Every art is a challenge itself. Every art checks the skill, patience, perfection, focus and passion of the artist. To prepare a piece of any art, an artisan tries the best of his/her skill. An art has its own factors and reasons as the challenges. A master makes the piece after facing many challenges.
Why is Rogan Art a challenge?
Rogan Art is the unique art of oil painting. It is not only the art of painting but also of taking its imprints. As we know Rogan art history is 1,550 years old. Its survival in Kutch, Gujarat is not less than a challenge. After one and half century old art survives in Kutch is a big challenge for the artists. Livelihood with the Rogan art is not easy for the artisans. Many changes come from time to time. Keeping authenticity and traditionality in this centuries old art is a subject of research itself. Rogan Art has many challenges like some challenges are natural and some challenges are man made. Rogan artisans have to make hands with nature.
Boil castor oil carefully for making Rogan paste
In old times artisans of Rogan Art used castor oil, linseed oil, walnut oil, and poppy seed oil. But in present times most of the Rogan artisans use castor oil or linseed oil due to availability and affordability. Not only oil choosing is enough but from the oil its paste making process is complicated. As we know while cooking when the oil boils it starts to burn and possibility of fire.
Boiling the castor oil is not an easy process. It is long and time consuming. Only master experts can do it. It requires continuous attention and proper temperature. Boiling castor oil takes many hours and also needs some hours to cool. During the boiling it should be continuously stirring otherwise it burns and can’t prepare paste.
When oil boils it smells bitter and produces smoke also. Artisans have to take precaution for it. Sometimes because of its smoke the problems of itchy eyes and runny nose. If an artisan is not alert while castor oil is boiling, its splashes harm the body and possibility of burning. Allergic persons can’t do this boiling process. Even after precaution, if proper attention is not there the castor oil may boil more and burn and can’t be proper paste from it. It is not a children’s play to boil castor oil for making paste.
Choose castor oil for Rogan paste
In ancient Rogan wall painting there are the remains of linseed oil, poppy seed oil, walnut oil and castor oil. As time passes, we know that other oils like poppy seed oil and walnut oils are not easily available and costly. Castor oil is affordable and easily available. Its property is also suitable for Rogan painting. The paste of boiled castor oil has properties like water resistant, when exposed to sunlight it dries slowly but when it’s dry it takes hard nature that can last for a long time. It gives a shiny effect. Boiled Castor oil paste is a very good binding jel like structure in which chalk powder and colour can be mix easily.
Boiled castor oil thick sticky paste–handle with care
When boiling is complete then the process of cooling starts. It takes a few hours. We have to wait for some hours. After some hours it changes into a lumpy, sticky paste. We called it the Rogan paste. This structure is very sticky in structure that artisans can mix the colours and other powder binders to use in painting. But this paste also has to be put in an air tight container. If this paste gets air it loses its smoothness and because of oxidising it gets little lumps in the paste that can’t be used in painting.
Heat and cold both affect boiled Rogan paste
Sometimes due to the hot season this boiled paste changes its structure. If it is not put in a proper cool place it becomes loose and the artisan can’t hold string or thread like structure from the paste. We have to put the boiled paste in not only air tight containers but also covers with cotton clothes or paper so that it can’t catch heat. Every time the artisan wants to use the paste for painting he/she should be proper take care about the open and close the container and cover it. It lasts for some days until the paste is complete or the paste gets lumped. This boiled paste must be put in an air tight vessel and take care while its closing and opening. Artisans save the paste from air to prevent oxidation. In the cold season if the Rogan paste is not covered the upper surface of the paste gets dry and does not give smoothness. So the artisans have to save the boiled Rogan paste from the heat and cold.
Coloured Rogan paste making
When the artisans want to do the Rogan painting, they take the boiled castor oil and then chalk powder and a desirable colour mix in it. It can’t be mixed with hands. Artisans have to use hard surfaces like big stone to make coloured Rogan paste. They have to mix the chalk powder and colour and little water and then they take the boiled castor oil paste / Rogan paste and mix it with colour with repeatedly beating the stone in it. Artisans make the coloured Rogan paste after properly repeatedly beating and mixing it. After that the coloured Rogan paste becomes ready to use.
Coloured Rogan paste’s care
Boiled castor oil paste is such a type structure that resists water/oxygen but it has a limitation of time. When it comes in contact with air/ oxygen it change its structure slowly. Boiled castor oil coloured paste artisan puts in the small plastic or mud pot or glass pot but still it oxygenates slowly. Boiled castor oil paste artisan puts in water to prevent oxidation but after three four days it changes structure and starts drying and little lumping.
Fresh and unfresh colours
The Rogan paste must be put in water to avoid oxidation. The artisans put coloured Rogan paste in glass or plastic small pots. This coloured Rogan paste catches lumps faster than the plain boiled castor oil paste because now it is the mixture of binder and colours. This paste lasts up to three / four days. The artisans use this coloured Rogan paste as fast as possible. It puts in water to prevent air otherwise it gets its surface dry and loses its smoothness. Very smooth and sticky paste required for the Rogan painting. If it is not smooth and fresh paste artisans can’t make a thread like structure for painting.
Hard to learn Rogan Art
Rogan Art is not an easy art to learn. It takes more time to learn. You have to learn how to make a long, stable, thread-like structure from the Rogan paste. Not only make a structure in thread like but use and hold and move it in the design like making line, round or flower or leaves. The mastery of an artisan of the Rogan Art looks in making smooth moving with Rogan sticky thread on the fabric. It takes years to make a smooth and steady hand in the Rogan Art. The art checks the patience and learning passion of the learner.
