Kalamkari, the word itself reflects the nature of the art
form, Kalam means pen and Kari means
craftsmanship. Together it forms Kalamkari a Persian word
means the art of painting using a pen. It is an ancient style of hand painting
on silk or cotton fabric using bamboo or tamarind pen with natural colures
only. This is a 3000-year-old art tradition practice in Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana in which both hand painting and block printing are involved. Motifs
drawn in Kalamkari are flowers, peacock, paisleys to divine characters of Hindu
epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana. This art is derived from storytelling. In
the ancient period, folk singers and narrators used to travel from village to
village to tell stories about Hindu Mythology to the people of villages. As
time changes this art of telling stories transformed into paintings. This is
how Kalamkari art comes into light. It is a very detailed painting that
ultimately results in a beautiful and elegant masterpiece.
Kalamkari painting is originated during the era of Raja Krishnadeoraya. But it recognition during the Mughal period. They promoted this art in Golconda and Coromandel province where artisans known as Qualamkars used to practice. This art is flourished in Machilipatnam in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh and Shrikalahsti area. The geographical and social structure of any area plays an important role in any art form. Availability of natural row material like wood for making both Kalam and blocks, materials for making dyes as well as ample production of cotton fabric, Suitable climate and abundant river water makes this region ideal for this art to flourish. Further, in the 18th century, this art was promoted as a decorative design on outfits by Britishers.
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| Process Flow of Making Kalamkari |
Kalamkari process is very slow and dynamic in nature. It involves several before and after painting treatments such as washing and drying, dyeing, bleaching, hand painting, block-printing, starching and cleaning and many more. this process involves 23 steps. many of the steps involve washing and drying the fabric.
The fabric is first washed thoroughly to remove starch and other oils from it. After the drying, the fabric is dipped in the solution of cow dunk and bleach for an hour. It gives the fabric uniform off white colour. After drying the fabric is again immersed in the solution of buffalo milk, myrobalans bud pest (karkapinde) and myrobalans flower pest (karakapoovy) for five to ten minutes. It helps to avoid smudging of colours during painting as only natural colours were used to paint. After sun drying the fabric is washed into running water to get rid of buffalo milk. After drying into the sunlight the fabric is ready to paint.
once the fabric is ready for printing the artist sketches the motifs and designs on fabric. The initial drawing is made using the charcoal pencil made from burnt twigs of the tamarind tree. The outline of the design is traced using the Kalam- a bamboo pen and Kaaram- an iron black solution which is made by the mixture of cane jaggery, palm jaggery and iron fillings with water. this solution is kept for around twenty days before it is used. For this, the bamboo pen is used which is carve to get a sharp tip. near the tip, the cotton ball is wrapped and tied with thread which absorbs the solution to create ease of painting. the bamboo pen is dipped into the solution and while drawing the cotton ball is squeezed gently to else the solution. A piece of cotton is used to blot the excess liquid.
The fabric is first washed thoroughly to remove starch and other oils from it. After the drying, the fabric is dipped in the solution of cow dunk and bleach for an hour. It gives the fabric uniform off white colour. After drying the fabric is again immersed in the solution of buffalo milk, myrobalans bud pest (karkapinde) and myrobalans flower pest (karakapoovy) for five to ten minutes. It helps to avoid smudging of colours during painting as only natural colours were used to paint. After sun drying the fabric is washed into running water to get rid of buffalo milk. After drying into the sunlight the fabric is ready to paint.
once the fabric is ready for printing the artist sketches the motifs and designs on fabric. The initial drawing is made using the charcoal pencil made from burnt twigs of the tamarind tree. The outline of the design is traced using the Kalam- a bamboo pen and Kaaram- an iron black solution which is made by the mixture of cane jaggery, palm jaggery and iron fillings with water. this solution is kept for around twenty days before it is used. For this, the bamboo pen is used which is carve to get a sharp tip. near the tip, the cotton ball is wrapped and tied with thread which absorbs the solution to create ease of painting. the bamboo pen is dipped into the solution and while drawing the cotton ball is squeezed gently to else the solution. A piece of cotton is used to blot the excess liquid.
The area which is needed to be painted red, alum water is applied with the blunt pen. To get a darker red colour little amount of Kasim is added to the alum solution and to get a lighter red colour alum solution is applied only once. Generally, the background of these paintings is painted red. The fabric painted with Kasim and alum is air-dried for two days and washed in running water. This fabric is boiled in a mixture of water and natural dye material for about 30 minutes. Once the red colour appears, the fabric is removed and taken to the river to wash it. The fabric is washed until it gets completely bleached. During this process, the coloured areas remain the same where the rest of the fabric get whitened. After this, the fabric is again dipped into buffalo milk to avoid further smudging of colours.
The red coloured fabric is taken to further painting. The painting is done very carefully to avoid the mixing of two colours as it is a very crucial process. Initially, the yellow colour is filled to the desired areas which followed by green and rose. Generally, the blue colour is filled last. Colouring is done using tapered edge kalam.
There are two major types of Kalamkari paintings: 1. Machilipatnam style 2. Shrikalahasti style. In Machilipatnam style fabric is printed with hand-carved blocks and with integrated details painted by hands. It can be monochromatic in nature. The different blocks are used for different colours and one for the basic design. For this, the line drawing is not necessary. Whereas Shrikalahasti style is inspired from the Hindu mythology. It describes the scenes from the epics. This style holds a strong connection to the religious traditions as it originated from temples.
Nowadays Kalamkari paintings are widely used to make sarees. But it is not limited to it. Many fashion attires have kalamkari paintings on it. It has a booming market in and outside of India. Many outfits made in Kalamkari paintings are accepted by the people of all the generation as it has a beautiful combination of traditional and modern trends with natural colours and integrated and vibrant design
This Kalamkari painting art is the legacy that passed from the generation to generation throughout the decades. Till today many families in Andhra Pradesh are practising this art and it serves as a primary source of their livelihood. Due to the vibrant design, use of natural colours only this art is the symbol of the rich cultural heritage of that area.
Reference
Image courtesy: Internet
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