Kalamkari is from ‘Kalam’
(pen) and ‘Kari’ (craftsmanship), words taken from the Persian for the art of
hand painting done on fabrics with the use of a pen and extended to include
hand block printing. There are two schools of art that developed Kalamkari initially
in India and from individual origins.
Srikalahasti style that used the pen for drawing and filling in
the colours, and with a strong influence of Hindu culture that specifically
focused on religious subjects and scenes from the epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata in its paintings.
The Machilipatnam style that came with an Islamic slant, had
subjects of paintings mostly depicting flora and fauna, with floral designs as
a backdrop on the fabric.
Both styles that have popularised Kalamkari have one thing in
common – the depictions are fine and neatly drawn, there is extensive use of
organic colours which are fast, there is no dilution in the skill and quality
over the years. Today’s Kalamkari has both these styles merged into one with
different facets within the art.
Kalamkari saris showcase the traditional simplicity, elaborate themes, sharp
detailing and attractive motifs in a host of bright and pleasing hues.
Kalamkari comes off beautifully on a whole lot of fabrics like silk, cotton,
sico art silks such as georgette, chiffon, Supernet, crepe silk and others.
With vegetable dyes being used, colours are fast and long lasting. Motifs with
trees, creepers, flowers, leaves, birds are popular subjects.
Gloss on the fabric comes from the traditional use of some
natural substances such as myrobalan, cow’s milk, cow dung, seeds, plants and
crushed flowers in the paintings. The etching of lines and applying of colour
is done with a finely sharpened short bamboo piece which reflects the devotion
and skill of the ethnic craftsmen to bring about such exquisite masterpieces
despite the limited resources.
A time-consuming and arduous task, that involves patience and
dedication, it is the sharpness of the lines, the fine details and the
picturesque outcome that make this ethnic effort worth its while.
Kalamkari pure cotton sarees in the printed variety have block prints featuring floral
designs and geometrical patterns arranged in designer fashion. Modern abstract
designs have also been included in recent times to resounding applause from the
market.
Ethnic art is like any other art. It is however the toil and the
effort in producing these exceptional works of detail and flawlessness despite
the limited resources available, that truly give it its value.
There are fine pure Tussar Silk Sarees with
multi-colour Kalamkari. where multi-colour borders and thematic representations
on the pallu or end piece that go well with the central design. You have the
largely plain or lightly adorned sarees with attractive hand painted bootis all
over. Then you have the veg.dyed sarees in Dupion silk sarees and Supernet sarees that
have finely marked lines and accentuate the effect of the pictorial depictions.
There are other fine
offerings in cotton and other fabrics that make the Kalamkari cotton sarees a prized possession.
Unnati
silks largest ethnic
online Indian shop offers exquisite designer Kalamkari sarees with matching blouse for sale. The
Online shopping store has the widest range of ethnic Indian Sarees
online and Salwar Kameez online. At
Unnati Silks, you can buy online unique, fancy, exclusive collection of
Traditional, Wedding, bridal attire, stylish, party, trendy fashion, formal,
corporate, office, daily casual saris in pure silk sarees, pure cotton sarees, sico, art silk georgette, chiffon,
dupion, tussar, organza, crepe, gicha, jute and other fabric varieties at
attractive prices.
You can purchase kalamkari cotton sarees online at Unnati silks and the products will bedispatched within 24 working hours of placing the order. We have free shipping and Cash on Delivery (COD) facility for Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Ernakulam, Lucknow, Jaipur, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh and many other Indian cities.
We also do Worldwide express shipping to countries like UK in cities like London, Leicester, Canada in cities like Ottawa, Quebec, USA in cities like New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Seychelles, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Myanmar, Mauritius, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and many more.
