Art forms recently in news

Why in news?

• At the recent Quad Summit held at Tokyo, PM Modi carried with him gifts for leaders of the US, Australia and Japan showcasing India’s rich cultural heritage and art forms.

Sanjhi Art form:

• This art form originated in Mathura and in Vrindavan this art form reached its peak.
• This art form originated out of the cult of Krishna.
• It involves creating stencils based on incidents from the life of the deity and then hand-cutting these on thin sheets of paper using scissors.
• Sanjhi was popularised in the 15th and 16th centuries by the Vaishnava temples and was practiced by Brahmin priests.

Gond paintings

• Gond paintings are a form of painting from folk and tribal art that is practiced by one of the largest tribes in India – Gonds
• While Gond paintings are considered to be from predominantly from Madhya Pradesh, it is also quite common in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhatisgarh and Odisha
• Source of inspiration
  • According to the Gond belief system, each and everything whether it is a hill, river, rock or a tree is inhabited by a spirit and, consequently, is sacred.
  • So the Gond people paint them as a form of respect and reverence
• Style:
  • It uses of bright vivid colours such as white, red, blue and yellow.
  • Gond paintings can best be described as ‘on line work’. Lines are used in such a way that it conveys a sense of movement to the still images.

Rogan painting:

• PM Modi gifted the Japanese PM a hand-carved deep brown wooden box with a gold and white Rogan painting on a green cloth as its central motif.
• Rogan is a form of cloth painting that is considered to be more than four centuries old and is primarily practised in Kutch district of Gujarat.
• The word ‘rogan’ comes from Persian, meaning varnish or oil.
• The craft uses paint made from boiled oil and vegetable dyes.
• Usually, only half the fabric is painted and it is folded to create a mirror image.
• Originally only men used to practice the art form. Now several women in Gujarat also pursue it.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements:

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer