Spaces Issue 7

art
produced in the workshop itself. Lapis
Lazuli, costing about Rs.18000/kg, comes
from Afghanistan and is the source of
blue colour. The minerals Orpiment
(costing about Rs.9000/kg) and Cinnabar
(Rs.8000/kg) are available in the
Solukhumbu mountains of Nepal and are
sources for yellow and red respectively.
Conch Shell Powder from Japan provides
the pure white colour while black colour
is derived from the soot of burning pine
wood. The colour gold , much used in
Pauwa paintings, is produced from gold
dust while additionally, the Indigo Plant
from South India is the source of rich
indigo colour.
The beginning of the art itself is the fine
free hand sketching by pencil. Each
drawing is based on particular themes
based on the religious texts. In most
Buddhism based Pauwas, the central
figure is usually of the icon which
normally is not portrayed as a singular
identity. Rather, the central figure sits on
a pedestal and figuratively speaking, is the
central point of a figurative temple. Thus
there will be a canopy above, and cornices
Above: Lok Chitrakar is currently also at
work on a large 5 ft x 7 ft Amitabha which
still remains unfinished three years down
the line.
at the four corners with various associated
figures (Buddhas, Boddhistavas, Monks,
Disciples, Yakshas, Apsaras, etc.) at
particular points around the central figure.
The second stage involves permanent ink
sketching, after which the painter gets
down to the long and tedious task of
putting colour to the work. And the
colours used in Pauwa paintings are truly
a sight for sore eyes, so varied are the hues.
However, as Chitrakar says, “Some of the
details have to be painted a certain tint
according to what texts prescribe. One
cannot deviate from that. But for others,
we can use our own sense of aesthetics in
choice of colours.”
And there is no doubting the fine aesthetic
sense of Lok Chitrakar. Nor his strong
sense of discipline and his power of deep
concentration. “Oh yes, one has to be very
very disciplined in order to be a success in
this field. Concentration is a given
otherwise one cannot achieve the high
levels of perfection required in Pauwa art,”
he says. This discipline and concentration,
combined with his immense talent, has
made Lok Chitrakar into one of the finest
of Pauwa artists in the country, if not in
the world. S
18 NOV-DEC 2005 SPACES