Kalamkari is originally an ancient style of hand painting done on canvas or cotton or silk fabric with a tamarind or bamboo pen, using natural dyes. The word Kalamkari is derived from a Persian word where ‘kalam‘ means pen and ‘Kari’ refers to craftsmanship.
It is amazing that a 3000-year-old craft of pen Kalamkari still survives, unaltered and majestic in its very simplicity. Absorbing various influences like screen printing, the craft has managed to retain its traditional identity and unique character indeed. Whether hand-painted or block-printed, the traditional designs and motifs of the craft speak a language of their own.
History
The early origins of this art form were portrayed in the form of religious tapestry as temple scrolls. They adorned the ceilings and corridors of the temples as mural paintings. Later on, the imagery transformed into a textile design revealing the very soul of Indian culture.
The Islamic culture took a larger synthesis of this art form and not to mention, their inherent love for natural motifs surfaced in the Kalamkari fabrics of that time. The lotus, the palm, the mango, the peacock, and also the elephant motifs intermingled and blended in their design.
Kalamkari was born out of the art of story-telling. In ancient times, people used to travel from village to village and told stories; some of them even drew it on a canvas.
During the Mughal era, this art got its recognition. The very detailed and complicated painting that results in beautiful as well elegant designs is characteristic of Kalamkari. Those designs and colors are very vibrant and bright. After being world-famous, the artisans modernized the designs and came up with new ideas as well as themes. These artisans came up with innovative ideas highly influenced by Persian motifs, Hindu mythology, and religious symbols; that gave an identification to Kalamkari designs. Designs are drawn generally by freehand using a pen and further, the filling is also completely done with the hand. This art generally involves the use of earthy colors like mustard, indigo, rust, green and black.
Characteristics
Natural dyes used to paint colors in this art are extracted by blending jaggery, iron fillings, alum, and water to outline sketches. Alum is for making natural dyes and also for treating the fabric. Alum ensures the stability of the color in the fabric. Soaking in resin and cow milk gives a characteristic shine to the fabric. The use of cow dung, seeds, crushed flowers, and different varieties of plants is to achieve different effects on fabric.
Drying after every single application of dye on the fabric is essential for better results. One of the recent applications of this art is a choice of preference to depict Buddha and Buddhist art forms. Kalamkari saree is one such handloom work that requires art, dedication, and love for paintings for making them a rich and elegant choice.
In the first place, the function of a painting was to convey a story. The artists were experts in iconography and stories of the epics. The use of specific colors is also an interesting fact about this art which is a characteristic symbol to depict a mood. for example, red is for rajas (a violent emotion) depiction and white or yellow for sattvic emotions.
The initial representation of Kalamkari art was as religious paintings that depicted Indian Gods. Motifs drawn in this ancient art include flowers, peacocks, paisleys, and also divine characters from Ramayana and Mahabharata. Kalamkari started off during the Mughal dynasty and presently Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of such fabric.
Process of Kalamkari
The process of making Kalamkari fabric involves 23 steps. This involves bleaching fabric, softening it, drying it in sun, preparing natural dyes, air drying, and washing. The entire procedure is intricate and requires an eye for detailing. Generally, cotton fabric is a preferred choice for making; however, silk fabric is also one of the picks. The fabric is first treated with a solution of cow dung and bleach. After keeping the fabric in this solution, it gets a uniform off-white color. To avoid smudging of dyes on the Kalamkari fabric, it is also dipped in a mixture of buffalo milk and myrobalans. Washing twenty times and sun-drying is the next step. After this, the fabric is ready for printing. Kalamkari designs are then painted on the fabric, by hand. These fabrics include minute details and it is painted using natural dyes.
Types Of Kalamkari
There are two identifiable types of Kalamkari:
One is a fully hand-painted style, which is essentially narrative in character, and often religious. The major center for this Kalamkari is the temple town of Srikalahasti. It includes Kalamkari designs inspired by Hindu mythology, that describe the scenes from the epics.
In contrast, the other style is the block-printed style, which has a wider application in garments and articles of everyday use. The Centre for block-printed Kalamkari is Machilipatnam. In this style, Kalamkari designs are generally printed with hand-carved blocks with intricate details, printed by hand.
Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh are two prime states where two different types of Kalamkari designs practiced. Andhra Pradesh borrows its Kalamkari design inspiration from forts, palaces, and temples, along with animal and bird motifs; while Gujarat borrows its Kalamkari design inspiration from mythological characters.
Global Impact
Amongst the Indian textile tradition, the simple cotton Kalamkari fabric had a greater impact and revolutionized the garment trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. The vibrant jewel-bright colors, printed and painted, caught the fancy of women in not only England but also France and became the fashion for daily wear. Kalamkari fabrics, dubbed as chintz, by the English traders, formed a major part of the trade of the East India Company.
Revival
The block-printed and screen-printed versions of the art have had a brutal assault over the pen Kalamkari tradition.
Kalamkari is an intricate art form and requires a tedious technique in its making; because of which the art of Kalamkari was losing its shine. With the emergence of high-quality machine looms and acceptance for printed textiles; this art came on the verge of extinction. However, printed Kalamkari is a new craze among the current generation, as it is a combination of traditional and modern trends.
The fashion industry came together to revive this art and helped artisans of Andhra Pradesh for practicing this art. Kalamkari sarees, dresses, and blouses are a huge running trend. Several fashion designers beautifully portrayed kalamkari sarees on fashion runways and got a great response.
Many artists produce items of furnishings and fabrics made out of these prints.
Even when the realization and awareness for homegrown art were low, it was designers like Gaurang Shah who helped revive this art by inculcating it in high fashion and made us fall in love with it all over again.
Gaurang Shah addressed young millennials in his interview, “I would like them to imbibe in their minds that Indian textiles are unparalleled in the world of fashion. It has its charm and distinctive appeal. I would like to influence young designers and design students to advance the importance of Indian weaves and restore the faith in our rich culture and heritage that is also the future of fashion, through their creative ways.”
“So, wear them, style them in your ways. Flaunt them with confidence. This will be the biggest contribution you will make both as a designer and consumer which will go a long way in expanding the traditional art and growing their tribe.”
References
- https://thedesigncart.com/blogs/news/kalamkari
- https://www.sundarisilks.com/blogs/article/the-legacy-of-kalamkari
- https://peachmode.com/blog/kalamkari-know-all-about-the-art/
- https://swirlster.ndtv.com/style/independence-day-special-kalamkari-creating-art-on-fabric-2279514
