TERRACOTTA ART

Pottery is the music of life that plays on in a pile of clay. Clay has always remained one of mankind’s oldest tools used to sculpt. One of the most famous handicrafts or we can say the craft losing its existence in our Indian culture is Terracotta art. Terracotta has traveled a fantastic journey over thousands and thousands of years. It has shaped large empires and enriched mighty dynasties, and it has been a vital element of civilizations.

Terracotta horses. source: mediaindia.eu

The word terracotta comes from the Latin phrase "terra cocta," which means "heated soil." Terracotta can simply be defined as earthenware made of clay. It's something we see all the time. It is a part of our daily life, from the roadside tea store to our balcony flower pots.

Terracotta art is almost identical to its name. It's the process of molding clay into beautiful designs and then baking them at a high temperature to give them firmness and stability.

The art of terracotta may seem ordinary or simple but the history and tradition of terracotta are incredibly rich and grand.

Terracotta has been widely used by people all across the world, from the Indus Valley Civilisation to ancient Mesopotamia, and from Greek civilization to the Chinese.

Terracotta, also known as clay craft, is man's first attempt at handicraft. The potter's wheel, an essential component of terracotta crafts, is credited as being the first machine to use motion for productive purposes. Pottery has been dubbed the lyric of handicrafts due to its wide beauty and attractiveness.

For many years, archaeological and historical studies have used pottery to date and analyze civilizations based on the level of skill and beauty demonstrated by the earthenware discovered during their digs.

Since the Indus Valley Civilization, terracotta has been used in India for more than 5000 years. Since then, it has been utilized for a variety of purposes, and historical proof of this can be found all around the country.

Terracotta has a long, profound, and beautiful relationship with Bengal, as it does with the rest of the world and the country. Without exaggeration, Bengal's contribution to the art of terracotta is extremely superior and amazing.

Bengal is known for a variety of unique arts and crafts, all of which contribute to the culture's unique personality. Bengal has mastered and applied the terracotta craft via its amazing sculptures and murals. The earliest terracotta sculptures date back to the Mauryan Period (324-187 BC), while there are some pre-Mauryan sculptures found in West Bengal's Harinarayanpur and Pandu Rajar Dhibi.

Murshidabad, Birbhaum, Bishnupur, Hooghly, and Digha in Bengal have some of the best terracotta panel patterns. The patterns are fairly accentuated with conventional skill and explicit artwork, and the topic is often folk.

The terracotta craft flourished in Bengal in the 16th century, when the Vaisnava movement, led by Sri Chaitanya, influenced Bengali culture. Surprisingly, the Malla kings of Bankura took the initiative to popularise both the Vaisnava sect and a new type of terracotta art, which depicted the Krishna sect on the gorgeous temples they built.

The majority of the terracotta-patterned temples were constructed between the late 16th and early 19th centuries. Among the popular examples of terracotta, are the temples of Bishnupur and Kalna.

Terracotta clay is often a combination of two or more clay types found in riverbeds, pits, and drains. They're mixed, then given lovely shapes and patterns. Most of the time, the folk motif is applied in the craft.

Traditional knowledge and meticulous artwork brilliantly showcase the design The sculptures are then burned at temperatures between 700 and 800 degrees Celsius in kilns. Local fuels, such as twigs, dry leaves, or firewood, are typically used in the kiln.

Terracotta is employed in a variety of ways nowadays, and it may be found in both rural and urban settings. Terracotta cow feeding bins, tea mugs, clay rice pots, plates, tumblers, and yoghurt pots are used by the majority of rural homes.

The majority of the things, however, are of the use-and-throw sort. They also create solid clay toys and dolls using burnt clay molds. Clay is often used to create large figurines of gods and goddesses. Kumartuli idol builders in Kolkata are the best illustration of this.

Terracotta has traveled a fantastic journey over thousands and thousands of years. It has shaped large empires and enriched mighty dynasties, and it has been a vital element of civilizations. Even if those civilizations have vanished, empires have crumbled, and dynasties have collapsed, terracotta remains a vital part of our lives as it has for millennia.

Terracotta art of bengal. source: pinterest.com