Vishnudharmottara Purana (Art and Architecture)
by Bhagyashree Sarma | 2021 | 59,457 words
This page relates 鈥楳aterials for Colours Used in Painting鈥� of the study on the elements of Art and Architecture according to the Vishnudharmottara Purana: an ancient text whose third book deals with various artisan themes such as Architecture, Painting, Dance, Grammar, etc. Many chapters are devoted to Hindu Temple architecture and the iconography of Deities and their installation rites and ceremonies.
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6. Materials for Colours Used in Painting
Selection of proper material for the creation of colours is important in Painting.
In the 痴颈峁ａ箛耻诲丑补谤尘辞迟迟补谤补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, [the following] materials are seen to be used to make colours[1] , viz.,
- kanaka i.e., gold[2] ,
- rajata i.e., silver[3] ,
- 迟腻尘谤补 i.e., copper[4] ,
- 补产丑谤补办补峁� [abhraka] i.e., mica[5] ,
- 谤腻箩补惫补苍迟补,
- 蝉颈苍诲奴谤补 or 丑颈峁単耻濒补办补 i.e., vermilion,[6]
- trapu i.e., tin[7] ,
- 丑补谤颈迟腻濒补 i.e., orpiment[8] ,
- 蝉耻诲丑腻 i.e., lime,
- 濒腻办峁Ｄ� i.e., lac[9] ,
- 苍墨濒补 i.e., indigo[10] etc.
It is illustrated in this book that a picture of red lotus should be beautifully painted with white lac and coated with lac and resin.[11]
The colours have two categories viz.,
- primary or natural and
- mixed or artificial.
The 痴颈峁ａ箛耻诲丑补谤尘辞迟迟补谤补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 shows light on both of these two.
a) Primary Colours:
In the 痴颈峁ａ箛耻诲丑补谤尘辞迟迟补谤补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, five colours are regarded as the primary ones[12] , viz.,
- 艣惫别迟补 i.e., white[13] ,
- 辫墨迟补 i.e., yellow[14] ,
- colour of vilomata i.e., the emblic myrobalan[15] ,
- 办峁涐梗峁嘺 i.e., black[16] and
- 苍墨濒补 i.e., dark blue[17] .
But according to the 狈腻峁瓂补艣腻蝉迟谤补, black, yellow, blue and red are the original colours.[18]
b) Mixed Colours:
Mixing of colours is a great technique used by the artists to make numerous shades of colours. According to the 痴颈峁ａ箛耻诲丑补谤尘辞迟迟补谤补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, a painter can create hundreds or thousands of colours by amalgamating the primary colours.[19] As for example- 辫补濒腻艣补 i.e., the green colour[20] is created with the mixture of blue and yellow. The 痴颈峁ａ箛耻诲丑补谤尘辞迟迟补谤补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 says that the quantity of yellow colour should be more than that of the blue.[21] Moreover, many shades of a particular colour also can be created by increasing or decreasing the quantity of the white part in the mixture.[22] Thus, different shades of green could be made. For example鈥�诲奴谤惫腻 i.e., panic grass[23] , kapittha i.e., wood apple[24] and mudga i.e a kind of kidney bean[25] 鈥攁ll of which are basically green in colour but shows their colour in light and dark shades of green.[26] The colour of nilotpala i.e., the blue lotus[27] and 尘腻峁 i.e., bean[28] can be created when blue is amalgamated with light whitish yellow in more, less or in equal.[29] So, it can be said that, appropriate selection, proportion and distribution of colours are very necessary to get different shades of colours. The idea of which has been pointed out in the 痴颈峁ａ箛耻诲丑补谤尘辞迟迟补谤补辫耻谤腻峁嘺.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[3]:
V.S Apte, The student鈥檚 Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.462
[4]:
Arthur A. Macdonell, A Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.108
[5]:
V.S Apte, The student鈥檚 Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.44
[6]:
Ibid., p.640
[7]:
V.S Apte, The student鈥檚 Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.240
[8]:
Ibid., p.636
[9]:
Ibid., p.479
[10]:
Ibid., p.302
[11]:
[12]:
[13]:
Arthur A. Macdonell, A Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.323
[14]:
Ibid., p.163
[15]:
V.S Apte, The student鈥檚 Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.520
[16]:
Ibid., p.161
[17]:
Arthur A. Macdonell, A Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.146
[18]:
[19]:
svabuddhy膩 k膩rayedra峁単膩帽艣ata艣o鈥檛ha sahasra艣a岣�/ 痴颈峁ａ箛耻诲丑补谤尘辞迟迟补谤补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 3.40.17
[20]:
V.S Apte, The student鈥檚 Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.327
[21]:
苍墨濒补辫墨迟补vyatik峁泃i岣� 辫补濒腻艣补 iti 艣asyate/ 痴颈峁ａ箛耻诲丑补谤尘辞迟迟补谤补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, 3.40.18
[22]:
[23]:
V.S Apte, The student鈥檚 Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.257
[24]:
Ibid., p.132
[25]:
Ibid., p.442
[26]:
[27]:
V.S Apte, The student鈥檚 Sanskrit English Dictionary, p.302
[28]:
Ibid., p.438