Kinnal Art: Its history and Origins ... Join Banna's upcoming workshop

Kinnal or Kinhal as commonly known is a small town in the Koppal District of North Karnataka. It is like any other village except for the fact that it dates back to the 13^th century era of the Great Vijayanagar Empire where the first forms of Kinnal art was practiced. Through the test of time this art has continued to survive and is still being carried out by people whose families have been practicing through generations. Annappa, a Kinnal artist belongs to one of the few families who continues to practice this rare art form struggling to keep the long heritage alive. “It’s a full time job” he says sitting over a small table and making the final touches on a beautifully  decorated doll, he continues “9 am to 9pm, it’s the only job our family knows”. He recalls how with time they have incorporated modern tools such as watercolours, cardboards, acrylics etc. instead of tamarind seed paste, neem wood and brushes made of squirrel tails used by their ancestors.

A Kinnal art can easily be differentiated from other forms of art by its intricate design. The beautiful designs and patterns on wall mounts, dolls, cradles and swings is breath taking. The artists through their dexterity depict scenes from Deivapuranas or different avatars of Vishnu which brings life to the art. The speciality is in the paint that is prepared from liquid tin!. Tin is hammered for up to 4-5 hours till it gets into its molten form. It is then mixed with colours and is then ready for painting. This gives the paint a long lasting effect and does retains its glamour. The problem lies in the hammering of tin which requires manpower. With the advent of technology there are now machines that pound tin to get it into the liquid form.

Once final touches are done the arts make their way to various exhibitions, festivals, village fairs, art galleries or to the homes of art lovers. Kinnal wall hangings and showpieces are favourite among art lovers. Kinnal art has also found its place in many temples of Karnataka. This historic form of painting has also become popular worldwide.  Increasing presence of this art has recently been encouraged by the government by granting it the status of geographic indication. The illustrious heritage and the conventional methods employed have made Kinnal art one of the most respected art forms practiced in India.

 - Contributed by Antorik Roy for Banna Creations 

Banna’s  Kinnal Art workshop

 After much deliberation and Delay Banna Presents the first schedule of the “ Kinnal Painting workshop” in January …

11^th and 12^th and 18^th and 19^th January.

The workshop will be conducted by an artist with more than 30 years of experience in the field who has been teaching this traditional art form in an attempt to revive it and spread its awareness.