Mysore painting is an important form of classical South Indian painting that originated in the town of Mysore in Karnataka.
Painting in Karnataka has a long and illustrious history, tracing it’s
origins back to the Ajanta times (2nd century B.C. to 7th century A.D.)
The distinct school of Mysore painting emerged from this legacy around
the time of the reign of the Vijayanagar Kings 1336-1565 A.D. The rulers
of Vijayanagar and their feudatories encouraged literature, art,
architecture, religious and philosophical discussions and thus the
Vijayanagar School of Painting of which both Mysore and Tanjore
traditional painting are off-shoots, made a great historical
contribution to the art of India. Mysore paintings are known for their
elegance, muted colours, and attention to detail. The themes for most of
these paintings are Hindu gods and goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology.
The ancient painters in Mysore prepared their own materials. The colours
were from natural sources and were of vegetable, mineral or even organic
origin such as leaves, stones and flowers. Brushes were made with
squirrel hairs for delicate work but for drawing superfine lines a brush
made of pointed blades of a special variety of grass had to be used.
Due to the long-lasting quality of the earth and vegetable colours used,
the original Mysore paintings still retain their freshness and lustre
even today.
Gesso work was the hallmark of all traditional paintings of Karnataka.
Gesso refers to the paste mixture of white lead powder, gambose and glue
which is used as an embossing material and covered with gold foil. The
gesso work in Mysore paintings is low in relief and intricate as
compared to the thick gold relief work of the Tanjore School. Gesso was
used in Mysore painting for depicting intricate designs of clothes,
jewellery and architectural details on pillars and arches that usually
framed the deities. The work was taken up in the morning when the base
of the gold work on the painting was still moist so as to hold the gold
foil firmly. After allowing the painting to dry, glazing was carried out
by covering the painting with thin paper and rubbing over it with a
soft glazing stone known as kaslupada kallu. When the thin paper was
removed the painting shone brightly and looked resplendent with the
combination of gold and a variety of colours
