The Pichhvais Painting Tradition: A Study in the Methods and Material of Pichhvais Miniature Painting
DESMOND LAZARO, PhD (2002)
After completing his MA at The Prince’s School, Desmond travelled to India to pursue the practice of painting in the Pichhvais tradition. He was taken on as an apprentice in the studio of Master Bannu Ved Pal Sharma whose family have practiced the craft for over seven generations. He worked in the studio for eleven years, and continues to practice. His thesis is a documentation, composed of visual diaries that became the backbone of his dissertation with photographs providing a visual record of the techniques, and his own paintings based on what was learned in the studio. The study sheds light on the inherent symbolic nature of the craft exploring the meaning of a traditional craft, the technique of Pichhvai painting, and the preparation of materials.
In 2005 his doctoral research was published in a book, ‘Methods, Materials and Symbolism in the Pichhvais Painting Tradition of Rajasthan’. He wrote of his doctoral studies “The reason for undertaking this research is to understand the tradition of Pichhvais Miniature painting from within. My main objective is to gain an insight into the nature of how a traditional craft becomes an expression of The Sacred. The findings and outcome will be aimed at contributing to the maintenance and renewal of the venerable tradition of Pichhvais painting.” He has gone some way to achieve his aim with the foundation in 2006 of The Traditional Arts Trust, India, that supports families in Rajasthan who continue, against overwhelming odds, to produce new Pichhvai paintings in the traditional manner.
