Tradition of Tanjore Paintings

The renowned classical South Indian painting ,the Tanjore paintings, has a unique style and tradition of its own and can be classed as miniature paintings. Tanjore was the capital of the mighty Chola empire and was the of economic and political activity under the Cholas and Vijayanagar empire .However this art did not evolve during the golden age of the Cholas but in an age of political turmoil in South India-the invasion of the Nayaks and the Marattas in the 16th century .The Nayaks patronized classical arts like music ,dance and painting and this art form flourished under the Nayak rule .This art was considered as a sacred art and was practiced traditionally by two communities namely-the Rajus in Tanjore and Trichy and the Naidus in Madurai (they were patronized by the Pandyas) .These artists were the natives of Rayalseema district of Andra Pradesh .These two communities had fled to Madurai and Tanjore in the wake of the invasion of the Marattas and the Nayaks.

The Tanjore paintings are panel paintings where devotional icons of Hindu Gods and Goddess are depicted . The characteristics of this paintings is that it will consist of only one central figure but at the same time it is a detailed elaboration of certain episodes of the Hindu tradition. These paintings are known for their surface richness and vivid colours. The figures are usually depicted in the central position with enclosures and border designs like arch's curtains .Embellishments are made over the basic drawings and a three dimensional effect is given with the brilliant colour schemes ,decorative jewelery with precious and semi precious stones gold plating and cut glasses.. These paintings are painted on wood, glass, mica, ivory and on walls,. Jewels, drapery and architectural elements like finely executed pillars, rich canopies, slightly raised by the use of special plaster for the three dimensional effect .Religious paintings are highly decorative and flat, the paintings of the women are highly conventionalized with an element of reality infused in the portraits.Hindu Gods and Goddess are depicted and each God has a characteristic colour-blue for Lord Vishnu,grey white for Lord Shiva and yellow for the Goddess. Preparation of the base is in fact a tedious work. It consists of a cloth pasted over a wooden base and this is coated with zinc oxide mixed with adhesive. It is on this that the elaborate work of painting ,decoration ,inlays and gold foil pasting is done. Tanjore paintings has a predominant feature –dark brown outlines and most usually red backgrounds-a distinctive mark of the Tanjore paintings.These paintings reflect a rich local artistic tradition transferred over the ages.