painted furniture

Right from mud pots to tables and chairs, motifs were everywhere.The history of painted furniture can be traced from South America, Middle East, Europe and India. Ethnic designs in the form of flowery prints were carved in on any piece of furniture. In contrast you will find smoother lines in ancient Asian history.

Painting the carved furniture brought more grace making it a piece of art. Arabic painting brought out richness in colours. Gold was always imbibed in their colours. It brought about richness and gave any furniture a majestic look.  Their designs were cursive; in flowers it mostly encountered paisley leaves.

On the other hand European painted furniture emulates minimalism. Subdued colours were always used, especially white. They preferred to use soft colours then loud vibrant colours. In India extravagant furniture designs with compelling colours came from the Mogul rule. The accents were Arabic, but till date they are rendered priceless for their style and design.

Furniture that is painted is basically divided into 3 basic categories: i.e. grained, freehand painted and stencilled. Some Indian artists sometimes use a combination of these techniques.

Graining technique – this decoration simulates wood. The process includes application of dry pigments suspended in an oil solution. This technique is used for woods like tiger maple, rosewood, mahogany etc.

Freehand technique – there’s no pattern to adhere to here. All you do is decorate the furniture with stylized brush strokes. Freehand strokes were so peculiar before, one could tell from where it originated. But nowadays painters seek innovation and hence each piece can stand alone.
Stencilled technique – the design is already done on a stencil sheet and marked on the furniture to be decorated. Painting is then done according to the existing pattern.