Best selections of Rajasthan painting craft – Discover the Rajputana paintings in popular styles of Pichai art, Phad paintings, Rajaputa’s style of Gesso wall art, Kathputli, Kofgiri and more.
You may have heard of the Rajasthani paintings as the well known Rajput art. Today, we bring you a feature to on the exquisite Rajasthan paintings – all the way from the royal courts of the Rajputana households of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Rajasthan is famous for its art, paintings, and folk dances. Around the late 16th century, during the Mughal influence, Rajput paintings started to originate in Bundi. Rajasthani wall art of the great king Rao Ratan Singh (1607-1631) are good examples of the Bundi style of paintings. Trained Artists made beautiful paintings illustrating the Hindu religious epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The artists also made Mughals miniature on their paintings, so the style mainly shows the Mughal patterns. Each Rajputana kingdom had a distinct style, and the Havelis and the palaces built by Shekhawat Rajputs had many such paintings preserved. The pictures mainly threw light on the members and followers of the family. So how about we bring the royal artwork to your home?
Rajasthani Paintings
The central significance of the art could be preserving memory, as these paintings depicted family history. Also, these artists depicted Nature very well in these beautiful Rajasthani paintings, and expressing Nature is the best way an artist can bring out his art in front of the public.
For your home decor, the best choice of Rajasthan’s craft items are the great paintings of Rajputana time:
a. Pichwai painted temple hanging from Udaipur
b. Phad Paintings from Bhilwara, Shahpur
c. Bhitti Chitra wall painting from Bikaner
d. Usta Gesso Painting from Bikaner
e. Dabu mud resists painting from Pali and Jodhpur
f. A miniature painting from Bikaner
g. Sanjhi Paper stencils from Alwar
Rajasthan’s most popular craft items for wall decor are:
a. Kawada mobile shrines from Bassi, Chittorgarh
b. Koftgiri weaponry from Gangrar, Chittorgarh
c. Katputli puppets from Jaipur
Types of Rajasthan Paintings
Rajasthan paintings blend perfectly with any decor theme. So, if you wish to add a traditional Indian touch to your home, buy these paintings. They are rich in colour, designs and are available in different patterns. Surely, these paintings can make your interiors look elegant and fancy. But hey, don’t believe me, take a look at them yourself.
Wall décor paintings
Pichwai painting art
This art started in the 17th century and have their roots in Nathdwara, Udaipur; Rajasthan. Pichwai depicts the stories of Nathdwara’s residents, and a manifestation of Krishna. The most famous samples of this traditional Rajasthan art style are hanging behind the idol at the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara, Udaipur.
Phad paintings
The great Phad painting is a type of scroll painting; some people may call this painting as folk painting too. This style combines fifteen to thirty feet long pieces of the canvas into one scroll painting. This vast canvas is known as phad, and hence the name is given as “phad painting”.
Bhitti Chitra Kala
This is the depiction of religious themes that were once practised by the Matheran community; of the great Mahatma community. This art is usually on the walls of houses and temples. Different colours like Neel(blue); geru( brown), jahri black, safed(white) are used to make the paintings, to get permanent waterproof colours these colours are cooked with’ tisi oil’.
Usta Gesso art
Nakashi art or Usta Gesso painting is an excellent choice to decorate the walls. Traditional samples of these paintings are on the walls, pillars and ceilings of Bikaner’s Junagadh Fort and Anup Mahal. This art became very popular during the British empire.
Dabu print
“Dabu” is a mud resist printing done by using woodblock. This block is dipped in colour, and then the patches are made to complete the painting.
| Decor for | Painting style | Origin city |
|---|---|---|
| Wall décor paintings | Pichwai painting for Temple art | Udaipur |
| Phad paintings on Scrolls | Bhilwara, Shahpur | |
| Bhitti Chitra Kala for wall painting | Bikaner | |
| Usta Gesso wall art | Bikaner | |
| Dabu mud resist painting | Pali, Jodhpur | |
| Miniature painting | Bikaner | |
| Sanjhi design with stencils | Alwar | |
| Wall decor items | Kawada mobile shrines | Bassi, Chittorgarh |
| Koftgiri weaponry | Gangrar, Chittorgarh | |
| Katputli puppets | Jaipur |
Miniature painting
This style is known for tiny canvases with origin from the 16th–17th century. Typically painted n copper, vellum, prepared card, or ivory with thin brushes.
Sanjhi design
This speciality art from Rajasthan is made using stencils. These stencils are made with hands using special scissors and paper. But in earlier days even banana leaves were used.
Wall décor items
Kawada mobile shrines from Bassi, Chittorgarh
Kumawat castes who were residing at Bassi performed these mobile shrines. The portable temple does have multiple folding doors. Extraordinary stories adorn the doors of Kawada shrines.
Koftgiri weaponry from Gangrar, Chittorgarh
It is a type of art that Mughals used to decorate the arms of weapons and other weaponry. Koftgiri often means the action of making the design into iron sheets.
Katputli puppets from Jaipur
Kathputli is very famous art of Rajasthan. Here we have a string attached to the dolls and theatre shows are performed.
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