Here’s what Goan art has to say about its history

Goan art is reinventing Goa travel. What was once a mainstream party destination in India is now rewriting its narrative. Instead of Goa travel packages, locals are curating heritage walks in Goa, nature exploration and local Goan festival experiences! This new offbeat Goa allows you to travel slowly and dive deeper into newer experiences.

One such experience is in witnessing all the famous Goan art. Goa has such a rich history of art and architecture fuelled by a melange of Indo-European techniques that create breathtaking masterpieces! 

So we decided to sketch for you a brief idea of what Goa’s artscape is like. The three primary Goan folk art forms that have existed for centuries are frescoes, Kaavi murals and the Azulejos tiles, all unique with distinct histories.

Frescoes

So, what is the fresco buono technique in Goa? When we walked into a few homes in the Canacona taluka of Goa, what greeted us were large walls that looked like life-size comic books. Colourful images full of people and things – minus the speech bubbles – covered entire rooms. Frescoes have been a large part of Goa’s folk art. These designs that are painted into wet wall plaster usually depict illustrations narrating scenarios and characters from real life.

For instance, one of the houses we visit on our Canacona Trail is a beautiful example of these art forms. Now in ruins and devoid of the art that once decorated it, the house lives on to tell its stories through pictures. Situated in Poinguinim in South Goa, it presents a perfect juxtaposition of a Goan Hindu house and a Goan Catholic house. It’s one of the most unique arts in Goa.

A peek into the Goan Art of Frescoes

If you pay careful attention, its door depicts a small kaavi ring and the walls upon entering are filled with narrations. These frescoes are painted using natural dyes and colours. According to Heta Pandit, an author, Catholic houses have more decorative elements on the outside than on the inside as opposed to Hindu homes; the latter, she says, are replete with decorative elements and narratives on the inside.

In the Canacona house, one comes across art that must’ve been added almost 150 years ago. In the first image, Heta explains to us about a Bhatkar or landlord drawn on the wall, sitting in a regal, powerful position. He has his index finger pointing up and his arm raised. His nail is long, which could indicate the fact that the bhatkar doesn’t do much manual labour. It could be an intentional comment by the artist or a demand made by the bhatkar himself. He’s also dressed in the typical Indo-western garb, wearing a coat over a shirt and a dhoti below.

Goan Art of Kaavi/ Sgraffito 

Goa’s climate is generally humid and not conducive for paints, says Heta. This meant that if they wanted to paint, Goans had to get creative. This Goan folk art that makes up most of Goa’s sacred spaces i.e. Goan temples and even Goan homes, starts with the plastering of walls first. So if you were wondering “What is the art on the walls of Goan temples and churches?” It’s Kaavi.

How is Kaavi art created? A steel contraption known as the bodkin is used to make designs on this plaster. But before that can be done, it needs to be cured. The curing is done with water every four hours for two days. The kaav or the red soil that is pretty ubiquitous in Goa is mixed with charcoal. Held together with the sap of a local plant, it is used to fill up these designs.

Journey of Kaavi

Kaavi has travelled from Goa to Maharashtra owing to the Portuguese Inquisition and then back again. This has resulted in not only a partage of this unique Goan art form but also a borrowing of the Kannada motifs and inspirations. One can see images of deities and natural elements in many Goan homes and temples.

A similar art can be found in many of Old Goa’s churches. It looks similar but has a completely different technique and more Christian motifs. So while the Kaavi is Goa’s Hindu art, the Sgraffito can be acknowledged as its Christian counterpart. The patterns we noticed as we moved through Old Goa with Natasha during our Christian Art Trail, did bring out the difference. In Sgraffito, the kaav is plastered first and the white lime is filled into the designs that are etched into it. 

Today, there is no known information about artisans who make Kaavi. It is believed that the knowledge of this art form is lost with those who knew how to make them. To understand Goa and its heritage, these art forms must be protected so they can live on to tell the tale of its inhabitants.

Azulejos

Most Goan homes you’ll visit will brag about their Azulejos – hand-painted white tiles with flowy designs in blue. Azulejos are one of the most famous Goan art forms. You’ll find it in churches, in old homes, on staircases and walls, and even as name plates! Initially, when the Portuguese came to Goa, they’d send back images of the Goan landscape to Portugal to get them done as Azulejos. 

Azulejos and Sgraffito alongside each other in the Convent of Santa Monica, Old Goa

Today, the art has found its way onto ceramic, furniture and even plaster. Despite it all, the true magic rests in having those glazed tiles in your home. A lot of people believe that the name comes from Azur, meaning blue in Portuguese. While this may be true, the more concrete the belief is that it comes from the Arabic word az-zulayj which means “a smooth small stone”.

Chitari

Chitari is almost a 300-year-old Goan art form, dating back to the craftsmen of the Vijayanagar Empire. It’s unique in not only its trademark handiwork but also its bright yellow and red hues and simple designs that breathe freely. One finds all sorts of toys and artefacts created using this art form, such as a very popular board game known as tabul fale.

This game was popular until the 1980s but now has been forgotten with time and replaced with technology too. It’s hard to miss the intricacies of its design and structure, and even harder to not lose yourself in the gameplay. If you’re looking for local Goan handicrafts as souvenirs, check out the Chitari artists in Cuncolim. You can reach out to Soul Travelling to book a visit with the artisans.

Final Thoughts

So which art is famous in Goa? We’d say all of them! These intricate forms of Goan are slowly disappearing. While other crafts of Goa such as pottery, bamboo work, shell crafts and coconut carvings can still be found in local markets, these aren’t. Azulejos continues to be held dear in traditional homes as an integral part of the design, but historians have only recently recovered Scgraffito under whitewash. If you’re fascinated by such art stories, get in touch with Soul Travelling and we’ll take you on a ride through a beautiful history!

PS: If you want to buy local handicrafts, head to the Panjim local market or the Mapusa market.