All strung together

Colourful threads, plenty of nails, plywood, some geometry, symmetry and visualisation – voila! Your string art is ready. It sounds easy, but is an intricate art work that requires patience and vision. This art form stands out especially when it shows an important historical event. A case in point is the coronation ceremony of Shivaji Maharaj done by Rahul Thakare, a self-taught string art artist. 

Originally from Gondia, Thakare completed his post-graduation in Marathi this year from Savitribai Phule Pune University. He imbibed the art form from his aunt who learnt it at a workshop. Says he, “My aunt attended a string art workshop and she used to practise it at home. I would observe how she would place the nails and turn and twist the thread to create these intricate patterns. Back then, I never practised the art form. It was only after coming to Pune that I thought about teaching it to fellow students.”

It began as a hobby and grew into serious passion when Thakare realised that his friends and other students were enjoying it. “I then took efforts to learn new curves and designs. I tried my hand at everything, be it floral designs, shapes and even landscapes. I also ventured into portraits because the threads actually add life to the image and stands out,” says the youngster, who has strung together a portrait of Girish Bapat, who became a Member of Parliament from Pune recently. 

Thakare, then goes on to talk about his most intricate work yet – of Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation ceremony. Says he, “I had taken my ready art work to be framed, when the man at the shop remarked that I should work on the coronation ceremony. He seemed impressed with my work.”

The 29-year-old gave the suggestion a thought and decided that he would give it a go. “The idea stayed with me and after a month or so of planning, I started working on it full time. The coronation ceremony has been depicted quite often in dominant art mediums. So I thought I should execute this idea in string art. The scene has been done on a 8 ft x 4 ft plywood using 43,000 nails and threads in reds, blues, yellows etc. 

The nailing procedure lasted for over 28 days and the entire artwork took five months to be completed,” says Thakare. 

The artist is also contemplating registering this piece of art in Guinness Book of Records. He would like to exhibit it too, but there are some constraints, one of which is finances.  “As a student with limited access to finance, I cannot have solo exhibitions. I have been participating with other artists, but in such situations, no particular art work is highlighted. I think that is the reason why many art forms are now on the decline. I want string art to reach out to many people and so I am planning to hold workshops in the near future and teach as many people as possible in the city,” concludes Thakare.