Named after the city of their origin, Mysore paintings developed from the earlier Vijaynagar murals and art, painted on the walls of the grand temples of the royal city. In the 17th, 18th, and later centuries, inspired by the frescos of sanctums like Hampi’s Virupaksha Mandir, these paintings grew into a distinctive art form.
The Chitrakara or painters, engaged in the artworks, were initially nurtured by the Vijayanagara kingdom, but after its fall, they had to scatter and find patrons in neighboring regions. Not just kings, but elites, ministers, and high-ranking officials of the states came forward to patronize the artists, preserving the painting style further.
A great example comes from the rule of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, whose official Nallapa, construed the Seebi Narasimha Swamy Temple, on whose walls the art of Vijayanagar, which went on to inspire the aesthetics of Mysore paintings, found a home. Wall murals in the visual style of Vijayanagar, are also found in the Daria Daulat Bagh Palace of Tipu Sultan, whose detailed frescos depicting court scenes, legends, and battlegrounds serve as a great example of themes and techniques that became staples in Mysore paintings.
After the coming of the European powers, the earlier structure of patronage was destroyed and the artists found it difficult to sustain. A period of change came with the 19th century Wodeyar king Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, under whom several projects such as Sri Tattva Nidhi’s (an encyclopedic work) illustration were undertaken. The Wodeyar king not only sustained many artists of Mysore paintings under him, but his work “Devatahanama Kusumamanjari”, containing devotional poetics, was also a source of innovation for the artists.
Popular Subjects in Mysore Paintings
Puranas and sacred literature have been a common source of inspiration for Indian painters, and it was a similar case for Mysore Chitrakaras, who painted elaborate scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, different Puranas, and other books of Hindu culture. Growing up under the protection of kings, Mysore paintings also preferred court scenes and portraits of kings and their officials that have become a window into the culture and politics of their time for modern readers of art.
Sri Rama Pattabhishekam (coronation of Rama), different aspects of the supreme goddess such as Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga, and the tutelary deity of Mysore kings- Chamundeshwari, Shiva-Parvati, and Krishna Lilas are some of the individual subjects that were popular among the Mysore artists and their patrons. Elongated eyes that are filled with emotions, hairdos following the local styles of ornamentation, ornate jewelry, and round but sharp features are some of the characteristics of the subjects depicted in this art form.
The process of making a Mysore painting is a time-consuming one and involves dedication, skills, and patience.
☀ Traditionally, many layers of paper were put together and layered with Maida (refined flour) to prepare a canvas, but now, the Mysore painters use ivory or cartridge sheets as the base.
☀ The artist begins sketching, preparing a diagram of the subject with thin and clear lines.
☀ Gesso work comes next, which includes zinc oxide and Arabic gum, whose fine paste is added to placed on the canvas that needs to be given a raised effect.
☀ Gum is applied on the canvas on placed where gold foil is to be pasted. With steady hands, the foil is evenly stuck to the areas, and excess foil is removed and carefully placed for later use. Since gold foil is costly and sticks to the hands, this process is done with great focus, to avoid any wastage.
☀ Once the foil is added and is dried, coloring is done by the artist, using brushes and natural colors or synthetic colors that are available in the market today.
☀ The black Indian ink is used to highlight the areas of the paintings with gold foil, which also reduces the shine of the gold and gives the paintings their characteristic matte finish.
☀ Once the paint is dry, the painting is covered in thin paper and rubbed all over to give it a final touch.
The tools that are the creators of magic on the canvas are an interesting component of any art form. Let us take a look at some of the essential tools of Mysore paintings-
☀ The brushes of the artwork were traditionally made with burnt shoots of tamarind or animal hair but many artists in the modern time use synthetic brushes. The ones that follow their ancestors, swear by the animal hair brush because they break less and give a finer finish to the lines and details.
☀ Charcoal was used as the blackening agent in sketching.
☀ Ceramic tiles are used by many artists even today, for they provide better mixing and consistency to the colors. Fine grains of colors were mixed with water to create the paste for painting.
☀ Artists also use poster colors, for which the excess oil is removed to maintain the non-glossy appearance of Mysore painting.
☀ Arabic gum was made by taking grains of gum and dipping it overnight in water after which it was filtered using a fine cloth like Muslin.
Though both Mysore and Tanjore paintings have evolved from the Vijayanagara murals and thus share visual language and both use gold foil in embellishment, there are certain points that separate the two.
