Why is Tanjore painting so popular? One of the most important causes is that it is very attractive. This type of art is inspired by traditional Indian subjects like saris, embroidery, flower arranging, flower arrangements, flower photography, and many more. What makes it attractive? Tanjore painting has its charm, which is why this type of art is so much in demand.
Why Type of Abstract is Tanjore Painting
Tanjore paintings are a type of abstract art form developed in the mid-16th century by craftsmen in the Tamilnadu region of southern India and Tanjore. This art form depicts spiritual, feminine, and natural images in various sizes, shapes, and colors.
This ancient art form dates back to Tanjore, capital of the spacious Chola Empire, and is still popular among modern Indian ladies for showcasing their feminine, artistic inclination, and preferences. The artwork of this period depicts Hindu myths and legends, divine stories, wildlife, nature, art, human anatomy, and architecture.
Facts About Tanjore Painting
The facts of Tanjore painting reveal how this art form evolved from being a highly popular regional artwork in Tamil Nadu to be a global favorite in European and American museums. Some of the most popular artists of this period paintings include Madhubala Mankara, Ramakar Mankara, Velayudham Sankrant, Velayudham Elva, and Velayudham Parambikul.
This is also the time when Elova was discovered. Velayudham Sankrant was an acclaimed artist whose works sold for thousands at auction. He produced exceptionally well-detailed paintings of people and nature, which formed the English version of Indian myth and legend.
Velayudham Elva is believed to be the true father of Tamil Nadu art because he illustrated important works by Vayu Raja Ravi, Sundaram, and Velayudham Sankrant, a peninsular region of Tamil Nadu called Veliyampathi in the early 16th century.
One of the fascinating facts of Tanjore painting is that it contains some real gold images, which are extremely rare. One such painting, in particular, Veliyampathi Kayal, was recently found in Veliyampathi village of Tamil Nadu and is believed to belong to Velayudham Sankrant (r. 16th century). The exact origin of Veliyampathi Kayal is not known, but it is believed to have originated from Veliyampathi in West Bengal, where there was a large community of Kalingas. The Kalingas were renowned for their skill in making real gold objects.
Another Important Fact of Thanjavur Painting
Another interesting fact about Tanjore paintings is that they owed their origins to paintings when gold was just starting to enter the Indian market. Since gold had started to be used as a means of exchange in Indian markets, craftsmen started to experiment with new ways of creating different kinds of art forms using gold. The artists started experimenting with new things, and soon enough, real gold was discovered in the soil of Veliyampathi, located near Belgaum. As a result, this region became known as Veliyampathi.
After this period, all the places in Tamil Nadu started to gain fame because of being the hub of gold manufacturing. Veliyampathi was among the towns which had been particularly noted for its production of real gold. It is interesting to note that this was not the only place to manufacture real gold foils. There were other places too, which became famous for this. But, since Veliyampathi and Belgaum were the hubs of production in this region, it came to be known as Veliyampathi & Belgaum.
Conclusion
This has led to the conclusion that Veliyampathi was where Indian artists and craftsmen first started experimenting with this art form. Has the first art form to be launched when people realized that there was money to be made from selling paintings. It is interesting to note that the process of selling paintings was not new. Has been extant for almost two thousand years. However, the role that Veliyampathi & Belgaum played in making this art form popular is largely overlooked by people.
However, all this does not take away from the fact that these paintings have helped shape the history of Tamil Nadu and the country. These facts of Tanjore’s painting will always remain as eternal as the hills that these pictures depict. These pictures tell the story of a bygone era that is still present today in the form of heritage. Veliyampathi & Belgaum where evolved some of the first art forms, and the people from these regions still carry on the art of Veliyampathi & Belgaum to this very day.
