Kalamkari

The kalamkari is a traditional pictorial art of the Andhra Pradesh, in the south of the India. It is about a fabric of unbleached Coton, painted with the hand using a feather or by impression with blocks of wood, by using vegetable dyeings. This form of art draws its name from the kalam (“Calame”) used to carry out these complex reasons. The traditional topics are the representation of epic and the Purana S (Indian mythology), as well as the floral reasons. During ages, the iconography grew rich according to the tastes by the purchasers and imagination by the artist: miniatures Moghol be, trees of life, Persian carpets, scenes of the daily life, etc

History of the kalamkari

Very old, this art knew its apogee in the rich person kingdom of Golconde, (the current city of Hyderabad) with the Middle Ages thanks to the development of the commercial exchanges with the Perse.

The kalamkari was exerted during centuries by many families in Andhra Pradesh, for which it constituted the means of living.

In old times, groups of singers, musicians and painters, called Chitrakattis , moved village in many village to tell with an audience the great epopees of mythology hindouist. Progressively of the course of the history, they illustrated their account using large bolts of canvas painted on the spot with rudimentary means, and dyeings extracted from plants. The first kalamkari had been born. In the same way one found in the temples hindouists of large panels of Kalamkari representing of the episodes of Indian mythology following the example stained glasses of the Christian cathedrals.

Although the kalamkari knew a certain decline, it seems that he regains a certain popular regard in India, even if it is especially appreciated abroad. As of the 18th century, it was used by the British like decorative element and of clothing.

Technique

The cotton fabric, is glossy by immersion during one hour in a mixture of myrabalam (resin) and of cow's milk. Contours and reasons are then drawn with a point in bamboo soaked in a mixture of jagré fermented and water; one one by one applies then the vegetable dyeings. After each color, the kalamkari is washed. Thus, each fabric can undergo up to 20 washings. Various effects are also obtained with dung of cow, seeds, plants and flowers crushed.

External bonds

general Presentation of the Descriptive kalamkari
of the various stages of the creation of a part of kalamkari
Gallery of photographs

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