| Reviving Petit Point - Puja Bhakoo | | | | can be traced back to the 16th Century, although it |
| An avid embroiderer since the age of thirteen, Puja | | | | reached its most refined and sophisticated expression |
| Bhakoo, an ad person by profession, has revived the | | | | in Europe from the late Middle Ages through the 18th |
| art of Petit Point embroidery in India, lending it a whole | | | | century. |
| new ethnic dimension. | | | | A very expensive art form, Petit Point embroideries |
| Drawing inspiration from paintings by world famous | | | | came to be closely connected with the ruling classes |
| Indian artists , Puja Bhakoo sketches, paints and then | | | | and the clergy of yore. |
| embroiders human figures on canvas using wool. | | | | Historical textiles have often been the result of |
| Earthy hues are ambitiously incorporated in most | | | | collaborative relationships between designers (trained |
| compositions. The figures' solemn expressions and the | | | | as painters), weavers, embroiderers and sculptors. |
| compositions' bold lines give her creations a hauntingly | | | | From the 16th Century on, leading artists like Raphael, |
| realistic look with a three dimensional quality that is far | | | | Rubens, Boucher and Goya provided weavers with |
| easier to achieve in paintings than it is in petit point. The | | | | cartoons for single tapestries or complete sets.are to |
| degree to which the artist is able to create an illusion | | | | locate a needle point sample that reflects laborious |
| of depth, reflects her richness of experience and an | | | | workmanship. |
| innate understanding of the medium. | | | | ...And now |
| Owing to the intricacy of the designs and the fact that | | | | As with all applied arts, increased mechanization led to |
| there is no trained help available (unlike standard hand | | | | slipping standards, inferior training and workmanship |
| embroideries), Puja Bhakoo creates one piece in 3-12 | | | | and a paucity of visual ideas. |
| months, depending on the size of the work. Ofcourse | | | | In this age of instant gratification and perhaps due to |
| the end product is one of its kind...a labour of love and | | | | shrinking attention spans, it has become extremely rare |
| painstaking effort, that is impossible to duplicate since | | | | to locate a needle point sample that reflects laborious |
| there are no graphs or stencils. | | | | workmanship. |
| While this lends an aura of exclusivity to each creation, | | | | The Indian Scenario |
| it also makes the supply curve, vertical. This in turn | | | | Over the years, Cross stitch, Needle Point and Petit |
| makeseach piece, a rare acquisition. | | | | Point compositions got over-simplified and reduced to |
| Sizes of framed panels vary from 1ft x1ft to 4ft x | | | | painted canvas floated in India by Madura Coats. |
| 6ft.contact : Petit Point : A Brief History. | | | | These canvases carry simple floral motifs, the |
| Petit Point is a form of needle point embroidery that | | | | occasional horse or sceneries, etc. |
| closely resembles a tapestry on completion. Its history | | | | |