artists without any
formal training, and most of these designs are repeated by generation after genera-
tion. For example, there are hardly any change in the motif of terracotta toys. Those
were also made in Harappa five thousand years before. Some folk artists attempt
to experiment with new forms from time to time and create an individualistic type of
folk art. These artists develop a new style within the old format. These innovations
are to be found in the motif of Madhubani painting, Kantha design and Kalighat
Pata Chitra.
OBJECTIVES
After studying this lesson, the learner will be able to:
! describe the background and region of Folk Art of India;
! identify the different regional folk forms of India;
! explain the medium, techniques and styles of these folk arts;
! state the designs and motifs used in folk art;
! write the names of different kinds of ritualistic folk arts.
30 PAINTING
Folk Art of India MODULE - 1
Introduction of
Indian Art
Notes
KOLAM
PAINTING 31
MODULE - 1 Folk Art of India
Introduction of
Indian Art 4.1 KOLAM
Title – Floor painting with “Kalas”.
Style – Kolam
Artist – Unknown house wife
Notes
Medium – Rice paste and pigments
Period – 1992
Site – A locality near Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Floor decoration is one of the most popular forms of art in any culture all over the
world. This is also to be found in every part of India in different medium like Alpana,
Rangoli, Kolam, Sanjhi etc. Kolam is the most important part in the cultural and
religious festivals of South India. During Pongal and other festivals, this decorative
art work is done on the floor in front of the house and on the space before the alter
of the deity. Kolam, like other floor decorative arts of India, is a symbol of fortune.
Designs and motifs are tradional in nature and these are both floral and geometrical
forms. The floor should be wet or moist by sprinkling water on it. The dry coarse
ground rice flour is held between the thumb and forefingers. The hands keep on
moving while the rice powder is rubbed to release on the floor along the predeter-
mined design. It is very important to continue the drawing as long as possible with-
out any pause. This fluency of line is achieved by the artist only from experience.
Young girls learn this from their mother and grandmother.
Besides the symbolic value of these motifs, it expresses a very interesting meaning
of life also. Rice powder is readily available. It seems to feed ants to show one must
take care of other forms of life too.
This Kolam is being painted by a house wife. It shows the freehand drawing skill of
the artist. There are different symbolic forms like pitchers, lamps and coconut trees.
All these are integral parts of Indian rural life. These designs are basically in geomatrical
format and with very bright colours like Red, Orange, Blue, Yellow and Pink.
INTEXT QUESTIONS 4.1
1. State some of the floor decoration arts of India.
2. What are the designs and motifs used in Kolam painting?
3. Write on the method of Kolam painting.
4. What are the objects shown in the enlisted Kolam painting?
32 PAINTING
Folk Art of India MODULE - 1
Introduction of
Indian Art
Notes
PHULKARI
PAINTING 33
MODULE - 1 Folk Art of India
Introduction of
Indian Art 4.2 PHULKARI
Title – Chadar
Artist – Unknown.
Style – Phulkari
Notes
Medium – Embroidery on cloth with coloured thread.
Period – Contemporary.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Phulkari actually means “flowered work”. This term is used for a type of embroi-
dery practised by folk women in Punjab. These are done on both small and large
cloth pieces and these are used for different purposes like veils to cover heads,
garment pieces, chadar and bedspreads or bed covers. The embroidery is worked
in floss-silk upon the coarse cotton cloth in darning stitch over counted threads
being worked from the back of the fabric.
Basic motifs of Phulkari designs is geometric. Squares and triangles are composed
all over the space, which are covered with mainly warm colours. There are simple
designs and large sized elaborate ones. Squares, dashes, triangles and straight lines
and zig-zag lines from endless innovative variation. The predominant colour is the
gold of the ripening wheat harvest in Punjab.
The women will first pick up the outline of each section with a needle before it is
worked in a direction that contrasts with the section adjacent to it. The combina-
tion of contrasting vertical and horizontal stitches results in a beautiful pattern.
The enlisted work of Phulkari is designed with traditional geometrical shapes. Star
forms are stitched with golden yellow and silvery white thread on red cloth. The
basic motif is consisted of a large star surrounded with small stars to create a dia-
mond shaped space on the design. The silken shine of the thread creates bright
relief on the warmth of the red surface of the cloth.
