Kripal Singh Shekhawat

Kripal Singh Shekhawat was a renowned craftsman and ceramist of India. He was famous for his skills in Blue Pottery of Jaipur and is credited for the revival of that art in India.

Life and career

Born in the western Indian state of Rajasthan in 1922, he studied original painting at the Shanti Niketan in West Bengal and later did a diploma in Oriental Arts from the Tokyo University, Japan.

He was also the director of Sawai Ram Singh Shilpa Kala Mandir at Jaipur where he taught Indian painting and Blue Pottery.

He was conferred the Padma Shri in 1974 and was also honoured with the title Shilp Guru by the Government of India in 2002. Unknown to many, Kripal Singh is renowned for his illustrations in the original document of the Constitution of India.He died on February 15, 2008 in Jaipur.

Art

A distinguished traditional artist, Kripal Singh's paintings are poetic. They carry the expression of the traditional and early styles of painting with bold innovations in a delicate and refined manner. His works also claim an important historical place in the organic evolution of traditional paintings. There is no one who can create his style of painting with great detail he has shown the birds, clothes, animals flowers which shows the dedication with which he creates a real painting.

Legacy

He revived the art of blue pottery, with the help of patrons such as Kamladevi Chattopadhyay and Rajmata Gayatri Devi. He learnt all the secrets of the nearly extinct art as it had been perfected in Jaipur in the 19th century, and made many changes to make it a modern practice. His hard work helped re-establish an entire tradition.Despite rumours to the contrary, Kripal Kumbh, the pottery studio founded by Kripal Singh Shekhawat is still in operation. It is run by his wife Sajjan Kanwar assisted by her three daughters, Minakshi, Himani and Kumud Rathore.

Works

Sharma, Bhawani Shankar, and Kripal Singh Shekhawat. 2007. Kripal Singh Shekhawat: virtuoso of line and colour. New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi. Chiefly color reproductions of the works of Indian artist Kripal Singh Shekhawat; includes brief biographical and critical text.

Khandalavala, Karl J., and Kripal Singh Shekhawat. 1974. Wall paintings from Amber. New Delhi: Lalit Kalā

Akademi. Portfolio comprising copies of the now damaged murals made by Kirpal Singh Shekhawat.

“A distinguished traditional artist, Kripal Singh's paintings are poetic. They carry the expression of the traditional and early styles of painting with bold innovations in a delicate and refined manner. His works also claim an important historical place in the organic evolution of traditional paintings. There is no one who can create his style of painting with great detail he has shown.” Kripal Singh Shekhawat, also known as father of Blue Pottery, was born in a Rajput family on 19th December 1922, in a small village named Mau, Rajasthan, INDIA. Kripal Singhji’s first formal training in drawing and painting was under Sh. Bhur Singh Shekhawat, and then in Lucknow. Kripal Singhji studied original painting at the Shanti Niketan in West Bengal and later did a diploma in Oriental Arts from the Tokyo University, Japan. He revived the art of blue pottery which had become dead. He made many changes with the designs and also came up with new shades of green, yellow, brown, black etc. It was only due to his innovative work that the blue pottery has acquired the fame it has, today. For his tremendous contribution to blue pottery, Kripal Singhji was conferred the “Padma Shri” in 1974 and was also honoured with the title “Shilp Guru” by the Government of India in 2002. Unknown to many, Kripal Singhji is renowned for his illustrations in the original document of the Constitution of India. Other than the above mentioned awards, he was awarded Fellowship of Calcutta Art Society in 1950. Was awarded five times between 1957 to 1961 by Rajasthan Lalit Kala Academy. In 1967, Kripal Singhji was conferred with President Award of “Master Craftsman” As one of the top ten craftsman of the world, Kripal Singhji was invited by World Craft Council to New York. In 1990, government of Rajasthan conferred the title of “Rajasthan Shree” on Kripal Singhji. He was also awarded with awardsa like, Kalidas Academy Award, Kalavid, Sanskriti Samman, Maharana Sajjan Singh Award & Kala Vibhushan. Kripal Singhji work can be found at various prominent places like, National Gallery of Modern Arts (New Delhi), Lalit Kala Academy (New Delhi), National Museum (New Delhi), IGI Airport (New Delhi), Jawahar Kela Kendra (Jaipur), King of Nepal Collection, President House in Sri Lanka, World Bank (New York), Japan Atomic Energy (Japan) and numerous other places. During his lifetime, Kripal Singhji held many important designations like, Art Teacher at Shanti Niketan (1948-1951), Director of Sawai Ram Singh Shilpa Kala Mandir, Director of Bank of Baroda (1977-1981), Director of Rajasthan Small Scale Industries (1981-1991), Chairman of Rajasthan Lalit Kala Academy (1997-1999) and many more. Some of the mural work Kripal Singhji undertook were, Bharat Carries Rama’s Sandals (1945), Life of Gandhi (1955-1958), in the fresco technique at Birla House.

About Blue Pottery 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.