Exquisite artworkNeha BhatNagar

Sheltered by the Dhauladhar hills, Kangra is home to special miniature paintings. this Pahari style of paintings which first appeared in guler and then in Kangra. Once at their peak in the

18th century, arts of Kangra continued to be a rich centre of Pahari culture till late in the 19th century, after which it declined in its importance and went into oblivion.

Evolving traditionthe pictorial art of Kangra originated in a small hill state of ‘guler’ in the lower himalayas in the first half of the 18th century when few Kashmiri painters versed in Mughal style of painting ar-rived and mingled with the local artists. Since Bhakti cult was the driving force in that period, the artistes adopted themes of eternal love between radha and Krishna unlike the portraits

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The picturesque valley of Kangra attracts one and all. And from its pristine but faded history evolves the tradition of Kangra miniature paintings….

of the kings and royalty. this style reached its zenith during the reign of Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch who was a great patron of Kangra art and an aredent devotee of Krishna. however, fall of regimes and loss of patrons pushed the art form to extinction and very few hands were left to keep it alive.

a true Kangra miniature painting is a journey of many stages like preparation of hand-

made paper, preparation of natural colours, sketching and colouring. It is the art of drawing and the drawing is so precise and fluid, lyrical and naturalistic that the faces possess almost porcelain-like delicacy. even the brushes are made in a very unique way from the hair of squirrels and bird feathers. the sentiment of love remained the inspira-tion and the central theme of Pahari painting

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Making of a true Kangra miniature painting is a journey through many stages

Themes from classical Indian literature like Gita Govinda were portrayed in these paintings

where Krishna leela predominated the shades. Many themes from legends of classical Indian lit-erature like the Bhagwata Purana, gita govinda and the Bihari Sat Sai of Nala-Damayanti were portrayed in these paintings. another prominent subject of the Kangra paintings was the “Bara-masa” (twelve months), inspired from Kavipriya written by poet Keshavdas who described the effect of seasons round the year on the emo-tions of human beings. Skilfull use of brilliant pigments prepared from mineral and vegetable extracts give an enamel-like lustre and freshness to colours and delicacy in execution.

the Kangra painting excels in idealisation of women. the flowing figure of a youthful coy nayika seen in Kangra miniatures is an ideal em-bodiment of youth which is slender, elegant and radiating infinite charm. the free-hand move-ment of sensitive and spontaneous lines painted the landscapes, brooks, springs, trees, birds all floral patterns all very meticulously.

Skillful handPresently, very few painters are practising this pictorial art. Many of them work in obscurity without any means of recognition or hope of sponsorship. Kangra arts Promotion Society (KaPS), is an NgO started by like-minded group of people working to promote and protect the world famous art to restore to its original splendour. “the purpose of KaPS is to ensure that the tradition of Kangra miniature paintings and other arts passes on to the future generations. In order to encourage existing artists and hone new talent, the society started the Chitera School of art to build a treasure of old and new paintings for posterity,” says B K agarwal, president KaPS.

the institute functions as training school-cum-workshop-cum sales centre to train budding painters in the tradition of Kangra School of painting in the guru-Shishya parampara and also to provide a centre for the sale of authentic and quality Kangra paintings.

Situated at the premises of the Museum of Kangra art at Dharamsala, the institute selects students after assessing their basic skills and aptitude toward this art. “the students are made

the Kangra painting excels in idealisation of women

126 June 2011 www.spiceroutemag.com

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Handful of painters making Kangra paintings were unable to make contact with potential buyers, now the artform is somehow reviving

to undergo one-year intensive training under the master artists. each member sponsors one candidate which comes to ` 30,000 per student annually. each student is given a monthly scholar-ship of `1,500 and free art material,” says agarwal.

Beaming cultureWithout any proper opportunity of marketing their art, the handful of painters making Kangra paintings were unable to make contact with potential buyers, who in turn did not have a place from where they can buy authentic and quality miniatures. “When it is revival of some product, there is no ready market. through

KaPS we are providing recognition and market to the Kangra miniature paintings within India and abroad. Moreover, our aim is to make the artist get a living from his art which he has failed to do so far. Money should not be blocked at any level,” he says.

Isn’t it the revival of an almost extinct art form subject of state’s concern? agarwal’s reply to this comes that the himachal Pradesh govern-ment has been providing moral support to the movement but no direct financial aid. at the most, the state government departments buy paintings for gift purposes and interiors. at present three master artists, including a national

awardee, teach at the school and efforts are on to tie up with other schools of art and institu-tions to start a student knowledge exchange programme. KaPS has been working closely with Voice of himachal (VOh), a group of pro-fessionals working for sustainable development in himachal Pradesh, to explore marketing op-portunities for promotion and sale of Kangra art. “ We provide KaPS with management inputs on marketing strategies, marketing plans, volun-tary support to organise exhibits and events, tie-ups with other art galleries etc to reach out to art lovers in general and potential buyers in particular,” says Varun rattan Singh, Founder & CeO, VOh.

Plans are afoot to rope in big hotel chains and corporate houses as bulk buyers besides sup-plying the paintings to handicrafts handlooms, Cottage emporium and other such outlets.

the Kangra arts Promotion Society and VOh are conducting an arts appreciation Course focusing on the Kangra school of paintings next month, June 23 onwards . the three day cer-tificate course aims to introduce the participants to Kangra miniature art and take them through the evolution of this magnificent art form. “It will be a residential course where four master artists will interact with candidates and share expertise. the overall fee per candidate is ` 5500 per person,” informs Varun.

Some good news for the dying art trickles from the offshores as an art school in the Middle east has expressed interest in associating with the Chitera school as they traced common threads in the Persian tradition of miniature paintngs with those of Kangra paintings. “We are in talks with international art galleries interested in Oriental art to make Kangra miniature paintings reach out to international art lovers. We already have members promoting the art in the US,” says agarwal.

skilfull use of brilliant pigments prepared from mineral and vegetable extracts give an enamel-like lustre

128 June 2011 www.spiceroutemag.com