Chantal Jumel

Vaishnava kolam

Iyengar kolam and saris auction

I could spend hours contemplating these rhythmic, abstract graphs, brimming with imaginary suggestions. The choreography of the body and the fingers is so interwoven that you quickly forget where the dance graphics begins and ends.

Quai Branly Museum/kolam workshop

An introduction to Kolam at the Musée du Quai Branly, Paris

Introduction to Kolam with Chantal Jumel

Chandrayaan-3 mission

India on the moon "Kolam to celebrate Chandrayaan-3"

At the moment of the moon landing, applause and shouts of joy followed one another in the control room. The next day, a similar frenzy gripped my kolam artist friends, who gave free rein to their imagination to capture the event.

Sanjhi/Vrindavan

Vrindavan sanjhi, "Stencil art to celebrate the divine couple Radha Krishna" — part 3

The beauty of sanjhi lies in the perfect precision with which the stencils are cut, and the skill of the painter in placing them one after the other without the design and background blurring.

Sanjhi/Vrindavan

Vrindavan Sanjhi , "A tradition shrouded in mystery." — part 2

Unlike other floor paintings traditions in India, these are, to my knowledge, the only ones to be created using handmade paper stencils and coloured powders.

Sanjhi/Vrindavan

Vrindavan Sanjhi , "In the footsteps of Radha and Krishna" — part 1

A rare form of ephemeral painting known as sanjhi developed in the temples of Mathura and Vrindavan in the 17th century, becoming an integral part of Vaishnavite religious traditions. According to an ancient belief, almost all the temples in this region used to practice this votive art.

Chita/jhoti/Odisha

Odisha chita/jhoti, " Painting the walls and the floors " — part 4

Considered auspicious, the patterns dedicated to the Goddess, as in other parts of India, are often floral, with a preference for lotuses and footprints, to guide Goddess Lakshmi home.

Chita/jhoti/Odisha

Odisha chita/jhoti, "Temples of Bhubaneswar " — part 3

Getting to know the city of Bhubaneswar starts with the exploration of its temples nestled in the four corners of a booming city. In the taxi that took me to the shrines, I noticed the profusion of plants, sculptures and murals with various themes that lined the city streets.

Patachitra/Odisha

Odisha chita/jhoti, "Visiting Bhubaneswar and Raghurajpur" — part 2

Patachitra paintings are known to illustrate mythological stories and portraits of the divine triad of the Jagannath (Lord of the universe) temple. In Odisha, God Krishna is worshipped in this form along with his brother Balabhadra and his half-sister Subhadra.

Chita/jhoti/Odisha

Odisha chita/jhoti, "Arts and Crafts in Bhubaneswar, " — part 1

After three years of seclusion at home, drawing, writing, editing videos and photographs, frustration finally gave way to the joy of travelling to India again. I had planned to document other forms of Indian murals and floor paintings, but to my surprise, I was offered a research trip to Odisha.

Pulli kolam/Kolam with dots

Kolam notebooks

Kamalavathy Kannan has designed two notebooks for you; one with idukku pulli, or dots are aligned in staggered rows and another one with ner pulli or dots lined up in neat rows.

Navaratri/Celebrate the Goddess

Navaratri kolam to celebrate the Goddess

Navaratri, literally "Nine Nights", zealously celebrates the manifestations of the female creative force called Shakti Devi. This festival, which goes by different names in various parts of India, lasts for nine nights and ten days.

Bibliography/Ephemeral art

Kerala Kalam, "Books, and references"

A non exhaustive selection of books on Kerala floor paintings called Kalamezhuttu in English and French

Alpana/alpona Bengal

Bengal alpona, Santiniketan photographic memories

A collection of photographs on the graphic art of alpona from former students and teachers of Santiniketan in Bengal.

Kolam/Tamil Nadu

Kolam to welcome the Chess Olympiad in Chennai

For a few years, the kolam, which once exhorted the virtues of the Indian woman is changing. Kolam artists have added another dimension to their traditional themes, reinterpreting the chess tournament according to their culture and imagination.

Corpus Christi

Colourful carpets to celebrate Corpus Christi in France

At dawn, the men, women and children and members of the association join to set up the station altars and mark the 1.6-kilometre procession route through the village streets with sawdust and flower decorations.

Ram Navami

Kolam to celebrate the birth anniversary of god Rama

Bow, arrows, and padukas as symbols of Rama in kolam. He is adorned with all virtues, exceptional strength, and incredible archery skills. Janaka, the king of Mithila had decided that the king who could lift the bow would marry his daughter Sita.

Temple chariot/ter/ratha

Kapaleeswarar temple, the chariot festival

Processional chariots (ratha in Sanskrit, ter in Tamil) are an integral part of temples and public life in South-India. It is therefore normal to find in the kolam repertoire a rich collection of chariot designs dedicated to the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon.

Kalam/Kerala

Kerala Kalam, "Ayyappan, the hunter and the householder"— part 2

Ayyappan Tiyattu ritual is performed in the regions of northern and central Kerala. The paintings of the Nambiar community exhibit a perfect mastery of line. The three-dimensional effects add a sculptural dimension to the paintings and a liveness to the image of Ayyappan and the other characters.

Pongal/Tamil harvest festival

Pongal festival, the Chettiar way — part 3

Finally, it is Pongal, and I can't wait to see the preparations in the house. The women unleash their creativity by adorning the earthen and bronze vessels. The kolam stands out once the rice paste has dried, and is ready to welcome the celebration with an auspicious Ganesha portrait.

Kalam/Kerala

Kerala Kalam, "Ayyappan, the Lord of Sabarimala"— part 1

The 41-day mandalakalam period, which starts in Vrikshikam (November-December) and culminates by December-end, embodies a time of intense religious fervour and austerities, particularly in temples of Ayyappan and the Goddess. This ritual period benefits the kalam painters.

Kalam/Kalamezhuttu

Kerala Kalam, "Colours and emotions" — part 4

Panchavarnam, five colours for the kalam paintings are more than just an aesthetic choice; they convey concepts as well as feelings. The five powders are chosen according to the attributes of each god or goddess. The iconography refers to myths and legends.

Kalam/Kalamezhuttu

Kerala Kalam,"Measuring and sketching the body"— part 3

Kalam paintings are not born of the priest's or ritual painter's own imagination; they are drawn according to precise rules, which include specifications about shapes and colours. A kalam begins, in most cases, by tracing an east-west vertical line called brahmasutra.

Kalam/Kerala

Kerala Kalam, "Hand drawing techniques"— part 2

In Kalamezhuttu images, the hands constitute drawing and colouring tools. The simplest gesture involves holding the powder between thumb and index and allowing it to drop smoothly onto the floor to complete dots or lines of varying thickness.

Gokulashtami/Krishna Janmashtami

Kolam to celebrate the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna

Of the various kolam created on Gokulashtami, drawing the feet of baby Krishna is a custom in Tamil-Nadu and a sign of welcoming the Divine at home. I have always been moved by the women printing with their fists dipped in wet rice flour, tiny footprints from the threshold to the altar.