Rajasthan is distinguished for its famous style of paintings which include murals and miniature paintings. The wall murals found in Udaipur are truly marvelous- from graffiti to traditional- everything can be found on the street walls of the city. Palaces, Havelis, streets, buildings, all are covered with these amazing arts. Multitudes of murals greet you, and many of them vary from being painted recently, to those which are quite old found within the beautiful interiors of the palaces, temples, etc.
These exquisite murals found adorning the walls of the city are a thing to watch. Well, these are specifically found in the ‘Old-City’ of Udaipur. Some are modern arts made by the travelers who come to Udaipur while some of them are made by the city dwellers. Many of them are also made under the ‘Beautification’ process of the city.
Know about the Street Art in Udaipur:
The Traditional Rajputana Art: The Decorative Wall Paintings
Ever thought why these elephants, men, and women are made on our streets? Just to look beautiful? No, there is also some significance behind the traditional art form.
There are a plethora of Rajputana paintings in which a common theme is found throughout. Rajputana artwork is a great manipulation of space. The insertion of fuller spaces is meant to emphasize the lack of boundaries and inseparability of characters and landscapes. In this way, the individuality of physical characters is almost rejected, allowing both the portrayed backgrounds and human figurines to be equally vivid.
In ancient times Mewar rulers wanted paintings and wall murals to portray their determination, establishing their heritage. Hence, paintings were often indicative of a king’s legacy or their changes made to better the society.
As a mark of beautification, whether during festivals or marriage ceremonies or simply otherwise, these paintings are done on the outside walls of houses and buildings. They display colorful and elaborate portraits of men, women, elephants, horses, riders and deities.
Both recent and historical paintings can be seen on the walls of the city. Walking down narrow streets of Udaipur’s old city is alike wandering in an art gallery. Whitewashed house walls make canvases for local and foreign artists, who draw cows and elephants, or princely men and women with beautiful clothes or something totally different like some graffiti or abstract art. Most often, the traditional paintings adorn the entrances of houses. They are believed to create a harmonious ambiance, to seek spiritual guidance and cut off evil. Many are decorated with tiny mirrors or mosaic.
Embellishing the Walls of Udaipur: The Modern Street Art
While there are plenty of traditional arts on the streets of Udaipur, the old city is also decorated by modern arts like graffiti by foreign travelers who come here from various parts of the world and leave a mark on the City. Some of them are quotations written on the walls of restaurants while some are typical abstract art that is very alluring to watch.
One of the wall mural, somewhere near the Chandpol Bridge is the most famous in the city. It was made by 4-5 women artist from New Zealand. The women came here under a special task ‘The Painted Peacock Project‘, a trip that aimed at sharing knowledge with local children in need and teaching them the art of stenciling, painting and jewelry making.
A lot of people do not know this fact that the painting was initially made by a stencil and then faired out. Interesting!!!
For people who are missing out on what Graffiti is, these are writings or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or painted on a wall or other surface, often within public view.
Another quite famous wall painting is at Ambrai Ghat, made by Action Udaipur under the beautification process, making the worn out walls of Udaipur beautiful and worth staring! No doubt the mural at Ambrai is remarkable; the use of bright colors on a pale peach wall embosses the painting. The grandness of the Action Udaipur wall mural is mesmeric and entices a lot of people to click.
A huge art at the Zostel is one that can mesmerize any onlooker. These murals are timeless marks on the walls that represent diverse culture and inhabitance on the globe. These have also become a spot for unmatched photos and selfies for the localities and tourists.
The streets of Udaipur are ornamented with unparalleled art that is admired by many residents and tourists as well. Indeed all such arts and elements of beauty attract a lot of tourism to our city.
I have listed down some of them, which I loved the most. Try to guess the locations of these by seeing the pictures, if you can. Also, tell me if I have missed any significant wall art anywhere in the city by mentioning the location in the comments below.
