Thanjavur as it was called in the olden days, had been a city of great cultural importance and has witnessed the genesis and development of several forms of arts and crafts. Besides being a place for excellence in arts and crafts, Tanjore also has been a place of commercial and political importance, historically.
It was during the Chola period Thanjavur rose in its status as a significant contributor to the socio-economic and cultural development of the country. The mastery over craft and the excellence in engineering knowledge acquired by the Tanjore craft persons are amply demonstrated by those imposing and towering temple structures.
The majestic temple gopurams is not only an engineering marvel but also reflects the dexterity of the sculpt work. The intricate work on stone still remains an enigma.
These gopurams have withstood the ravages of time and stands testimony to mastery of Tanjore craft and architecture prevalent in those days. The Bragadeswarar temple and the Raja Rajeswari temple are standing examples of this.
Craft and art associated with architecture or other faculties of expression were essentially based on the culture prevailing then. Manifestations in the form of temples and art relating to God based themes were a result of the 'bhakthi' culture (which was best represented by the Hindus with their devotion to God) prevalent in those days.
The visual art pertaining to the traditional Tanjore School, now more popularly known as Tanjore Art had its genesis in the early 18th century or probably even before.
Influence of art forms of Karnataka and Andhraand orissa are fairly evident in this style of art. The art is a unique mixture of the staunch belief in god and goddesses, which reflected the bhakti culture and the ability to create and build attractive works of art in the visual media.
While the growth and development of the Tanjore art can be traced over a fairly long period between 1700 to 1900, the major thrust and impetus to the art was given during the period when the city was ruled by the Marathas. The art became popular during the Maratha period and received extensive royal patronage, especially during the time when Sarabhoji II reigned (1797-1833). Like any other arts and crafts in India during the ancient days, the patrons received the accolade for promoting art and craft forms while the actual artists and craft persons remained anonymous.
Tanjore art is a natural extension of the skill and dexterity of the Tanjore craftsmen. The art is more skill oriented and it demands a lot of attention on fineness and perfection. It does not call for major ability for innovation and creativity. Tanjore Art is basically iconic. Figures of Hindu gods and goddesses are the normal themes. Siva, Parvati, Rama, Krishna, Lakshmi, Saraswathi and other gods and goddesses in different forms are depicted in this art form. If the depiction represents an event in the Hindu mythology, the main figure is supported with smaller figures as demanded by the theme.
Rama Pattabishekam or Coronation of Lord Rama is a typical rendering in the Tanjore style where several figures are painted to bring out the reality of the thematic situation. The style and modality have undergone some minor variations due to contemporary demands.
The traditional art was done on a single wooden board covered with a layer of cloth pasted on it. The cloth is coated with a compound of an adhesive and a smoothening agent. Today this compound is normally a mixture of 'Fevicol' and French chalk powder or Plaster of Paris mixed with appropriate quantity of water. In earlier times lime white was used.
After the application of the compound, the surface of the board along with the cloth is polished with a smooth stone or a glass stone to make the surface of the board smooth and even. This would facilitate the artist to work freely on the board and also ease the movement of the painting brush. Now the canvass is ready for taking the sketch.
A sketch is made with the finer details of the icons and the surroundings including the areas where the gems are to be placed and the relief work is to be made. In the case of a professional artist who creates several art works, in view of the repetitive nature of the painting, the artist maintains a master.
The master is transferred to the board through a carbon. Care should be taken at this stage to provide a margin recess on all the four sides of the board to accommodate the frame, once the painting is completed. Once the detailed sketching has been completed, the gems are placed. In the earlier days, especially the paintings that were patronised by the royalty, these gems were precious stones.
Currently semi-precious stones are used.
The adhesive medium in the conventional art is a paste made of tamarind seed. (in orissa also same method is following for patta chitra )With the development of newer form of art materials, the adhesive media, which is more popular, is Fevicol.
The gems are stuck at the appropriate places and a compound is applied to form the relief work. In the earlier days, the compound was made of unboiled lime powder mixed with glue.
Fevicol or other forms of glue mixed with French chalk powder or Plaster of Paris is more widely used currently to form the relief work. Execution of the relief work is a critical component of the painting. For the painting to be attractive, the relief work should be extremely fine and intricate.
The application of the compound is done through different methods- either with a help of brush or through piece of small cotton bag filled with the compound and made to eject through a hole pierced in it or with the help of a cone as done in the application of mehndi. Use of brush yields better results for doing the relief work.
The relief work enables to give the picture a three dimensional effect. The gems are also embedded in the compound so that they get firmly placed on the board. The possibility of the gems falling out is extremely remote.
The relief work is covered by sticking gold leaves or foils on them. The gold foils are thin so as to bring out the profile of the relief work after they are stuck. Pasting the gold foils over the relief work is again a delicate work - they need to be cut to size so as to en