TANJORE PAINTING HISTORY & TECHNIQUES

TANJORE PAINTING 

Thanjavur painting is a classical South Indian painting style, which was inaugurated from the town of Thanjavur (anglicized as Tanjore) and spread across the adjoining and geographically contiguous Tamil country. The art form draws its immediate resources and inspiration from way back about 1600 AD, a period when the Nayakas of Thanjavur under the suzerainty of the Vijayanagara Rayas encouraged art—chiefly, classical dance and music—as well as literature, both in Telugu and Tamil and painting of chiefly Hindu religious subjects in temples.

History

Thanjavur and worked under the patronage of the Thanjavur Nayakas. Subsequently, the Maratha rulers who defeated the Thanjavur Nayakas began to nurture the Thanjavur atelier. Needless to say, the artists absorbed the local influences and the individual tastes of their Maratha patrons which helped evolve the unique Thanjavur style of painting.

Vijayanagara Rayas

The Vijayanagar empire, founded by Harihara and Bukka, was for long a bulwark against the rapidly advancing Islamic influence from the nearby Deccan and the farther North. While the foreign influences did gradually percolate into the Peninsular South, the Vijayanagar empire ensured that the older Hindu artistic traditions were protected and preserved.

Thanjavur Nayakas

The Vijayanagar Rayas administered their vast kingdom through Nayaka Governors who also administered the outlying provinces or states under the supervision of the Raya. 

 Achyutappa was succeeded by his son Raghunatha Nayaka who in turn was succeeded by Vijayaraghava Nayaka. Raghunatha, who was possibly the most successful Thanjavur Nayaka ruler, was also a great patron of art and artists and helped establish the unique school of Thanjavur artists who later evolved the Thanjavur style of paintings under the Marathas.

Marathas

Due to internal dissensions in the Nayaka line, Ekoji otherwise called Venkoji (1676–83), half-brother of Chatrapati Shivaji marched into Thanjavur on behalf of the Adil Shah of Bijapur under whom he was a General. He subsequently captured Thanjavur and established the Maratha rule. 

                                                                      

  Style and Technique

Paintings in addition to being done on canvas, were also done on walls, wooden panel, glass, paper, mica and exotic media such as ivory. Small Ivory portraits were typically worn as cameo pendants called rajaharam and were quite popular.

The shading in Thanjavur art was more to create a feeling of depth than to conform to the European conventions of lighting and perspective.

Tanjore and Mysore paintings

Tanjore and Mysore paintings, both spring from the same source - Vijayanagara paintings to begin with and Nayaka paintings subsequently. The very same artists, Chitragars and Naidus migrated to various places including Thanjavur and Mysore.

 In Mysore paintings, the jewellery, costumes, architectural features, furniture, etc. reflect the contemporary style prevalent in the Mysore Palace. 

Tanjore paintings in Company style

The British Museum and The Victoria and Albert Museum have an enviable collection of such paintings.

 The paintings were usually executed on European paper, without gesso work, little or no Gold foil and without any glass or gem inlay.


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