INTEXT QUESTIONS 4.2
1. What is the meaning of Phulkari?
2. What are the materials used in Phulkari?
3. What is the predominent colour in these works?
4. How the pattern of Phulkari is achieved?
34 PAINTING
Folk Art of India MODULE - 1
Introduction of
Indian Art
Notes
KANTHA STITCHING
PAINTING 35
MODULE - 1 Folk Art of India
Introduction of
Indian Art 4.3 KANTHA STITCHING
Title – Kantha from Bengal.
Artist – Unknown
Style – Kantha Stitching
Notes
Medium – Embroidery on silk with coloured thread
Period – Contemporary.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Bengal has a delightful folk tradition of embroidery and quilting known as Kantha.
The Kanthas are made of discarded sarees and dhoties. These are sewn together
to make it thick. Kanthas are generally made by the women of all classes in Ben-
gal, particularly the old women. They use their spare time to sew these Kanthas by
coloured threads from the border of old sarees and are stitched along the border
line and the surface is filled with various designs. Quilts, wedding mats, bags and
wraps for mirror and jewellery were all quilted and embroidered.
Motifs and designs are taken from rural landscapes, ritualistic activities/purposes
(mandala), objects from every day life, rural festivals, circus entertainers and even
historical figures such as Queen Victoria to Lenin. The motifs on these Kanthas
make it clear that the folk women were mostly illiterate but had keen power of
observation for day-to-day happenings around them.
The enlisted Kantha is a saree which is stitched in a typical traditional style and
technique. The motifs are stylized forms of animals and human figures. The base
pink colour of the saree is done in chain stitch with various coloured threads like
white, green, purple, red, brown, yellow, grey and black.
A king like figure is sitting on the horse with an umbrella in his hand. Some stylized
forms of birds and bees are used as motifs. The influence of Kalighat Pata Chitra
is very clear on these motifs.
INTEXT QUESTIONS 4.3
1. Name the sources of designs and motifs of Kantha.
2. Identify the functional objects on which Kantha motifs are stitched.
3. Describe Kantha saree in two lines.
4. Which folk art form has influenced the Kantha motifs?
36 PAINTING
Folk Art of India MODULE - 1
Introduction of
Indian Art
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. What is folk art? How does it help rural society?
2. Describe any one form of floor decoration of folk art style along with its method
of preparation. Notes
3. Write a note on Kantha stitching.
4. Write in brief about the Phulkari style.
WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT
Folk artists of India beautify the objects of use and the surroundings of their dwell-
ings like floor, wall, courtyard, etc. There are many kinds of folk arts in India, like
painting, sculpture, toy, costume, utensils, furniture, etc. Almost every village of
India has its own style of folk arts. Among these, some are very popular and well
known, for example, Kalamkari, Kolam, Madhubani, Kalighat, Phulkari,
Kantha and many more. Kolam is floor decoration while Phulkari and Kantha
are embroidery on cloth. Madhubani, Kalighat, Kalamkari are famous for paint-
ings. The artists use the same motifs and designs generation after generation. The
Phulkari artists use geometrical design. The Kolam painters prefer different ob-
jects from nature and Bangali women like to use human and animal figures as motif
on Kantha.
ANSWERS TO INTEXT QUESTIONS
4.1 1. 1. Alpana, Rangoli, Kolam
2. Geometrical, floral forms
3. To moist the ground
Rice powder and other colours to be held and rubbed to release
on ground.
4. Pitchers, lamps and coconut trees.
4.2 1. Flowered work
2. Cloth, floss silk
3. Golden
4. Combination of vertical and horizontal stitches.
PAINTING 37
MODULE - 1 Folk Art of India
Introduction of
Indian Art 4.3 1. Rural landscape, ritualistic activities/purposes (mandala), objects from
every day life, rural festival, circus, historical figures.
2. Quilts, wedding mats, bags, wraps for mirror, Jewellery, etc.
3. Done in chain stitches with white, green purple, red, brown, yellow, grey
Notes and black figures of horse, kings, birds, bees, etc.
4. Kalighat Patachitra
GLOSSARY
! Queen Victoria – British Queen who ruled India
! Lenin – Communist leader of Russia
! Patachitra – Paintings by Kalighat artists of Bengal
! Pichuai – Back drop scroll painting of Rajasthan.
! Alpana – Floor decoration of Bengal
! Sanjhi – Folk wall painting of Uttar Pradesh
! Terracotta – Burnt clay
! Symbolic – Something used for representing something else.
! Utilitarian – Useful objects used in every day life.
! Ritualistic – Objects used for religious purposes
! Individualistic – Personal style.
38 PAINTING
