Wishesh magazine january 2018 Wishesh magazine january 2018 | Page 18

INDIAN DIASPORA FINE ART
Fragments
of Indian
block-printed
cloth dating
to the late
Roman period
have been
discovered from
archaeological
sites in Egypt
18
Owing to Muslim rule in
Golconda, the Masulipatnam
Kalamkari was influenced
by Persian motifs & designs,
widely adapted to suit their
taste. The outlines and
main features are done
using hand carved blocks.
The finer details are later
done using the pen. The
Machilipatnam style of
kalamkari is different from
the kalahasti style because
it is not exactly ‘pen craft’.
While creating kalamkari
art using the Machilipatnam
style, the craftsman creates
his sketch and its key design
features with the help
ofhand-carved blocks. These
blocks continued to be used
repeatedly for many years and
by different craftsmen.
Kalamkari art is known for
its beautiful colour patterns
that flow through a variety
of different themes. You can
often spot figures of women in
yellow, demons in green and
red and Gods in shades of
blue. Lotus motifs tend to be
the most common background
for these prints.
In the kalamkari printing
technique, the craftsman
first decides on the fabric
and colours. The chosen
cloth is then bleached using
either cow or goat dung. It
is further treated with a milk
and myrobalan solution that
helps prevent the colour from
spreading.
2- Sri Kalahasti Style:
The Kalahasti tradition which
developed in the temple
region mostly concentrated
on themes form Hindu
mythology, epics (Ramayana,
Mahabharatha), images of
Gods and heroes.
Craftsmen practicing the
Srikalahasti style of kalamkari
art continue to make use
of the traditional dyeing
technique, inherited from their
ancestors. Srikalahasti is a
small temple town found in the
Chittoor district in Andhra. The
main design inspiration for
the Srikalahasti style is ‘hindu
mythology’.
The Srikalahasti style is
characterized by one very
important feature: free hand
drawing. The procedure
begins with the craftsman
treating the cotton cloth using
mordant and sketching the
design outline with black
colour or ‘kasami’. The only
other colours used for filling
the outlined sketch are those
obtained from natural plants:
indigo, green, red and vibrant
yellow. Therefore, every piece
of the kalahasti kalamkari art
is quite unique and absolutely
authentic!
3- Karrupur Style:
Karrupur is a style of
Kalamkari that developed
in the Thanjavur region
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