☀ Mysore paintings use no stones or gems in their embellishment. On the other hand, Tanjore paintings are enriched with green, red, white, and other colors of tiny stones and gem pieces that give the canvases a jewellery-like appearance.
☀ The color scheme of Mysore paintings is soothing and gentle, with details that create a rich appeal. In contrast, the Tanjore paintings have a vivid color selection, with sharp contrasts that create alluring visuals.
Among the many artworks loved and sought after by contemporary connoisseurs, Mysore paintings have a small but devoted following. With its appealing articulation of legends and tales of Indian culture, these paintings deserve a much larger audience. Let us take a closer look at a few masterpieces from Exotic India’s collection of Mysore paintings, to see what makes these artworks unique and a gem that needs to be preserved.
Mysore paintings have a charming balance of colors, which has a modern appeal. The selection of hues is done by the artist in a way, that even the deepest colors do not overpower but complement the lighter ones around them, creating a serene canvas that can fit in while standing out when mounted on your walls.
This painting of Mariamman, a form of goddess Durga, where the Devi is wrapped in a dark green color saree and is surrounded by a deep blue background, is the perfect example of the sublime color assortment of Mysore paintings, where each color flatters the other.
The colors used by traditional, classic Mysore paintings are soft pastels, that create a gentle aura on the canvas. With epic themes envisioned in subtle tones, the artists of Mysore paintings achieve a welcoming artwork, that attracts the eye. In this Chaturbhuja Krishna painting made in traditional Mysore style, the choice of colors adds tranquility to the image of Krishna’s divine form, which gives the painting an exalted, devotional ambiance.
The themes in Mysore art are popular episodes of Indian culture, that have a relatability and iconic value across time and space. A great example is this Nataraja with his Shakti, a renowned theme in every art form of India. The grandeur of Nataraja roopa and the devotion of his followers, sages, and Ganas have been beautifully captured in the artwork, with architectural elements that make this painting an aesthetic shrine of Shiva.
Adorned with 24-karat gold but carrying a soft matte finish, Mysore paintings perfectly strike the balance between the opulence of the past and the subtle asthetics of modern times. This splendid Rama’s court painting, covered in gold foil is a beautiful specimen of the gold work done on Mysore paintings, which gives the artwork an air of regalia. Fine lines can be observed all over the gold foils, done using black ink, that softens the shine of the metal, guaranteeing that a Mysore painting will be an expression of elegance and refined artistic sense in any space.
While one can overlook the finer details of an artwork when there is gold to catch your eyes first, the canvases of Mysore offer a brilliant display of lines and finer elements, rendered with precision and dexterity. This Mysore painting of Ganapati sitting on a royal throne surrounded by scenes of celebration and natural beauty includes a vast number of sub-themes within the frame of the painting, each highlighted by the perfection of lines.
The accuracy of the linework makes each component of the painting come out beautifully, speaking volumes about the skills and patience of the painters, who spend days ensuring that every line is drawn with artistic intent and serves a purpose in the artwork.
Expressive features and emotive aura surround the subjects of Mysore paintings, giving these artworks an animated, full-of-life appeal. This contemporary Mysore painting of Krishna with his cows is an alluring example, where a devotional mood has been presented, with Krishna smilingly embracing Surabhi cow, who gazes pleasantly at him. The background- calf drinking his mother’s milk, cowherd boys in comfortable poses, and the foreground where a swan catches a fish captures the liveliness of the forest, making this Mysore painting an elevating piece of narrative art.
Gaining popularity among different patrons and learning from folk as well as classic art forms of its time, Mysore paintings developed a distinct style that caters to the modern connoisseurs as much as it did to the royals of medieval India. Not only did the art form illuminate canvases but it was also used to adorn Ganjifa (a playing card), known as the “Mysore Ganjifa”, painted for the Wodeyar kings with scenes of the Puranas and inscribed with shlokas in Sanskrit, bringing ancient legends to medieval leisurely life.
The Dashavatara Ganjifa, a popular set painted in Mysore style, is an example of the popularity of the technique and asthetics of this artform, often overshadowed by its sibling, the Tanjore school of painting. Sharing much with the Tanjore artworks, Mysore paintings have a rare blend of magnificence of details and minimalism of colors that remains relatively unexplored.
Your email address will not be published *
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist