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The
art of making blue glaze pottery came to Rajasthan via Kashmir,
their entry point into India. The name comes from the eye-catching Persian blue dye used
to color the clay. The Jaipur blue pottery, made out of Egyptian paste, is
glazed and low-fired. Some of this pottery is semi-transparent and mostly
decorated with animal and bird motifs. Being fired at very low temperature
makes them fragile. The range of items is primarily decorative, such as
ashtrays, vases, coasters, small bowls and boxes for trinkets. The colour
palette is restricted to blue derived from the cobalt oxide, green from the
copper oxide and white, though other non-conventional colours, such as
yellow and brown are sometimes included.
The use of blue glaze on pottery made from Multani mitti, or Fuller’s
earth,[dubious – discuss] is an imported technique, first developed by
Mongol artisans who combined Chinese glazing technology with Persian
decorative arts. This technique travelled south to India with early Muslim potentates in the 14th century. During
its infancy, it was used to make tiles to decorate mosques, tombs and
palaces in Central Asia.
Later, the Mughals began using them in India to mimic their structures from beyond the mountains in Samarkand. Gradually the blue glaze technique grew beyond an
architectural accessory to Kashmiri potters. From there, the technique
traveled to the plains of Delhi
and in the 17th century went to Jaipur. The rulers of Jaipur were partial
to blue-glazed ware, and many marble halls in Rambagh Palace have fountains lined with blue tiles. These tiles were also
used in the building of the city of Jaipur, but they disappeared soon after.
About 'Fresco'
The word ‘fresco’ is
originally Italian and literally means ‘fresh’ and the art of
fresco painting
actually involves painting on walls which are fresh well plastered. No binding
agents are used and the colours are mixed with water. These are
then directly applied to the surface. Thus the colours sink well
into the plastered surface and results in the creation of a colour
which is sort of glowing. This effect is not achieved when
painting on usual dry plaster. It is because of this very
effect created that fresco paintings are directly done on walls rather than
on paper and then glued to another surface.
Fresco
Painting in Mandawa Havelies, Rajasthan, India
A Short History
There is some dispute
regarding which is the earliest form of fresco found. From what has been
found till date, the earliest examples goes back to about 30,000 years.
Some historians believe that the earliest known examples are from
the island of Crete in Greece. Others opine that the earliest examples are found in Chauvet
cave in France. Some other places where fresco paintings have been found
include Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Altamira, France and Lascaux. Historians have found some evidence which has led them to
believe that there was possibly some trade with these paintings from Crete
thus leading to the conclusion that fresco painting was thus a very
important art form at that time. The Egyptian tombs showcase some of the
finest fresco paintings of the world.
Fresco
in the church Mariä Verkündigung in Fuchstal, Germany
Fresco paintings
depict images from the daily lives of people, to what they do in their
afterlives as well as a lot of images from the Bible and other religious
texts. Churches and cathedrals under the Eastern Orthodox Christianity are
good examples of this kind of illustrations from the Bible. The leading
fresco painters of the Russian medieval age include the Greek artist Theophanes,
Andrei Rublev and Dionysius. The artist Giotto led the
trend of mixing this Byzantine art form with the Gothic,
leading to the Proto-Renaissance.
Types of Frescoes
The two most used
forms of fresco paintings are the Buon fresco and the Secco. The Buon
fresco style involves the mixture of pigment with only water. A binding
material is not required since this is applied on a thin layer of wet lime
mortar or plaster and this wet nature holds the colour. A chemical reaction
occurs when this colour applied plaster reacts with air. Secco paintings on
the other hand are done on dry plaster. Hence, a binding material such as
egg or oil or glue is used so ensure that the pigment sticks to the wall.
Historians say that secco paintings became popular during the Middle Ages.
Buon frescoes by their very nature last longer than secco. Also, secco
paintings are often done over buon frescoes to add little details or to
make some changes. All art forms are influenced by the development
and changes in the others. The same is true for fresco paintings as the
superior form of art that is reflected in these paintings led to the
overall refinement of the art of painting. The chemical reaction forms an
important part of fresco painting and this takes about six to twelve hours.
The biggest challenge with fresco paintings is they do not allow
correction. Hence, only highly skilled artists are able to create fresco
works and these eventually become historical pieces. They are thus
representatives of rich histories. They signify the cultural roots of the
country and remain intact for centuries.
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