Today I want to draw some analogies of the rangOli field with cinema and drama as well as music.
1) An artist creating rangOlis on the floor with rangOli powder is like a drama actor. You can have only certain number of rehearsals, but ultimately one has to perform before a live audience. Similarly the rangOli has to be drawn on the floor in a given time. One cannot go on erasing or correcting it. Drawing rangOlis on the computer is like filming. One can have any number of takes till the director is satisfied to ultimately give a satisfactory product. In the same way the computer artist can go on working till (s)he gets a finished work that is satisfactory.
2) Somebody mentioned about me being a bit colourless :-) as most of the time I work only in monochrome. I am reminded of the story as narrated by Mysore Vasudevachar. Mysore Vasudevachar is a very well known composer in karNATaka music. Of course his most famous work is brOchE vArevarurA. He was a Sishya of paTNam subrahmaNya ayyar (famous for raghuvaMSa sudhAMbudhi chaMdraSrI) of tiruvayyAru. Vasudevachar narrates in a book (nA kaMDa kalAvidaru) what his guru once told him: It is very easy to enthrall the audience with rare and not often heard rAgAs. But to satisfy them and convince them with the common rAgAs that are often heard is more difficult. In this the artist has to show something new every time to keep the attention of the audience. Similarly, colour always makes rangOlis more beautiful. There is no doubt about it. But to create beauty in monochrome (like my maroon) or the normal white rangOli powder is, in my opinion, more difficult. That is why I enjoy the plain rangOlis more. It is not that I am "colour blind". But the monochromes are more challenging.
You may air your views in this respect.
Regards! - mOhana
The first thing that catches my attention in a rangoli, for me, is the pattern or the strokes. Using many colors in a rangoli is a distraction, in my opinion. :) I somehow relate rangoli colors with makeup. (I'm also a big fan of being "natural" most of the time, so I prefer minimal color usage). To me, blemishes add character. :)
Also, I think when you jazz up something (be it a rangoli or a face) with too many colors, one can "credit the colors" instead of the beauty that is evoked by the strokes/pattern (or features). I don't recall using more than two colors in my rangolis. In short, colors are secondary. But, that is just my opinion. You know what they say about beauty - being in the eyes of the beholder. :)
Yes Me too admire plain white kolams or rangolis with minimum colors.when more colors are used wisely it looks attractive, but it does not reflect the talents of the creater.Thats why when competitions are held I always insist it should be seperate for white kolam and color rangolis seperately.Ofcourse coloring demands patient working. It is like decorating a bride with colorful dresses and lot of jewelleries. But a simple beauty... like ladies in Ravivarma Paintings
are real treat of natural beauties.. that is plain kolams.I am not able to explain in words what I feel.
rajamma
Hello Mohana Sir, I am an ardent fan of not only your kolams but of your creative writing as well. I remember very well you were the first one to comment on my kolams (where I used to use only one color before) regarding using one more color and I had started using colors in my work and there was no stopping me, all my kolams now have colors in them which I love, tx to ur comment which prompted me to start experimenting with them and Rajamma maam's and other ikolam members' techniques. You give us such informative details about symmetry and coloring that the ardent fan in me was inquisitive to know how your creative writing/comments would look if they were to come alive in the form of a colored pattern by you (apart from your usual maroon and black which I love equally). I was not critical of your maroon and black patterns in the comment that I gave you, in fact I remember saying I loved the pattern drawn by you, I could never criticize anyone, least of all you because you are too good at what you do. Please accept my heartfelt apologies if it hurt your sentiments in any way, it was never meant to be that way, it was the pure love for the art and just the inquisitive part/ardent fan in me that took the liberaty of commenting on your kolam. Nevertheless, I just want you to know I love your work in whatever form they are and love kolams all the more be it in one color or more.
namastE pushpAjI /\ I meant it as a joke, didn't you see my smiley there? I am also a great fan of yours and your rangOlis with wet flour. I have seen you evolve into a very good artist in a short time. That shows how hard you worked and how skillful and dedicated you are. This is a small family and we must encourage each other and go on.
Regards! - mOhana
Thank you Mohana sir, it is an honour to hv u appreciate my work and give comments on them :)