Tanjore Painting

Tanjore, or thanjavur painting is a form of art dated back to the 16th century. This miniature type of painting is named after the palace Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, India. Deeply rooted in tradition, it is a classical South Indian painting style known for its rich colour and compact composition. The history of the painting is dated back to 1600 AD during the Chola dynasty. It is practiced by two main communities, namely the Rajus in Thanjavur and Naidus in Madurai. The artists (Rajus & Naidus) who are originally Telugu speaking people from Rayalseema region, moved to Tamil Nadu in the wake of the Nayaks' rule of Madurai & Tanjore. The art was sacred to those master craftsmen who chose to be anonymous and humble.

The theme of the paintings are usually God, with Krishna being the most depicted in his different poses and stages of life and major buildings such as palaces and residences of the Maratha kings. Nowadays, it is hard to find thanjavur paintings out of India. They can be bought from artists based in India, for example from the Ramana Arts and Crafts. Many private museums and collectors like to collect these paintings.

The painting is usually done on canvasses, usually a plank of wood with a layer of cloth pasted on it with arabic gum. Unboiled lime water is used to prepare the wood surface and then let dry. Then, a detailed outline was drawn using a stencil based on the original hand drawn figures. It is decorated with precious and semi-precious jewels of varied hues, and finally colours are applied. The pigments are prepared from natural ingredients such as vegetable dyes, whereas the present day artists use chemical paints to enhance the sharpness and provide different shades. To add to the three dimensional effect, the South Indians adorned the artwork with glass pieces and limestones.

The frames (teak wood) used for tanjore paintings are of two types. The first type is the wooden type, where plain wood is used. The other type is the Chettinad type which is more ornamental with various designs. Instead of breakable glass, transparent acrylic sheets are used to avoid breakage during transit. After framed, the painting is kept in temples or houses for worshipping.

Notable for the adornment of semi-precious stones and 22 karat gold foils, the creation of a tanjore paintings involves a lot of dedication and several stages of meticulous artwork. It is admirable that this tradition is still kept alive by a few hundred dedicated artists mostly based in Tamil Nadu, India.

- Charmaine Caryn