Themes and Styles

Design Resource

Patachitra Painting - Orissa

The Art of Making Picture on Cloth

Prof. Bibhudutta Baral and Antony William

Themes and Styles

The bold lines, the bright colours and the fine pictorial conceptions distinguish this art form from the rest. Its uniqueness lies in its overall finesse and rhythmic juxtaposition of elements. A typical feature being the intricate borders embellishing the central theme of every Pata painting, usually in red and involving floral motives. There is an interesting mix of folk as well as classical elements.

Themes and Styles-A

‹ › ×

The postures are largely well defined and repetition as a style creates an interesting aesthetic appeal. Another feature to note is the lack of depth or perspective visualization in the paintings, giving them a two dimensional feel. It is interesting to note that the chitrakaars begin painting with white, followed by the riot of colours and end the painting again with white, highlighting the entire composition.

The similar technique and style, when adapted on walls is known as ‘Bhitti Chitra’ and when seen as palm leaf engraving is popular as ‘Tala Pata Chitra’ or ‘Pothi Chitra’. It is also experimented on multiple objects and surfaces to create aesthetic pieces of art.

Themes and Styles-B

‹ › ×

Search form

Patachitra Painting - Orissa