We are already coming closer to the end of hobby posts and why not include our very own, Desi hobby, of Tanjore/Thanjavur Painting!
So, for T , let’s learn more about Thanjavur Painting.
The Thanjavur painting originated from the temple town rather city of Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu and the name was anglicized as Tanjore. This is one such art , which has originated in India, (Pukka Local!) and is the only art form to use gold foil in the designs.
Tanjore Painting of Ganesha with an Umbrella
Tanjore Paintings mostly comprise of Hindu deities and scenes out of important incidences in Hindu Mythology. Gold foil is generally used to enhance the paintings.
Radha Krishna
As you can see in the above image, precious and semi precious stones are used in Tanjore painting, which makes the paintings a costly affair, for the buyers of art, that is!
Lord Shiva, with his wife Parvathi and sons, Ganesha and Karthikeya
Tanjore paintings are all for extravagance and vibrant colours. Chalk powder is used in the painting, for 3-D effect, which are later covered with gold foil and semi precious stones. The gold foil not only brings a radiance to the painting but also makes it more durable!
Sri Rama Pattabhishekam – 58 x 82 inch
For example the above Tanjore Painting of Sree Rama Pattabhishekam costs nearly Ten Lakh Indian Rupees! A 10 x 8 inch painting may range from Rs.3000 to Rs. 3,00,000! The variation in pricing is mostly due to the usage of gold foil. If 22 or 24 carat gold foil is used, the pricing is high. If the price is less, then you should know the foil is fake! Infact the authentic and duplicates can be differentiated mainly through the gold foil that has been used!
If you are a perfectionist, who likes to make a simple hobby into a business, Tanjore Painting is a good option, since perfection is appreciated in such arts! So what are you waiting for? Get started!
P.S:
- The other hobbies starting with a T are Table Tennis, Tattooing, Taxidermy(Preserving animal bodies, by stuffing them and mounting on walls), Tennis, Thrifting, Theater and Topiary(cutting trees and bushes into various shapes).
- Tanjore Painting reminds me of Dasavatharam movie and particularly the Mukunda Mukunda song. Why? Because the puppets used in the song look so much like the ones from tanjore paintings! (May be just my wild imagination!)
Did you know Himesh Reshammiya is the music composer for the Dasavatharam movie? Surprising isn’t it? How can the nasal voiced singer with haunting songs, give out such amazing ‘South’ sounding tunes? It remains a wonder till date! I say haunting because, I have seen news about people in Andhra and Hyderabad, where his songs were used by people to stay away from ghosts! (Whatever that means!)
Till the next post, cheerio!