Scroll Paintings – Patua Paintings

Materials used in Patua Paintings

An array of interesting materials is used in Patua paintings. In the hey days the cloth which was used as the canvas, used to be coated with cow dung to obtain some texture, but today white paper is pasted on brown paper. They used natural materials as colors too - lamp soot for black, turmeric for yellow and indigo for blue. These materials were mixed with the gum of the wood apple tree, tamarind seed paste, neem gum and eggshell. A starch derived from the bel (Passion Fruit) fruit was used as binding material. But today most Patuas use synthetic colors and gums.

The themes of Indian Scroll Paintings

The mythological stories narrated by the Patuas are generally derived from the Hindu epics of Mahabarata and Ramayana, and also region specific myths like that of the snake goddess Manasa of Bengal. Krisha Radha legends are another favorite theme of the Patuas. But in Modern times the themes are derived from contemporary social and political issues. There are satires and tongue in cheek commentary on recent issues; even important topics like AIDS have caught the attention of the Patuas.

Globalization and availability of alternate forms of entertainment and information (thanks to internet and satellite television) in the remotest corners has resulted in dwindling interest in this once popular art form.
Globalization and availability of alternate forms of entertainment and information (thanks to internet and satellite television) in the remotest corners has resulted in dwindling interest in this once popular art form.