I want to tell you about folk art, common in Pakistan, India, Nepal and some other Asian countries. The art of truck decoration, or Truck Art, as it is called all over the world. In fact, they decorate not only trucks, but all means of transport, including auto rickshaws, bikes and even bicycles and ice cream carts sometimes. I decided to make a small review of the types of art, of which there are actually many, not just painting, as it may seem at first glance.

A truck is a way to make a living. For many weeks, and even months, truck owners and drivers are on the way and carry goods from A to B. Of course, going in a bright and colorful vehicle is much more fun and enjoyable than in a gray and blank one. The truck is heavily decorated with ornaments, flowers, images of animals, birds, fish, people, as well as calligraphically written quotations from books or sayings of famous people. This is how it looks:

No less interesting to look at and photograph the characters closely.

It all starts with this. Here is a truck, prepared for painting — completely "naked" :) Decoration of one such a truck costs from 2 to 12 thousand dollars, depending on the complexity and size.

Here is another decoration technique. This is not a painting, but a very small application of colored films. The films are also reflective, so you can imagine what a phantasmagoria it is when a truck drives in the dark... A team of about 10 people makes it. In the photo you can see one of the artisans, who told and showed me this workshop in the open air. He holds in his hands fragments that will later be pasted on the trucks. Each fragment is created spontaneously, without any preliminary sketch. Learning this art can also be spontaneous, usually people come as children, wandering in the studio, performing small tasks and gradually learning everything in the course of business.

Studio in which a masterpiece is created:

Artists, working with a brush:

Separate fragment. They decorate absolutely all parts of the truck, visible and not very:

Be sure to decorate the cabin and the body from the inside:

In addition, the truck and other means of transport are decorated with pendants, bells, which sway in the wind and create a gentle chime, especially in windy weather, when the truck is standing. Eyes are almost on every vehicle, it is from the evil eye, as I explained. Any decor in folk art is not only beauty, but also amulets from various troubles. Black pieces of fabric also from the evil eye and good luck on the way.

People love to decorate their houses on wheels with various sayings and instructive pictures, as this picture of a girl who is learning. In the Northern regions, especially among my favorite Pashtuns, girls in some families may still be banned from education. Nevertheless, the government is actively implementing the policy of wide-spread education, and I must say with great success.

Or it could be an image of a home, if the owner spends a long time outside of it. Drawn from a photo, so that it it recognizable:

Very popular inscription — Love is life :-) You can not argue!

Small transport — motorickshaws, truck:

The most popular character of Truck Art is a tiger. Symbol of masculinity, fearlessness, grace and beauty:

I want to finish my article with the pictures of fantastic creatures. This is Burak, the winged horse of the Prophet.

In my opinion, Truck Art is an inexhaustible source of inspiration, especially considering the fact that each truck is unique, never the same motive is repeated. I hope you were interested :) Thank you for your attention!