Tanjore Painting Masterclass by Nishitha Naidu - Hyderabad

Ms. Nishitha Naidu is an Artist well versed in Tanjore Painting based out of Hyderabad. She would be taking up this workshop on Tanjore Painting for a day.

Tanjore paintings are characterised by rich, flat and vivid colors, simple iconic composition, glittering gold foils overlaid on delicate but extensive gesso work and inlay of glass beads and pieces or very rarely precious and semi-precious gems. In Thanjavur paintings one can see the influence of Deccani, Vijayanagar, Maratha and even European or Company styles of painting. Essentially serving as devotional icons, the subjects of most paintings are Hindu gods, goddesses, and saints. Episodes from Hindu Puranas, Sthala-puranas and other religious texts were visualised, sketched or traced and painted with the main figure or figures placed in the central section of the picture (mostly within an architecturally delineated space such as a mantapa or prabhavali) surrounded by several subsidiary figures, themes and subjects. There are also many instances when Jain, Sikh, Muslim, other religious and even secular subjects were depicted in Tanjore paintings.

The participant would be learning Steps of making Tanjore paintings at the workshop

Ready made 7coats board which I’ll be getting

Board Preparation
Tracing of a required subject
Muck work
Sticking stones
Cone work
Gold foil
Painting
Pen lining

Materials Provided:

• Chalk Powder and Tamarind Seed Powder (Molding Paste)
• Paints
• Brushes
• Cotton Fabric or else canvas board
• Printout (Elephant or Peacock) and carbon paper
• Gems/Semi Precious Stones or Kundan
• Pencils
• Jack Fruit Wood/ canvas board
• Polishing Stone and Emery Sheet
• Gum and Fevicol
• Gold