G1. Ganesha traditional Phad painting.

Story

India has a rich and vibrant cultural heritage. As Indians, we have kept this culture alive. Our lives cannot be separated from our ancient cultural influences. This is evident in our day to day living. We cherish our culture and heritage with pride. Paintings are a big part of our culture. Every painting has a story attached to it. One such painting style is Phad painting. Phad is an indigenous painting style of the state of Rajasthan that depicts the narratives of the folk deities of the state. The style of painting is the blend of Rajput and Mughal styles of painting. Phad finds its origins in Shahpura, near Bhilwara, Rajasthan.

Phad painting traces its origin to ancient times. This is done on a long piece of canvas called Phad. In ancient times, the storytellers would travel from village to village and narrate the stories using Phads as their pictorial depiction tool. Singing and dancing made an integral part of storytelling. The singers and dancers would carry the painted Phad scrolls along to use them as a part of their elaborate song and dance performances to narrate the lore’s of the folk deities who are worshiped in that region. This whole would turn out to be an entertaining event for the village residents that would go on overnight. We can still witness this in some villages of India. The Phad painting would be unrolled, or unfolded after sunset, and the performance in front of village members, would last into the night. This is perhaps why the paintings are called ‘Phad’, which means ‘fold’ in the local dialect.

The seven most common elements include line, shape, texture, form, space, color and value, with the additions of mark making, and materiality. The colours used in Phad are all-natural, obtained from various plants and vegetable extracts. Earthen colours are used to bring the acrylic effect. Phad artists need to be extremely skilled, adhering to techniques taught by ancestors. Depending on the complexity, it can take between a few weeks to a few months to complete an artwork.

In our modern world, there is a need to promote such rich artistic traditions from the past. Their visual appeal aside, art forms like Phad preserve folklore and stories that have travelled through centuries and reflect India’s glorious culture. Ourfabulous world aims to do exactly this to decorate your walls with the unique, original paintings direct from talented Phad painters.