Tanjavur Paintings, The Devotional Themes

Origin of Tanjavur paintings:

Thanjavur Painting has a peculiar style of painting. The paintings belonged to the ancient and miniature style of painting. The images flourished in Thanjavur, so the pictures are named after the place.
Tanjavur paintings’ style has been followed widely by the people in Tamilnadu for the past two centuries. The painting style is deeply rooted in ancient times, especially during the 16 to 18th centuries Tha. Marata Princes, Vijaynagar kings and Naidus of Madurai patronized thanjavur art. The Tanjavur art is still very sacred and deeply attached to the tradition.

The theme of Thanjavur Painting:

The themes of the Tanjavur paintings are primarily of Gods and Goddesses. During the 16 to 18th centuries, Tanjavur and many rulers and kings constructed many striking temples, which impacted the people in tradition and culture. So the Tanjavur artists were also impressed by God’s devotion and value and painted Gods and Goddesses. In these paintings, we can see the figures are round and divine. Most of the images would depict Child Krishna and his various pranks. Pictures of other deities were also created magnificently by the artists. Still, images have a lot of demand, and artists still follow the old methods to draw the figures of deities.

Style of Thanjavur Paintings:

The artists crafted the pictures meticulously, making the images unique. The painting would be bright and colourful and seems very beautiful. The illustrations glow in the dark rooms due to their vibrant colours, dashes of gold and semi-precious stones. The paintings add beauty and culture to their surroundings. Usually, people prefer to decorate these paintings in Puja rooms in residences, arcades in significant hotels and lobbies in corporate offices. These paintings are also used as gift articles during festivals, weddings, and special occasions.

The technique of Thanjavur Paintings:

The painting subjects were adopted from the Hindu mythologies but were mainly used to paint Hindu deities and saints. Lord Krishna is the main subject to paint. Other religious themes are also depicted beautifully in Tanjavur paintings. These paintings are usually made of wood and cloth canvas. The images have also been done on wooden panels, glass paper, mica and exotic media such as ivory.