<h1 class="ql-align-center">Kalamkari Paintings</h1> <h2>Context:</h2> <ul><li>The traditional dye-painted figurative called Kalamkari Paintings have received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.</li></ul> <h2>About:</h2> <ul><li>Kalamkari&nbsp;is a type of hand-painted or block-printed&nbsp;cotton&nbsp;textile&nbsp;produced in&nbsp;Isfahan, Iran, and in the&nbsp;Indian state of&nbsp;Andhra Pradesh.</li></ul> <ul><li>It is predominantly used in temples for umbrella covers, cylindrical hangings, chariot covers, and asmanagiri (false ceiling cloth pieces)</li></ul> <ul><li>Kalamkari literally means, Kalam - Pen &amp; Kari - work, i.e., the artwork was done using a pen.</li></ul> <ul><li>Only&nbsp;natural dyes&nbsp;are used in Kalamkari, which involves twenty-three steps</li></ul> <ul><li>To create design contours, artists use a&nbsp;bamboo&nbsp;or&nbsp;date palm stick pointed at one end with a bundle of fine hair attached to this pointed end to serve as the brush or pen</li></ul> <ul><li>This art was patronized by the Mughals particularly in Golconda </li></ul> <ul><li>The style owes its present status to&nbsp;Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay&nbsp;who popularized the art as the first chairperson of the All India Handicrafts Board.</li></ul> <ul><li>Distinctive styles of Kalamkari art in India: </li></ul> <ul><li class="ql-indent-1">Srikalahasti style: It flourished around temples with Hindu patronage kalam or pen is used for freehand drawing themes and deities are drawn from great epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, etc</li></ul> <ul><li class="ql-indent-1">Machilipatnam style: Pedana Kalamkari also known as Machilipatnam style involves vegetable-dyed block-painting of a fabric. It is influenced by Persian art and the motifs used are trees, flowers, and leaf designs are printed using blocks</li></ul>