THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Artist Bishwajit from Odisha has been on a relentless pursuit to save the art of Pattachitra paintings. ‘Patta’ translates to cloth and ‘chitra’ to painting. Traditionally renowned as paintings on cloth, Bishwajit now replicates the art of pattachitra that belongs to Odisha on canvas.
An exhibition of his paintings was held at the as part of the Gandhi shilpa bazaar exhibition 2016 sponsored by Surabhi (Kerala Government Handicraft Cooperative Society) on Ernakulathappan Road. The exhibition concluded on November 20th.
Bishwajit is a tenth generation pattachitra artist who is deeply passionate about the art. “These paintings are based on the Hindu mythology and especially inspired by Jagannath and Vaishnava. It is one of the oldest and most popular art forms of Odisha. All colours used in the paintings are natural. We use tamarind paste, natural color powders and colours from stones.” said Bishwajith.
He focuses not just on the pattachitra paintings, but also the tala pattachitra, the palm leaf artwork. He collects palm leaves from the southern parts of India and then the palm leaves are left to dry. They are then sewn together to make a canvas. He uses black or white ink to fill grooves.
“I have carved the entire Ramayana on palm leaves. It took 6 months and I have priced it for Rs 2 lakh. My family supports and helps me with my work.” said Bishwajith.
Doing paintings on the shells of coconut, palm nut and walnut is another work of art that draws Bishwajith’s attention. They are priced between Rs 2000 to 2 lakh. A large number of customers are art enthusiasts.
“I have bought two paintings from him. One is a beautifully manuscripted Lord Ganesh’s painting. The other is artwork done on coconut.” said P Shiva, an art lover.
Due to the recent demonetization policy, Bishwajith has been facing a difficult situation. He has not been able to sell his paintings for a week now. “I came to Kerala to sell and exhibit my paintings because I have found much more art lovers here as opposed to other states. I also wish to spread our ancestral stories to all corners of the world.” said Bishwajith.