History of Nail art
Nakhachitrakala" (fingernail sculpted drawing technique) is one of the world's rarest, ancient, unique, and unknown art forms. “Nakha” means fingernail, “Chitra” means drawing, and “Nakhachitrakar” means fingernail sculpted artist in the Sanskrit language of the Hindus. I believe that humans may have started this art form at the beginning of the human race through etchings on materials, such as soft wooden bark, mud, or on large banana or lotus leaves with the use of their fingernails as a tool for creating drawings and writing. It takes us back at least to the 5th century AD, when Kalidasa, the great play writer and poet of the Sanskrit language, mentioned in his play “The Recognition of Shakuntala” that a love letter was written by Shakuntala on a lotus leaf with her fingernail. This reference shows that people from India were using Nakha (fingernails) regularly for writing on leaves. However, I believe that “Nakhachitrakala” (fingernail sculpted drawing technique and fingernail calligraphy) originated thousands of years ago, exclusively in ancient India and may have been taught at the oldest university of Takshashila in India. Despite Nakhachitrakar’s ancient history, it has not been referenced by any art history books or museums. (Article on NakhaChitra was written by Austin Williams and published in American Artist Drawing magazine in 2009).
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