Ragini Sehuti

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Indian music has three major Raga-systems innovated by great legendary masters of the past, named Hanuman, Narad and Meskarana. The treatise of the eleventh century scholar of music Sarangadeva is also credited to have added some new dimensions to Raga-system. This folio, seeking to personify Ragini Seehuti, rendered using Kangra art idiom of Pahari art, in exact pursuance to the model of the famed Kangra Ragamala set of circa 1810 A. D., has been rendered, like all Pahari Ragamala sets, under Meskarana system, the ideal of all Pahari artists. Though the number of Ragas, Raginis and Ragaputras differ under different systems, this broad frame under which a Raga has a Ragini, one or more, and some Ragaputras, is common to them all. Under Meskarana system every Raga has five Raginis and eight Ragaputras and accordingly Seehuti is one of Malkaus’ five Raginis, the other four being Gunakali, Devagandhari, Gandhari and Dhanashri.

Raga Malkaus, one of the basic six Ragas under any system, has been visualised with a princely personality with regalia around. In one way or other, Malkaus’ all five Raginis incorporate this regal aspect into their beings and visual representations. Seehuti is a powerful Ragini capable of charging the entire ambience from one end to other but is cast into soft notes, rhythmically rising pitch and gentle tones. In its visualisation as a young tender woman having a pair of lions under her command such two-fold dimensions of Seehuti most appropriately reveal. While lions represent the power and regalia of the Ragini, the young tender lady, its soft notes, rhythmic rise of pitch and gentle tones.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

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Oil painting technique – India centric

Oil painting is the most interesting technique in art. Unlike other paintings or art forms, oil painting is a process in which colored pigments are painted on the canvas with a drying oil medium as a binder. This medium helps colors blend beautifully to create layers and also makes them appear rich and dense. Several varieties of oil are used in this painting such as sunflower oil, linseed oil, etc., and depending on the quality of the oil, a particular consistency of the paint is developed. With the use of an oil medium, the painting gets a natural sheen on the surface which appears extremely attractive. India is famous for its old tradition of making oil paintings. This art form was brought by Europeans in the 18th century and is now practiced by almost all well-known artists. Nirmal, a small tribal town in the state of Telangana is the center of traditional oil paintings in India where the local people practice it with dedication. Most Indian artists still use the traditional technique of oil painting.

Canvas of the required size is prepared

The artists use either a wood panel or canvas made from linen or cotton. Sometimes the canvas is stretched onto the wooden frame to form a solid base, or cardboard may be used. The canvas is coated with a layer of white paint or chalk mixed with animal glue. This mixture is then smoothed and dried to form a uniform, textured surface. The wooden panel is more expensive and heavier but its solidity is an advantage in making detailed paintings with ease.

Sketch is drawn on the canvas

Now the artist starts to draw the subject of the painting on the canvas using the actual charcoal or a charcoal pencil. Sometimes, he may sketch with thinned paint as well.

Oil paint is applied using paint brushes or palette knives

Now that the rough sketch is prepared, the artist is now ready to paint. Oil paint, a special paint that contains particles of pigments suspended in a drying oil (usually linseed oil), is again mixed with oil to make it thinner for applying it on the canvas. Proper consistency of the paint is maintained to avoid its breakage. The most important rule for the application of oil paint is “Fat over lean” in which the first layer of paint is thin and later, thicker layers are applied. This means that each additional layer of paint contains more oil. This results in getting a stable paint film. Traditionally, paint was applied using paint brushes but now the artists also use palette knives to create crisp strokes. To paint using this technique, the edge of the palette knife is used to create textured strokes that appear different from that of a paintbrush. Sometimes, oil paints are blended simply using fingers for getting the desired gradation.

Smaller oil paintings, with very fine detail, are relatively easier to paint than larger ones. The most attractive feature of these paintings is the natural shiny appearance that is obtained on the surface because of the use of oil paint. The blending of colors looks extremely realistic and this is the reason why oil paintings are loved by everyone throughout the world.