Shellac art form
Context: After PM Modi’s response on being gifted a Ganesha made by Brindaban Chanda, the revival began of an art form that was nearly dead due to the lack of artists and patronage.
Shellac art
- It is a dying technique of applying shellac on terracotta.
- Around 1500 A D. the shellac art form entered Bengal from western part of India with the encouragement of Raja Mann Singh.
- Initially, the shellac artisans of Bengal used to cover the terracotta bangles with shellac and sell them at rural fairs. Later, they shifted to covering terracotta dolls with shellac.
- The making of terracotta dolls in a form almost similar to that of 'Mother God' form found in Harappan ruins is also a traditional art of Bengal.
- This craft can be seen in Birbhum, Bankura and Midnapore districts though only a few craftsmen practice it nowadays.
Shellac
- Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug found on trees.
- After processing, it is mixed with colours and then applied on baked and dried terracotta figures.
- In Bengal, shellac is called 'gala' and the painted dolls (or 'putul' in Bengali) are known as 'galar putul'.
1.png)
