CHENNAI: I ntricately painted miniature designs and motifs, based on deities; epics from Hindu Mythology, animals, and that of tribes…you can find this and more at the stall of Odiya ‘Chitrakar’ Kalucharan Parek in Sankara Hall. A state award recipient from the famous artist village Raghurajpur in Puri, Kalucharan talks about the ancient art of Pattachitra which dates back to 5BC, use of natural colours and more.
“Our village is very famous for Pattachitra paintings. There are over 1,300 artists out of which 48 are national awardees, 36 are state awardees… there are Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awardees too. Everyone in the village does only Pattachitra and this is our life!” beams the 27-year-old who has been an artist since he was six.
Predominantly done on small strips of cotton cloth, the canvas is prepared by coating the cloth with a mixture of chalk and gum. “The women prepare the glue with tamarind seeds and apply colours to the canvas. Then we draw,” he shares. The cloth is then rubbed with a stone and dried. “We have been doing this for generations and my grandfather, when he was 73, drew a Pattachitra painting on the whole life of Krishna,” he says opening a palm-leaf painting.
Painted with utmost detailing and cut to give an emboss effect, the art work is a true master piece. “These days the same paintings are being digitalised, blown up, printed on normal canvas and sold at a cheaper rate. But, what we do is handmade and the rates are a bit high due to the amount of work done. People who know and understand the novelty of the art buy it,” he says.
Though the traditional Pattachitra art does not involve pencil or charcoal for preliminary drawings, some artists have started using them to give a good finish to the final product. “99% we simply draw directly with the brush…we don’t need any measurements. But, since the world is changing, the clients don’t want any shortcomings. So, we sometimes use pencil. But, mostly it’s just by the hands,” he smiles and shows his award winning painting of Hanuman and the life story of Ram. “It took me four months to complete this drawing. I didn’t need any photo reference to draw them. I have been reading these stories from childhood. Before starting work, I just write down the series and start drawing,” he shares.
The artists use only natural dye (vegetable and mineral colours) for the paintings which is prepared from powdered conch shells (white), Hingula (red), Haritala (yellow), Neelam (Indigo blue) and lamp soot (black). “The process of preparing the colours requires patience. But, we make them with care and mix basic colours to derive other colours. After all, the paintings are known for its vibrant hues!” he says, pointing to the painting of Radha Krishna with vibrant shades of yellow, blue and red.
From wall hangings, Pattachitra painted bottles, bookmarks, paper puppets, papier mache masks to paintings on Tussar saris, the traditional painting is incorporated in different mediums to suit the customers taste. “These are bought for interior decors. But, mostly the traditional ones are sold. Other small products are mainly bought for gifting purposes,” he says. With everyone in the village inclined to this profession, Kalucharan says that the art will never decline. “We have a yearly festival where 40 foreigners from different countries come to learn the art. We have a cultural exchange and they teach us what they know and vice-versa. Even the next generation has started doing it in our village and we’ll take our legacy forward,” he adds.
The paintings are priced at Rs 1,500 onwards. The exhibition is on till Oct 20 at Sankara Hall, Alwarpet.