Vehicle art in South Asia
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Vehicle art in South Asia can be found on trucks , rickshaws and buses in Pakistan , India , Bangladesh and Afghanistan . The vehicles are lavishly decorated by hand with representational and ornamental painting, fabrics and ribbons, sculptures and extensions in bright colors. The practice goes back to traditions well before the invention of the motor vehicle . The decorations and modifications are carried out by members of their own professional groups.
history
Jewelry and decorations on the means of transport used by wealthy and noble users in South Asia were originally attached to sedan chairs and pleasure ships , but also to the harness of transport animals such as donkeys and camels . The latter are still often decorated with colorful bells, collars and plush tassels.
The transfer of such decorations to automobiles began in the middle of the 20th century. In the 1950s, a supra-regional transport system with trucks developed , whereby their owners achieved some prosperity and endeavored to place their vehicles visibly in competition. Instead, they were equipped with permanently attached jewelry and decorations. At around the same time, people in Bangladesh began to decorate bicycle rickshaws , which were decorated with elaborate colorful tendrils, lettering , painted plastic hoods or textile applications. The expansion to motorized auto rickshaws followed in the 1970s. In Afghanistan , decorated trucks are particularly common in border traffic with Pakistan, where the vehicle decorations usually come from. Under the rule of the Taliban, the decorations were largely limited to geometric patterns and calligraphic designs, since, according to their understanding of Islam, images of people and animals are not allowed.
Pakistan
The origin of Pakistani vehicle art lies in Rawalpindi , although today artisans also offer corresponding services in other places. Also Karachi is known as a metropolis of widespread in Pakistan Truck ornaments. Typically a foreman and several helpers work on one vehicle. It is a male occupation, which corresponds to the widespread gender segregation in Pakistani professional life. It is mostly trucks , trucks used as buses and real omnibuses that are decorated .
The designs of the vehicles have developed further since the 1950s from individual decorative elements to an extension to all surfaces of the vehicle. Nowadays , stripes painted like a frieze and placed one on top of the other, depicting fish, birds or geometric figures, are widespread . These are overlaid by framed picture scenes or artfully calligraphic pious sayings such as “Pray for forgiveness of your sins before you start this journey” or “This could be your last journey”. The inspiration for the designs is often provided by inexpensive picture calendars or illustrations from books of Islamic art .
A typical decorative element on trucks is an imposing "crown" (taj) constructed above the driver's cab and reaching over the hood , which slightly doubles the vehicle's original cab height. It provides a large area for colored presentations. Painted or plasticized there are geometric, floral or peacock-like motifs, as well as lavishly framed symbols with proverbs or Koran verses in the middle of the crown, often draped with textile scarves. Colorful, tightly lined up chains often hang under the front bumper, which visually enlarge the front surface.
Also on the sides of the car and on the rear surface there are panel-like and medallion-like elements with colorful patterns and representations that contribute to an opulent overall picture.
Ornate trucks from Afghanistan are also built in Pakistan or based on Pakistani models , as they are mainly used in cross-border traffic between the two countries. As a result, their design is very similar, although the crowns are on average lower than the Pakistani models. Also, under the influence of the Taliban, the range of motifs on the car was reduced , as it was under them that the ban on images in Islam was enforced.
India
In India, too, there are traditions of decorating trucks and auto rickshaws. The opulence of vehicle art is not achieved in Bangladesh or Pakistan, and there are also major regional differences. The state of Kerala is a focal point for the decoration of trucks , where colorful panels with carvings on the edges are reminiscent of garlands of flowers and birds. Such a board is placed above the driver's cab as a sign on which a name assigned to the vehicle can be read in English or in Malayalam . The hood is sometimes painted with eyes and the bumper is hung with a demon mask to drive away evil. Flower motifs painted on the sheet metal can be found as well as large-format pictures of the deity Ganesha or the Taj Mahal complex .
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh , the focus of vehicle decorations is on passenger transport. Since the mid-1950s, cycle rickshaws in particular, and motorized auto rickshaws since the 1970s, have been decorated and optically upgraded. The paintings are designed and applied by riksha artists (shilpakars) while riksha artisans (mistris) make plastic decorations and assemble decorated rickshaws on behalf of customers. The skills and knowledge are imparted autodidactically or through learning from masters in their field. In Bangladesh, too, car decoration is a male profession, but women help in family businesses, and since the end of the 20th century a few women have also opened their own businesses in the industry.
An essential design element in rickshaws is the rear of the vehicle with a picture panel that hangs between the rear wheels and is known as a chobi . In the past, mostly hand-painted, digital photo prints are increasingly used today. Often, certain topics are depicted with urban, village, artistic, historical or film-inspired motifs. Other decorative elements are the hand-sewn folding roofs of the rickshaws, which can be opened and closed like an umbrella, and which are decorated with colored medallions in a peacock look. The design of the hoods often has a regional reference. The base of the passenger seat is framed by shiny nail heads and is also richly decorated, for example with depictions of birds or pictures of movie stars. Armrests, running boards, driver's seats and poles of the vehicle are also lavishly decorated with paintings, plastic applications, attached vases with artificial flowers and other handicrafts.
The vehicles of pious Muslims can be recognized by their lack of or reduced decoration, the reason here too being the Islamic ban on images.
Adaptations
The style and visual language of South Asian art on vehicles were adopted, among other things, in the field of fashion, but also directly on individual vehicles on other continents. The Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana used painted motorized tricycles in Milan during an advertising campaign in 2015. Corresponding patterns are often adopted in women's fashion, while adaptations in men's fashion are rare.
For the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne , Australia , a tram inside and outside was redesigned as the "Karachi to Melbourne Tram". The well-known truck painter Nusrat Iqbal from Pakistan, who also designed a bus in London and two rickshaws in the United States, was hired as the artist. The tram has been in the Melbourne Tram Museum since June 19, 2015.
Egyptian bus, converted in the Pakistani style
Bus decorated in the Pakistani style as an advertising medium in London
“Karachi Tram” in Melbourne, Australia
Interior shot of the "Karachi Tram"
Chiva in Guatapé, Colombia
Pakistani artists in particular are now also designing lamps, teapots, tin cans, suitcases and wheelbarrows in the style of truck painting, which are bought by interested parties all over the world.
The South American Chivas also have references to South Asian vehicle art . These buses are also lavishly decorated with paintings in special workshops. Allegedly, the paint for these vehicles was originally imported from Pakistan, whereupon the idea of painting spread in South America.
See also
Literature and source
- Joanna Kirkpatrick: Conveyance Arts . In: Encyclopedia of Modern Asia . Vol. 2. Thomson Gale, 2002, ISBN 0-684-31243-3 , pp. 171-174 .
Web links
- Pictures of decorated vehicles from Pakistan
- Video: Colorful giants roll on Pakistan's streets on FAZ online
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ibriz Sheikh: Pakistani truck art takes over streets of Milan . In: The Express Tribune , May 30, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ^ Truck art and fashion . pakistantruckart.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ Trucker, Verlag Heinrich Vogel, Springer Fachmedien Munich: Truck art in Pakistan. Retrieved March 18, 2017 .
- ↑ Yarra Trams Z1 Class No 81 'Karachi W11' . In: www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au . Melbourne Tram Museum @ Hawthorn Depot. June 19, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg Germany: Pakistan's truck painter: Art on the cart - SPIEGEL ONLINE - culture. Retrieved March 18, 2017 .
- ↑ Chivas - Works of Art on Wheels • Reise-nach-kolumbien.de . In: Reise-nach-kolumbien.de . May 24, 2015 ( Reise-nach-kolumbien.de [accessed March 18, 2017]).