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Sunday, September 13, 2015

Peacock design - Carved on stone

This is another design of peacock .   I captured this picture in the campus of Chitrakala Parishad , Bangalore. 
The peacock is carved on a soft stone.
  Looks very beautiful, and the feathers are also carved very beautifully.
The carvings are very simple, but still looks very elegant and looks like white peacock. You can see some more peacock designs , about which I have already shared.

Coming up with many arty crafty stories and designs,

Until then,
Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,
-Ranjana

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Tant sarees of West Bengal

Tant sarees are another form of handloom sarees from West Bengal. These don't have intricate thread work like Dhakai Jamdani or beuatiful embroideries like Kantha Sarees. But these sarees are very popular because of the bright colors used and unique color combination. 
"Tant", means thread. Tant sarees are hand loom sarees. These are manufactured in West - Bengal of India, especially in Hoogly and Mushirabad area in West Bengal and Tangail region of Bangladesh . 

Tant sarees are woven to create some stripes or motifs. The borders are woven with zari or simple threads.Here are some Tant sarees.
Tant saree
Traditional Tant saree

Tant saree
Traditional Tant saree

History: 

The industry of manufacturing Tant sarees flourished during Mughal era. The Tant weavers started weaving Mughal designs and motifs in the sarees, which  termed as Tant Jamdani. The motif weaving gave richness to the saree.But during the British rule, Tant saree manufacturing was almost destroyed.
Tant saree
Tant saree with motifs

Tant saree
Zari woven border of Tant saree

Tant saree
Zari woven Tant saree
Now the Tant sarees are woven by power-looms. Still the sarees have not lost the beauty and charm.Now the weavers are using different techniques like embroidery , patchwork , hand painting etc to make it more beautiful. Here is a tant saree with applique work:
Tant saree
Tant saree with Applique work
As I know, almost all Bengali women own Tant sarees. Tant sarees are worn during on special occasions in West Bengal. These sarees are very economical and the fabric is comfortable. These factors make Tant sarees very popular.

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,
-Ranjana

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Patterns used in Mughal Art and Architecture

Indian architecture and arts are influenced by Mughal architecture, during Mughal rule in India. Mughal architecture flourished in India by Mughals in 16th to 18th century. Mughal art and architecture use some patterns which make the art very attractive. Dome is one of the those. The carving and crafts in the Mughal architecture are very pleasing. These we can observe in many famous Mughal monuments, one being the world famous Taj Mahal. Recently I visited Qutub Minar in Delhi. There also I could capture different patterns of Mughal Architecture.Sharing about some the major patterns used in Mughal Architecture in India.

1. Jali patterns :

Jaali means net. Jaalis are carved on red stone or white marbles.Jaalis are extensively used in Mughal Architecture for windows , edges of the platforms and terraces. 
Jaali in Mughal Architecture
Jaali- Windows




 
Here are some more information about Jaali in Mughal Architecture

2. Geometrical patterns  

Another design pattern used in mughal architecture is repeated geometric pattern. Even Jaalis have geometric patterns.
Mughal-Architecture
Repeated Geometric pattern

Mughal Architecture
Repeated Geometric Pattern

  3. Arabesque: 

Arabesque are the patterns made by interlacing lines and curves. Arabesque is another major design used in mughal architecture. These looks quite complicated designs.
Arabesque patterns
Arabesque patterns

Arabesque patterns
Arabesque patterns

4. Calligraphy Designs

Calligraphy is another defining charecteristic of Mughal architecture. The Qutub Minar has the calligraphy designs running  around the Minar. These are in the form of bands. This has the text from Quran. 
Calligraphic designs
Calligraphic designs

5. Floral Designs:

Floral designs are major patterns in almost all the art and architecture. Mughal Arts and Architecture is not an exclusion. The floral designs are includes mainly lotus, rose , buds and plants. 
Floral Designs
Floral Designs

Floral Designs
Floral designs
 We often see most of these designs are used in modern architecture too. Now to replicate these designs with technology and modern tools may be easy, but during those days with the use of manually operated tools imagine how difficult it would have been! 

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,
-Ranjana

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