Ch 4

• India has inherited a pre-Aryan culture reflected in folk art
• Different religions, sects, and beliefs co-exist in Indian traditional life
• Cults like Tantra Shakti, Vaishnav, Buddhist are important in the life of folk artists
• Rural society's needs for art and craft objects are supplied by local artists and craftsmen of three types: ritualistic, utilitarian, and individualistic
• Ritualistic folk art includes Patachitra, Pichuai, Alpana, Kolam
• Utilitarian folk art includes decorative wood carving, embroidery, basket work, earthenware
• Some folk artists experiment with new forms and create individualistic folk art
• Kolam is a floor painting with "Kalas" done with rice paste and pigments
• Kolam is important in cultural and religious festivals of South India
• Kolam designs are traditional, floral, and geometrical forms
• Kolam is drawn on wet or moist floors with dry coarse ground rice flour
• Phulkari is embroidery on cloth with coloured thread, meaning "flowered work"
• Phulkari motifs are geometric with warm colours like gold, squares, triangles, dashes, and zig-zag lines
• Kantha stitching is embroidery on silk with coloured thread from Bengal
• Kanthas are made of discarded sarees and dhoties, stitched together by women of all classes in Bengal
• Kantha motifs are taken from rural landscapes, ritualistic activities, objects from everyday life, and historical figures
• Kantha saree motifs include stylized forms of animals, human figures, and influenced by Kalighat Pata Chitra