ARTINDIA,India painting, India craft, India dance, India music, India cinema, India tradition, India culture

A creator becomes one with the supreme being when involved in giving shape to his art form. He who is able to see things with a perceptive eye and is able to equate the form to matter, space and energy, creates.
This tradition has been established in India from during the bronze ages which we read from history, as having existed during 3,000 B.C. Nature's creations have been adopted by the artisans traditionally may it be in making pots, plates, nutcrackers, hairpins, combs, vermillon & kohl containers or utensils.

The use of metals symbolised man's understanding of his mortality and his innate desire to leave for posterity his creations, which would withstand the vagaries of time. Deities were made both as solid casting and hollow casting, and sastras, stating proportions were laid down to enable the artisans to create exquisite figures in proportion to human eyes' perception. The deities were adorned with glittering jewels and even the pooja items used in temples and household were beautifully designed and crafted.

Jewellery in India, from ancient times, have not been mere ornamental or decorative items, but have gained the status of providing proof of various stages of a man/woman's life, like piercing a child's ear to signify his/her entry into the world, the man wearing the sacred thread made of gold strands from left to right shoulder to signify his entry into educational age, the thali for the women to signify her being married. Gold, silver, copper & bronze are the metals that have been used traditionally for making jewels which were also inlaid with precious gems & beads which also acted as talisman to protect from various evils.

Exquisite & intricate wood, stone & bone carvings, papier mache idols, wall hangings,trays & boxes indicate the mastery the craftsmen had gained in the process & technique. In spite of all the adornments & embellishments on a statue, it was considered naked or unfinished until the eyes of the statue was complete.

If costumes for deities and statues were considered important, it goes without saying that humans draped themselves very colourfully in India. References to weaving abound right from the vedas, the time of conception of human being as per the Hindu mythology. With the birth of weaving, the associated accessories like needle work & embroidery followed. The artisans from each region formed their own styles & motifs mostly drawing inspiration from the flora and fauna around them.