Talking Tempera: An Ode to Bengal Masters

Tempera is traditionally created by hand-grinding dry powdered pigments into a binding agent or medium, such as egg, honey, milk (in the form of casein) and a variety of plant gums. 

Payel's floral works are stunningly beautiful and replete with details, in a technique that is difficult to master.

Her series on Nature is inspired by what she sees around her,  and this is the artist’s ode to beauty in Tempera. She received the prestigious Abinandranath Tagore Memorial Award in 2016 and has experimented with painting in various mediums.

Payel Acharjya has also experimented with other art forms, namely Miniatures, which she has painted in Tempera style.

These work, albeit being small in size, have several outstanding features; the intricate brushwork contributes to their unique identity. 

This style of painting the human eye is typical to Tempera style works, yet the overall composition is inspired by Miniature paintings.

While Miniature paintings are known for their bright colours, Payel's Tempers works are subdued, with emphasis on shades like indigo, purple and pink.

Coomar experiments with the medium to express his artist's vision. Here he depicts everyday scenes from rural India - busy markets, daily village life. This work is bustling with life and events, all seemingly happening at once, yet disconnected from each.  

Watered down colours and non-definitive brush strokes are trademarks of the Tempera medium. The artist first creates a wash on the board or fabric, then builds his scene on that wash with subsequent applications of colour.

The details in Tempera style of painting often lie in the foliage. Notice how the artist has clearly defined leaves and their shapes using different hues of green to create the effect of abundance. Human features are rarely emphasised upon in this painting style.

While the scene in each painting is clearly depicted, details are often obscured in Tempera style painting. Unlike painting in realism, Tempera artists lean more towards Abstractionism with their work.

The scene is from the wedding of a young girl. Notice how the plantain leaf behind the bride indicates that it is piled high with lotus blossoms, yet the flowers have been painted like pink blobs with little detail and definition. 

Even the garland around the bride's neck lacks detail and definition; it's there for the purpose. 

Tempera paintings are often mistaken for watercolours. One of the most glaring differences is the variation in mediums used - for watercolours the base medium is often paper, while in Tempera it is silk fabric or board.

Often, due to the speed with which an artist needs to paint in this medium, Tempera works are created in smaller sizes. 

The most common form of classical tempera painting is egg tempera which is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of coloured pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk.

Tempera paint is normally applied in thin, semi-opaque or transparent layers. Egg tempera is water-resistant, but not waterproof. Egg tempera is not a flexible paint and requires stiff boards; painting on canvas may cause cracks to form and chips of paint to fall off.

This painting has been done on board. Notice how the artist uses colours ranging from green to yellow only, with small highlights of range.

Red and cyan are often not used in Tempera style of painting because the technique requires gentle tones and delicate colours. 

The artist portrays the Goddess of knowledge in typical tempera style.

Saraswati is painted in a distinct Oriental style, much reminiscent of Thai paintings of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The almond shaped eyes, voluptuous form and naked torso is inspired by South Asian art.

The lotus and swan are almost incidental, as the artist renders a pan-Asian portrayal to the painting, rather than the commonly seen Indian version of the goddess.