PICHVAI (PICHWAI) PAINTINGS | PICHVAI TRADITION & BEYOND

It is not common for people brought up in India to have grown up listening to the glorious stories of Lord Krishna. The stories of Krishna, especially the tales of his childhood, make up a significant and beautiful part of Indian culture and history. From books to movies and different kinds of media, these tales are everywhere. However, not many know that there is an art form specialized particularly to depict these tales of Krishna. Known as one of the most significant folk paintings of India , Pichvai paintings are a sheer art of talent and creativity.  The central theme of Pichvai Paintings revolves around the stories of experiences of Lord Krishna, majorly from his early years. Although lesser known by its name, Pichvai paintings find their home in galleries and buildings around the world. Let us understand what are pichvai paintings and what makes them different from the rest of the popular folk paintings of India . Further in the article, it will be elaborated how th...

Pichvai paintings are one of the most ancient forms of magnificent Indian traditional art . Pichvai paintings having other than artistic appeals to them are an artistical representation of narrating tales of Krishna through an art form.  Pichvai tradition and beyond is Ms. Pooja Singhal’s initiative to revive the art form by playing with scale and fabric that best fit the modern world of Indian traditional art . Pichvai paintings can be painted, embroidered, printed or woven in applique. In the earlier days, the art of Pichwai was done on loose, rough, hand spun fabric and painted in permanent natural colors that were extracted from vegetables and minerals and that don’t tend to fade with time.  The paintings have dark hued outlines and the filling for the picture is done using lighter soft tones. On a starched cloth, the painter first makes a rough sketch and then fills in the colours. In olden days colors sourced from natural resources were used along wi...