Rogan Painting: A Guide to Kutch’s Disappearing Art
In the dusty, sun-baked village of Nirona in Kutch, Gujarat, an art form so rare and magical exists that it teeters on the edge of extinction. This is Rogan painting, a 300-year-old craft of painting on cloth that is practiced by only one family in the entire world.
It is an art of pure imagination, where intricate designs are spun from a thread of paint onto fabric without any prior sketching. The process is so unique and the results so stunning that it seems to defy logic. The designs are often so perfectly symmetrical that it looks like they were created with a mirror, yet it is all done by hand.
This guide will introduce you to the mesmerizing world of Rogan art, from its secret Persian origins and complex technique to its journey from a small village in Kutch to the walls of the ...