Renowned and acknowledged as the land of rich cultural heritage in the world, India can be discovered through the diverse range of Indian paintings which managed to evolve, develop and survive through centuries. The Mysore paintings belong to an important form of classical South Indian painting which originated in the town of Mysore in Karnataka. These paintings are recognized for their elegance, subdued colors, and intricate details. Most of the themes of these paintings basically involve Hindu gods and goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology. In contemporary times, the Mysore paintings have become a much sought after souvenir during celebrations and festive occasions in South India. The Mysore paintings are examples of extraordinary Indian art in the milieu of our ancient culture. It evolved as an attractive art form during 17th and 18th centuries and later on came to be commonly known as the Mysore school of art. Since Mysore has been governed by several rulers who had strong passion for art, the enthusiasm intruded in the sphere of Mysore paintings as well.
The complex work which has been done on several temples, palaces and forts in Mysore stands testimony to the architectural abilities as well as abilities associated with sculpture work. The beginning of the Mysore paintings can be traced back to the reign of Raja Woodeyar (1578-1617 AD), who made a major contribution as far as the Mysore paintings are concerned. During this period the artists were occupied with different art forms, which incorporated ornamental works in temples, painting temple cars and walls, creating temple banners and painting portraits of rulers, saints and deities. However it was after the death of Tipu Sultan in 1799 AD, during the reign of Mummadi Krishnaraja Woodeyar, Mysore witnessed a major momentum in the field of visual arts. The paintings of his period depicted scenes from Hindu mythology, portraits of heroes and kings and icons of Hindu mythology. The themes even firmly adhered to the iconography values. These paintings were housed in temples, palaces, community buildings and houses which belonged to royal sections of the society including the rich merchants.
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In the conventional Mysore paintings, the materials required for execution included brushes, paints, board and gold foil mainly. Vegetable and mineral colors prepared out of pigments of leaves and flowers were used by the artists. At present however, the paintings are done using commercial water or poster colors. In the ancient times, paper, wood, wall and cloth formed the foundation of Mysore paintings. The first step involves the making of the preliminary sketch of the image on the base. The base comprises of cartridge paper which is pasted on wooden base.
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A paste is made of zinc oxide, which is known as the "gesso paste". With the aid of a thin brush all the jewelry and thrones or any form of arch having some relief are painted. This is mainly done to give a slightly raised carving effect. After it gets dried, a thin gold foil is pasted on the surface. Using watercolors rest of the painting is completed.
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