R. Lavanya, who excels in Thanjavur painting, has taken to recreating the heritage art through rangoli floor decoration using coloured powder.
She recently showcased the art with samples of Yashodha-Krishna and Krishnan Vennai Thaali drawn and filled in with glittering rangoli powder on the floor of her Sri Ranga Tanjore Art Gallery on Amma Mandapam Road at Srirangam.
“Most people are familiar with costly framed Thanjavur paintings that are usually displayed on walls. Recreating them as rangoli pictures will make it more accessible to the public. And they will also provide a talking point to social gatherings,” Ms. Lavanya told The Hindu.
Measuring 30 inches by 24 inches, each of the rangoli designs took Ms. Lavanya and her seven assistants around five hours to create. “We have tried to stay as true to the painting methodology as possible. For larger areas, we used regular kolam powders. Around seven glitter powders were used for the special focus spots on the paintings. We got through at least 20 quarter kg powder packets,” she said.
Ms. Lavanya, who is also a certified teacher of Thanjavur painting, said she copied the original design from the collection of drawings handed down to her by her father, L. Ramanujam. “The designs were enlarged digitally and photocopied according to our requirement, but were printed in sections. I glued all the different parts into one huge poster, and then using carbon paper, traced out the design on the floor. We filled in the outlines with the powders. Getting the skin tones and the play of light and shadow right are crucial to Thanjavur painting.” .
For public floor displays, she added movable wooden strips embellished with metallic foil paper to ‘frame’ the paintings. “This will keep the artwork safe from inadvertent damage, besides making it look authentic.”
The rangoli renditions may also be a more affordable way to enjoy Thanjavur art. “Due to the labour involved, Thanjavur paintings of this size have a market value of at least ₹20,000, while a rangoli painting will cost Rs. 10,000,” Ms. Lavanya said.
However, regular paintings definitely score in longevity. “Once the function is over, the rangoli will have to be swept off the floor, unlike paintings that can last for several centuries,” she pointed out.