{"product_id":"contrasting-designs-in-sholapith-craft-by-maya-rani-haldar","title":"Contrasting Designs in Sholapith Craft by Maya Rani Haldar","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis captivating square wall relief by Maya Rani Haldar presents a graceful, organic exploration of West Bengal’s traditional Sholapith craft. Utilizing a sweeping diagonal composition, the artwork balances raw structural forms with soft, elaborate floral hand-carving to create a rich study in contrast, texture and delicate color.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSholapith is an ancient, sustainable craft indigenous to the marshy wetlands of West Bengal, harvested from the white, spongy inner stem of the shola plant (Aeschynomene aspera). Renowned for its paper-light, ivory-like quality, shola is traditionally used to carve sacred temple ornaments and festive decorations for Durga Puja. In this contemporary panel, the natural material is elevated by combining raw stem cross-sections with shaved, feathery petals, infusing subtle dyed accents to add modern depth to the traditional medium.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe artwork features a dynamic, curved diagonal split that partitions the canvas into two distinct textural zones. The top left is a lush, high-relief cluster of hand-carved shola blooms, resembling fully opened chrysanthemums and dahlias, bursting outward in dense, volumetric layers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTowards the bottom (left) is a structured bed of sliced, circular shola stem cross-sections. Each disc reveals its natural porous center, laid out in cascading rows reminiscent of river pebbles. The curved boundary where the soft floral cluster meets the flat geometric discs gives the piece a sense of continuous organic movement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile rooted in the traditional milky-white tone of pure shola pith, the piece is elevated by soft yellow tints infused into select floral blooms and stem cross-sections. The flat, smooth discs absorb light evenly, providing a neutral backdrop against which the deeply shadowed, multi-layered petals stand out in dramatic three-dimensional relief.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMounted flush on a square canvas backing, the composition extends right to the edges, creating a clean, borderless wall sculpture. The sharp geometric outer square neatly frames the organic, soft textures of the sholapith within a refined boundary.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Maya Rani Haldar","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49900683100374,"sku":null,"price":3500.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1194\/1498\/files\/1._Contrasting_Designs_in_Sholapith_Craft_by_Maya_Rani_Haldar.jpg?v=1785412639","url":"https:\/\/www.memeraki.com\/products\/contrasting-designs-in-sholapith-craft-by-maya-rani-haldar","provider":"Memeraki Retail and Tech Pvt Ltd.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}