The Art

The pieces created by Meenakshi are stained with the Art, Music and Dances of India which dates back thousands of years.

Some of the popular folk-art styles of India that inspire her Art include :

Tanjore Painting:  

Tanjore Painting is a classic art from Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu, India. 

This form of painting dates back to the 16th century when the Marathas brought their art to Tamil Nadu.  The Art features intricate relief work made from a mixture of fine chalk power and tree resin, and then adorned with pure gold leaf and semi-precious gems.  The art is adored for its chubby and adorable gods and goddesses.

Patachitra :

Patachitra is one of the ancient artworks of Odisha, originally created for ritual use and as souvenirs for pilgrims to Puri, as well as other temples in Odisha. Patachitras are a component of an ancient Bengali narrative art, originally serving as a visual device during the performance of a song.

 The name Patachitra has evolved from the Sanskrit words patta, meaning canvas, and chitra, meaning picture. Pattachitra is thus a painting done on canvas, and is manifested by rich colourful application, creative motifs, and designs, and portrayal of simple themes, mostly mythological in depiction. The traditions of patachitra paintings are more than thousand years old.

Madhubani:

This style of painting originated in Madhubani district in Bihar.  For a long time, this art was practiced by women, who used natural dyes with sticks and stones for brushes. The art was usually drawn on house walls on important occasions like birth, festivals, marriage.

 There is a myth that the painting style originated in Mithila, the birth place of Sita.  Her father King Janaka, requested a painting to commemorate the marriage between Lord Rama and Princess Sita.

Kashmir Paper Mache:

 The papier-mâché technique of using paper pulp for making decorative objects was first brought to Kashmir in the 14th century by Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, a Sufi mystic.

The technique uses presoaked paper, pounded on a mortar and pestle along with rice starch that acts as glue, and smoothened with a paste of chalk powder and natural resin to create various objects.

Kerala mural Painting

Kerala mural painting is a very old and traditional fiasco painting style of Kerala.  It used to adorn temple and palace walls in ancient times.  The pictures drawn follow the rules of Chitra Sutra an ancient Sanskrit text that describes every thing about the picture art, from proportions, color mixing, surface preparation, Ornaments and representative elements.

It is one of my favorite styles of art.  It uses 5 basic colors obtained from natural minerals and plants.  Red and yellow from minerals, white from limestone, black from lamp black, Blue from dried leaves of Indian Indigo (Neelambari) and mixed with dried Gamboge (Eravikkara) to get green.  The binding agents for the paints are derived from coconut water and neem essence.

Colors are used to represent the nature of the characters painted, just like in Kathakali, the classical dance-drama from Kerala.  Green represents characters of divine, satvic.  Red and yellow represents materialistic, human, and sometimes women.  White is used to represent sages, wise, and powerful characters and Black is used to represent evil and wild natures.