CHENNAI: Kalamkari paintings, rich in natural colours and intricate designs, are on display at the National Folklore Support Centre (NFSC) in Nungambakkam till May 7.

The paintings are by artist C. Subramanyam, a master craftsman from Kalahasti in Andhra Pradesh, who is here to display this ancient art form. His work ranges from Ramayana paintings that can cover entire walls to simple but artistic door hangings.

Complicated art

"Some of my best pieces have taken four months to complete," says Mr. Subramanyam, pointing to a painting that narrates the Ramayana.

Kalamkari literally means pen-work (`kalam' is pen and `kari' is work). But the craft is far more complicated than what it seems. There are various laborious stages to go through before the painting is completed. "We use only natural dyes from bark, flowers and fruits. The pictures are hand-painted so every piece is unique," explains Mr. Subramanyam. For instance, the colour yellow is got from dried pomegranate, black from a mixture of jaggery, palm jaggery and iron pieces, blue from indigo and red from madder root. Green is obtained by mixing yellow and blue.

Floral motifs

With these colours and a practised pen, artists create floral motifs, birds, animals and scenes from mythology. Before the painting process is started, the cloth is dipped in milk to prevent the colour spreading. Artists of Kalahasti use a pen-brush to paint while Masulipatnam artists use blocks to print. Most times, the artist's family helps paint the cloth after the drawing is over.

The colour schemes used in Kalamkari are the same employed in most folk paintings. Rama is always painted blue and Sita is painted a pale yellow. Ravana is green or red. "This is because all the traditional art forms are linked," says NFSC Director M. D. Muthukumaraswamy. "However, the artist, working within the frame of tradition can also evolve new styles," Mr. Muthukumaraswamy notes. An example of this is the illustrations done by Mr. Subramanyam for the book `Folk Tales from Indonesia'.

Lecture demo

A lecture demonstration by Mr. Subramanyam will be held at 11.30 a.m. on May 5 at the NFSC premises (5th floor, Kaveri complex (near Hotel Ganpat), 96, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Nungambakkam, Ph: 28229192). The exhibition is on till May 7.

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