Pichwai art – The traditional folk art of Rajasthan.

Hello friends! Welcome back to Smruti’s Art corner. I am back with one more beautiful traditional wall décor. This traditional wall décor represents the culture of Rajasthan state. From long time I was thinking to make painting of Rajasthani art and I tried Pichwai art. I really loved and enjoyed doing pichwai art. No wonder that Rajasthan has been called “designer state” as far as tourism is concerned because of its rich heritage, culture, cuisine, customs and art forms.

What is the meaning of Pichwai?

The word Pichwai stands for hanging at the back. Sanskrit word “Pich” means back and “wai” means hanging. Udaipur’s Nathdwara temple is considered to be the origin of this art form that has now become a polular sight in many home and exhibitions.

Themes

There is a story behind each Pichwai painting and all these stories begin with the event that happened in Lord krishna’s life.

Here are some of the themes in Pichwai art:

Annakut Pichwai:

It represents the story of young Krishna protecting villagers from Lord Indra’s wrath by lifting govardhan parvat on his little finger to save them from a heavy downpour.

Raas Leela Pichwai:

This Pichwai is based on the famous theme of raas leela, the joyful dance of Krishna and Radha. Raas leela is a part of traditional stories of Krishna where he dances with Radha and gopis that symbolize a union of soul with the lord.

Summer Pichwais:

Different seasons and events in Lord Krishna’s life are depicted in pichwais. Some pichwais created in summer season. Radiant pink lotuses adorn pichwais hung in summer to offer Krishna some respite from the heat.

Before we start knowing the history of Pichwai art let’s go through some FAQ’s about Pichwai art-

What is Pichwai drawing?

As we have already discussed Pichwai (pichvai) is a style of painting that originated over 400 years ago, in the town of Nathdwara near Udaipur in Rajasthan, India. Intricate and visually eye-catching, pichwai paintings, made on cloth, portray tales from Lord Krishna’s life.

What is Pichwai art famous?

Pichwai painting is a traditional Indian art originated in Rajasthan, India. Pichwai art features intricate painting portraying Lord Krishna which is done on fabric using dark rich hues.

How are Pichwai paintings made?

Originally Pichwai was painted on the handspun starched cotton fabric. The artisans would then sketch the art on that starched cloth. Then the decorative and beautiful images were created. The images were then ready to be painted with completely organic and natural colors, paints and even natural brushes.

What Colors are used in Pichwai painting?

The main colors used are red, green, and yellow, among others. The Pichwai paintings are renowned for their depiction of festivals such as Janmashtami, Sharad Purnima, Raas Leela, Diwali, among others through their paintings.

Story behind Pichwai art:

Pichwai art originated in Rajasthan’s Nathadwara temple, almost 400 years ago. The story behind Pichwai art – In 1672, a divinity representing Lord Krishna’s avatar as a 7-year-old was being transported from Mathura via Agra. The bullock cart’s wheel got stuck in the mud and devout saw this as a divine intervention from Lord Krishna to build a temple here. Pichwai paintings were born in this Nathadwara temple. Pichwai art is most famous artworks devoted to revering and adoring Shrinathji. The Nathdwara temple is known for hanging Pichwai artworks depicting Shrinathji, behind the divinity.

Since Pichwais paintings are a way of expressing love and devotion towards Lord Krishna, they are filled with relevant motifs and dazzling colors. These include common motifs like lotuses, cows, trees, peacocks and gopis. It is interesting to note how each of these motifs has a symbolic significance. While Pichwai art may have originated in a temple, all paintings are not religious in nature. Perhaps, this is why Pichwai famous paintings have found a humble abode in the walls of many living rooms and offices. Many Pichwais simply depict serene scenes of flora and fauna, with motifs like lotuses, peacocks and cows. They are excellent options for large wall fine art for living room decorations.

Pichwai famous paintings have a bright color palette consisting of red, yellow, black and green, which are some of the most common hues.

Nowadays Pichwai art is no longer restricted to the temple walls and decorate the walls of homes and offices. In fact, they are now also found on cushion covers, carpets, etc.

Watch complete video tutorial on YouTube

Rajasthan is a state of art and is known for its rich heritage. When I hear about Rajasthan, the first thing comes to my mind is colorful handicrafts that represents Rajasthani culture. Rajasthan is not only famous for handicrafts but also famous for textile, semi precious stone work, food, song, dance and traditional art.

Some of the most popular type of paintings of Rajasthan:

• Mewar Paintings:
  • Mewar painting, one of the most important schools of Indian miniature painting of the 17th and 18th centuries. It is a school in the Rajasthani way and was developed in the Hindu principality of Mewar in Rajasthan state. The works of the school are characterized by simple bright color and direct emotional appeal.
• Kota Paintings:

School of Rajasthan plains, it excelled in depiction of hunting scenes & elephant fights. Scenes of adore, darbar and processional scenes also formed the subject matter of this style. It is said to anticipate the primitive vision and virility of European fauvism.

3. Bundi School of Painting:

This painting describes a regional variant of the Rajasthani Style shows the Mughal influence in subject matter and technical details while retaining its originality and excellence in expression of feminine grace.

4. Kishangarh Paintings:

An offshoot of Jodhpur school is known for its ‘mannerist’ style (Nihalchand, court painter of Raja Samant Singh) with sadder curves and almond adding lyrical value to the figures. This painting portrays the story of Radha-Krishna’s love in the form of poetry.

5. Jaipur Painting:

Jaipur paintings are the exploration by the Mughal era assisting the historical art of Rajasthan and specifically Jaipur. The paintings depict the epic literature, folk tales, religious poems, religions and music and other tradition of Rajasthan

6. Jodhpur Painting:

The paintings developed in the royal families of Bikaner, Kishangarh, Pali, Nagaur, Ghanerao and Jodhpur are collectively called Marwar school and it greatly reflects the influence of the Mughal school of art.

So this is brief information about famous Rajasthani paintings. If you want to read some more articles on Indian folk arts then inbox me or write in comment box. I would like to help you to know about different Indian folk arts that I know. Previously I have uploaded one article on warli art. To know about warli art you can read that article. The link is given below.

Thank you!