My Love for Indian Traditional Art

Atma namaste!

Most of you know that before we were The Anvani Centre, we were actually Studio Anvani. Born out of art, we had established ourselves to merge the world of art with the reality of healing. Somewhere in this journey, healing and wellness moulded themselves into our skills as pranic healers, which led to the birth of The Anvani Centre. But deep inside, I still find myself observing, living, and processing the world as an artist. So this is a small part of me that I’d like to share with you all today.

My love for Indian traditional visual art goes back to my childhood. One of my most treasured possessions is the Amar Chitra Katha Bhagwat and later on, a Kalamkari sari of Lord Krishna. So it wasn’t a very big surprise when my travels led to me falling in love with the intricacies of Indian architecture. Whether it be the beautiful walls of modest village homes filled with Madhubani, the jharokhas of Rajasthan and the walls of Gujarat flaunting motifs, or the pillars and domes of the temples that adorn India, each of these aspects of Indian art—and more—became a great influence in my art.

With such influences working in the background, I also went on to learn many types of traditional art forms distinctly. Eventually, I came up with a different style that combines the characteristics of all of these into one. For lack of words, I often call it “Indian Traditional Art”, and this is the art form that is closest to my heart.

If anyone had to ask me why I like them, as they have plenty of times before, I haven’t had a concrete answer to give. Most people think it is a ‘simple’ form of art, with lines and flashy colours, similar motifs, and designs. But beyond these lines and colours lies a history of thousands of years, and it is this legacy that makes it so special.

Now that I think about it, the one reason that makes me come back to this form of art after exploring different mediums and art forms is the power of storytelling that it offers. It isn’t just a moment captured in a frame. It is a story told by every grandmother to her grandchild, and replicating that story in a different way every single time is not only a challenge, but a joy.

The freedom given by Indian Traditional Art is liberating, and something that I cannot get enough of. I love the fact that the technical aspects of most of these forms are not about proportions, colour theory, and the like, but mainly about line fluency and the mood you want to portray. This is largely because the tools used for this art come from the day-to-day lives of ancient India—most commonly sticks, brushes, and natural colours.

A lot of forms of this type of art also boast repetitive patterns. For instance, in the borders and backgrounds, more often than not, I find myself in a meditative state while I fill up a page, not noticing that I have been at it for hours together.

So here I am, sharing one of my past artworks, ADISHAKTI, hoping to encourage you to pick up a pencil and tell a story yourself.

While I am hoping to share some stories here, let us enjoy these artworks for now.

Till next time,

Love,

Arundhati