Santals mostly paint vertical scrolls, and their Chitrakars paint yamapata scrolls on paper, mounted on cloth, hung on a bamboo frame, and recite happy or unhappy destinies of human beings after death in the realm of Yama, the land of death. Jadu patuas, magician scroll painters save the Santal dead from wandering blindly and aimlessly in the after world by chakshudana, gift of the eyes, by inserting pupils in the sightless eyes in their portraits. Santal motifs on marriage litter are done in precise economic lines, eschewing the cursive lines, curve and opulence of the scrolls done for rural Bengal. The Jadupats are made in madder red, burnt sienna, indigo and ochre.
Santals, like Gonds, Baigas, Konds, Juangs and Saoras decorate their doors with cobra hoods, wavy lines, lozenges, loops, frames with zigzag lines and squares, by gouging out the designs from the wood. They carve their seat back with intermeshed threaded patterns. They have moved away from colours obtained from nature for decorating their houses on festive occasions. They have adapted synthetic colours to produce for the market. However, they have continued to use scenes connected with subsistence practices of hunting, gathering, fishing, herding of cattle, agricultural labour, or with games, kite flying, fluting, swinging, drumming, and, with the wild and domesticated fauna surrounding them. These scenes are mostly enclosed within decorative winding frames of creepers, culminating in flowers or fruits, and use trees as the focal element. Figures are offered in profile, men being shown mostly with bare trunks and knee length dhotis, women in three quarter length saris, both without footwear. The mystic fantasy of Santal folklore, the empathy of Santal poetry create a different idiom from the polychromatic splendors of Gond painting, the pulsating rhythm, geometric rigor, optic tension of Warli art, and the hieratic symmetry of Madhubani art. But, Santal art has the hallmark of simplicity. It uses meagre means to magnificent effect, to create a sedate, calm and contemplative atmosphere.
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist