Allahabad :

The ancient Egyptians did it, the Minoans in Greece did it, the Romans in Pompeii did it, and now the elite in Sangam city are doing it-beautifying the walls of their homes with exquisite and brightly coloured murals.

And they’re choosing age-old Indian traditional art forms to adorn their walls with Pattachitra, Bhil, Manjusha, Madhubani, Tantrik and Gond paintings to do so.

Be they Mithila paintings etched with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens and matchsticks using natural dyes and pigments or Warli paintings attributed to adivasis from the North Sahyadri range in India, art lovers are inviting artists from Bihar, West Bengal, Mumbai, Chattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh to splash Indian culture on the walls of their houses and even offices.

“It’s a unique experience when you get all the walls of your house painted with Indian folk and traditional art,” said Shooby Bakht who has got all the rooms of her house painted with traditional artwork.

She added, “Creativity has no barriers and art is always fuelled by innovation and creativity.”

Bakht has company in people like Vinay Mehrotra, Rohit Shukla and Praveen Pandey who have opted to get the walls of their houses inked with tribal and traditional folk art.

Says Vinay Mehrotra, “I have chosen Gond paintings from Madhya Pradesh and Madhubanis from Bihar to beautify the walls of my house. Every art form has its importance and value and once painted, it leaves an everlasting impression.”

Bihar-based artist Shrawan Paswan, who is in Sangam these days for some painting projects, said, “The craze for Indian folk art has increased manifold among people across the country. Artists of different art forms are being invited by individuals to paint houses as well as offices.”

“Madhuvani, Bhil, Gond, and Warli paintings are in demand not just in India but abroad as well,” said Paswan, adding, “It takes time and patience to draw outlines and turn barren walls into attractive pieces of artwork.” But for clients who commission these paintings, the results are often breath-taking.

“The pattachitras wherein pattas or cloth-based scrolls were painted with mythological and epic stories put together in a sequence are also liked by many who particularly ask for such embellishments on their walls,” said the artist, adding, “Every traditional art form has ‘hidden words’ waiting to be described with a brush and some paints.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Kapil Dixit / TNN / August 14th, 2016