Problems during half folding in Rogan painting
In the Rogan Art most of the artisan do the Rogan painting on the fabric. The popular design in this art is Wish Tree / Tree of life. The artisans fold the fabric in half and do the Rogan painting on the half side. When the artisan does the design on the half side it needs to be pressed on the other side to get its imprint. Artisans should be very careful while pressing the design. If an artisan doesn’t fold properly in half, the design does not get its proper shape. The Rogan artisans have to be very careful while pressing the Rogan design on the other half side otherwise the shape gets long or wide or space in the middle or sometimes the design overlaps.
No correction for mistake
The Rogan Art is made from boiled castor oil then dry powder and colours mixed with it, still it is a very sticky thick oily paste. When the artisan does the Rogan painting on the fabric and makes any mistake while doing design or folding and pressing, it can’t be correct. Once the Rogan painting is done on the fabric, it is stuck with the fabric due to its oily wet structure and artisans can’t remove it in any way. If an artisan tries to remove it, there are signs and spots of the painting that still remains there. So the most needed is perfection in this art.
Time of painting is limited
Time is very important in this art. The artisans choose the design that can be done in minimum hours. If an artisan takes more time in doing Rogan work, the colours of Rogan catch oxygen and air and start drying. If the artisan takes more time in painting, the oily colours get dry and when the artisan wants its imprint it doesn’t get proper design as done in the half side. Dry colours do not properly stick with the fabric while pressing so it looks like one side proper design and the other side light coloured design and the piece gets failed.
Dry time
Rogan Art as we discuss above is an art of patience. Rogan Art is done with the boiled oily paste and hence it takes much time to dry after painting due to its thick oily structure. The one piece of the Rogan painting is put at least two or three times in hot sunlight for drying before it is prepared. Once the design is put for drying when the main design is prepared, and the second time when the gapes and the designs are filled with the decorative dots and lines. The outline of Wish Tree / Tree of life is painted in short time but its decoration with tiny dots and small lines in gaps takes much time. Some time it takes two or three days so every time after painting it needs to be put for drying. So one piece of Rogan Art takes minimum seven to eight hours in drying after the outline of the Wish Tree /Tree of Life and seven to eight hours after the decorative dots and lines.
Need hot strong sunlight for drying
After the painting, the Rogan work piece needs to be dry. We know the Rogan Art is done through the thick boiled oil coloured paste. The design made from this thick paste is oily wet and sticky. There is no other way to dry them except the heat of the sunlight. It takes nearly six to seven hours to dry the design piece. One piece of the Rogan Art minimum two times put under strong sunlight, once when the artisan does outline the design and then second after the decorative tiny dots.
Work less in Rainy cloudy climate
The Rogan Art’s the most prior need is that it needs strong hard sunlight to dry. In monsoon season when there is a cloudy atmosphere and no strong sunlight the Rogan artisans have to wait. Hence the artisan works less in monsoon season. The painting that is done in Rogan must be put under hot sunlight for a minimum of five to six hours.
Not mass production
Rogan art is a completely handmade painting. This handicraft involves all natural materials. No use of any mechanical device in this art. Other than this it requires more patience and time. Each process from boiling oil to cooling, more time in drying, human involvement and mistakes, depend on nature affecting the productions of Rogan Art. There are not more artisans to keep on the art in the present time.
A very few Rogan artisans
Rogan art is a rare art. It survives after centuries. The learning of the Rogan Art is not easy for anyone. In this modern age very few artisans are maintaining the art. The long period requires us to acquire this art. Many artisans had to leave this art due to family responsibility or less monetary return. Now a time in Kutch Gujarat this art has been surviving the Rogan Art with great dedication. Nowadays only a few families save this art. In this computerised and AI generation has not much patience to learn our traditional art forms.
Costly due to hard work and time
The Rogan Art product is totally handmade. As we have discussed above it takes a long time to complete. As we know when the artistic piece takes much time its price increases due to artisan’s hard work. Costly raw materials like castor oil and colours, cotton fabric that supports the price. Rogan Art is a special art and part of our cultural heritage so, every piece is precious.
Limited designs and colours
The Rogan paste is thick and sticky therefore when Rogan artisans make the design from making a thread like structure and painting the designs from it very carefully hold it with the hand but still it is thick line so artisans make the design on the half side and press it and gets its imprint on the next half side like in freehand designs. Press it carefully and when you unfold the whole design appears. So most of the designs are freehand designs so that mirror images can be achieved. So the artisans make half a tree with Rogan paint and get the whole tree by pressing it. So the Rogan paint goes into the fabric and is stuck with fibres. Artisan chooses the design that can get a mirror image perfectly. Hence artisans have a limited choice of designs because of mirror image designs.
The traditional authentic colours used in the Rogan Art are five colours only like orange, yellow, white, blue and green. Rogan artisans use these colours to make their paintings.
Compete with modern arts, machine print designs
Rogan Art is traditional and cultural heritage art that takes us back to 5/6 century to the cave, painting of Bamiyan that was done by Budhdha disciples. From that time to present time many new arts are developed which are made from using machines. Many modern arts are cheaper than the Rogan Art products. The choice and the taste of the people also have changed. Many changes come in the different art forms. Rogan Art has to face all other arts. The machine print designs now become popular that can produce the bulk of new patterns in a short time period.
In spite of every problem the artisans of the Rogan Art still stand on and explore the new touch of creativity. It is our responsibility to conserve the ancient Rogan Art heritage and to support the Rogan artisans.
Vocal for local
Save the artists, save the art.
