Paubha is one of the indigenous paintings of Nepal practiced exclusively by Newar community of Kathmandu valley since ancient time. Elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Tantric worship combine in a ritualistic spiritual practice that culminates in the form of sacred paintings. Paubhas were originally made for religious purposes as an integral part of Newar Buddhist ceremonies by the Chitrakara (चित्रकार) or ‘Pu’ (पुं) who served as traditional painters and creators of this art form, inheriting a rich legacy of their forefathers who passed on this hereditary occupation. ‘Paubha’ comes from two words, ‘Pau’ and ‘Bha’ derived from the Sanskrit term ‘Patra Bhattarak’ which means, ‘Depiction of God in flat form’. Paubha symbolizes religious and spiritual feelings directed by concrete stylistics and motifs that involve very specific use of pose, style and body structures. For example, Buddha’s eyes are always shown half-open in the paintings to symbolize Buddha is looking both inside and outside himself. Bearing close similarities to ‘Pattachitra’ of India and icon painting of Christianity, Paubha is an endangered art form that faces real risk of extinction. The oldest Paubha ever found, a Ratna Sambhav (12th to 13th century) can be now found in Los Angeles, United States. A typical Paubha is made on a cotton cloth stretched across a wooden frame. A mixture of saresh (buffalo glue) and sapeta (white clay) is painted uniformly on the surface. The cotton is left to dry in the shadow. A portion of the dry cotton is then slightly moistened to allow the saresh-sapeta mixture to be evenly distributed. A smooth stone is rubbed on the cloth to absorb the remaining moisture. The rubbing continues till the surface is smooth and fine. Thus, a Paubha canvas takes shape.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 08:55:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015