'Tanjore paintings have come to stay'

Chennai, Mar 17 (UNI) Tanjore paintings-- reflections of the cultural traditions of the country-- which once faced the danger of extinction, have come to stay, thanks to the advent of more schools to teach the art.

Ms Meena Muthiah, head of the Kumara Rajah Muthiah School of Arts and Crafts, talking to mediapersons here in connection with the launch of her book 'Tanjore Painting', said the art was declining and almost extinct, but had come to stay now.

'Now I am happy the art has come to stay....it's nice to see Tanjore paintings everywhere we go,' she said, adding Tanjore paintings are now familiar visuals in most public corridors and institutions, not only in India but in many foreign countries, especially in the US.

She said the 300-page book, which included about 70 pages of art plates and a total of 761 illustrations, would be launched here tomorrow by Tamil Nadu Governor S S Barnala.

'There are very few books on Tanjore paintings and this book not only describes the origin and growth of Tanjore paintings but also has an instructive supplement to help people who desire to learn this art,' Ms Muthiah said.

After being initially fascinated by the style of painting, she, in Govinda Ramanujam, found the ideal guru and learnt the various facets of the art from him since 1973.

The art school she had been running since 1975 had so far trained 360 Tanjore painting artists and many of them had established their own galleries and schools, she said.

UNI