In the lower Assam districts of Kamrup and Goalpora, a rich tradition of folk art still flourishes. Assamese folk art is traditionally done on Sholapith (Aeschvnomene Aspera) an extremely white marshy reed resembling thermocol which has now been adapted into modern materials like canvas and paper.
The artist families like Malakars and Sholakars dominate this art form done on the pith of the shola plant. Traditionally, used to carve the “mukut” or crown worn by the bride and groom on their wedding day, the reed is easily sliced by a knife into paper-thin white layers, which are then joined with an adhesive to make various forms.
Stylistically, the artists have seamlessly executed this transformation of three-dimensional art to a two-dimensional surface. Unlike the Bengal scroll paintings, Assamese folk art depicts the entire narrative in a single plane without any songs to accompany the paintings. The figures are depicted with strong lines, minimal shading, done with water-based colors derived from vegetable dyes and organic material.
