ART (INDIAN FORMS) > KALAMKARI
Kalamkari is a 3000-year-old art form practiced in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is a type of hand printed or hand block printed cotton textile originally used to make narrative scrolls and panels. It refers to the ancient style of hand painting that is done with a tamarind pen, using natural dyes. Literal meaning of "Kalamkari" is kalam, which means pen and kari which refers to craftsmanship, which is derived from a Persian word. Motifs drawn in this ancient art of Kalamkari, include flowers, peacock, paisleys and divine characters from Ramayana, Mahabharata and other Hindu mythology and religious symbols. It was born out of an art of storytelling. In ancient times, people used to travel from village to village and told stories; some of them even drew it on a canvas.
It is an incredibly detailed and complicated painting that results in beautiful and elegant designs. Kalamkari designs and colors are very vibrant and bright. After being world famous, the artisans modernized Kalamkari designs and came up with new ideas and themes. I’ts journey in Modern Era goes from Classic to Contemporary.
In India, there are two unique styles of kalamkari art, namely, Srikalahasti and the Machilipatnam style. The Srikalahasti style of Kalamkari, in which the pen or the “kalam” is used for freehand drawing and filling in the colors, is a complete handwork art. Machilipatnam style of Kalamkari craft involves vegetable-dyed block-painting of a fabric.
The traditional process of making Kalamkari fabric, involves 23 steps. This involves bleaching Kalamkari fabric, softening it, drying it in sun, preparing natural dyes, air drying and washing. The entire procedure is intricate and requires an eye for detailing. Generally, cotton fabric is used for making Kalamkari; however, silk fabric can also be used. Kalamkari fabric is first treated with a solution of cow dung and bleach. After keeping the fabric in this solution, it gets a uniform off-white color. To avoid smudging of dyes on the Kalamkari fabric, it is also dipped in a mixture of buffalo milk and mylobalans. Kalamkari fabric is then washed twenty times and sun dried. After this, the fabric is ready for printing. Kalamkari designs are then painted on the fabric, by hand. Kalamkari fabrics include minute details and it is painted using natural dyes.
Even though preparing the fabric and making colors is a lengthy process, yet traditional artists still follow this age old practice. No doubt its is the best. Even the fabric smells different when painted using traditional practice. But with time, like many other art-forms, kalamkari has also evolved. Now we use market made colors and fabrics but the essence of kalamkari remains intact. Learn the traditional kalamkari with modern day practices from our expert Instructors.