PAINTING
Madhubani. Mithila Art of Painting
Govt. of Bihar
preface
The term “Traditional Painting� connotes a continuity of a time-honored practice based on ancient concepts, themes and rules of paintings. It holds ideology and forms in harmony creating the superhuman atmosphere. Thus, since time immemorial, art, particularly in its traditional temple forms, has served not only as cultural vessel, but also functions as a point of entry into philosophical enquiry and to capture and present deeper ruminations into the nature of divinity and the universe.
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Acknowledgement
Creating a volume on a particular subject, especially such as traditional art involves great effort, of not one but many, not just the researches, not just an institute but a mentor. This book has been composed and created by the student of AD IV NIFT Bangalore. But it is certain that this would not be possible with support and help of a few important persons. I would like to thank them all.
- CHAMA PODDAR
Content
O igi ……………………………………………………………….…………………………………. Histo y………………………………………………………….…………………………………….. Style…………………………………………………………….……………………………………... Colo ………………………………………………………….……………………………………….. Tech i ues………………………………………………………..………………………………. Mate ials…………………………………………………………..………………………………. P ocess……………………………………………………………………………..…….…………. Peacock Motif………………………………………………………………………………….... Sa ple……………………………………………………………………………………….…..…. Role of Desig e s…………………………………………………………………….…..……. Develop e t……………………………………………….…………..………………………..
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Origin Madhubani painting originated in a small village, known as Maithili, of the Bihar state of India. Initially, the womenfolk of the village drew the paintings on the walls of their home, as an illustration of their thoughts, hopes and dreams. With time, the paintings started becoming a part of festivities and special events, like marriage. Slowly and gradually, the Madhubani painting of India crossed the traditional boundaries and started reaching connoisseurs of art, both at the national as well as the international level. The traditional base of freshly plastered mud wall of huts has now been replaced by cloth, handmade paper and canvas.
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Since the paintings have been confined to a limited geographical range, the themes as well as the style are, more or less, the same. Indian Maithili paintings make use of threedimensional images and the colors that are used are derived mainly from plants. The themes on which these painting is based include nature and mythological events. The first reference to the Maithili painting of Bihar dates back to the time of Ramayana, when King Janaka ordered the paintings to be created for his daughter.
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History
Madhubani or Mithila Paintings are said to have originated during the period of Ramayana, when King Janaka commissioned artists to do paintings during the wedding of his daughter, Sita to Lord Ram. The paintings usually depicted nature and Hindu religious motifs, the themes generally revolve around Hindu deities. Natural objects like the sun, moon, and religious plants like tulsi (sacred basil) are also widely painted, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. Generally no space is left empty, the gaps are filled with flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs. The paintings was one of the skills that was passed down from generation to generation in the families of the Mithila Region, mainly among women.
religious events, and other milestones of the lifecycle such as birth, Upanayanam (Sacred thread ceremony), and marriage. The “kohbar ghar� paintings, which are made on the nuptial chamber, were traditionally made to bless the newly married couple and the main theme of these paintings usually revolves around love and fertility. The symbols of fertility and prosperity include sun, moon, parrot, elephant, fish, turtle, bamboo tree, lotus, etc. The colors used are bright - blue, black, deep red, light yellow, pink, lemon and green and these created the right mood and played an important role. The bright red and yellow depict energy, passion and the binding force.
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Archer was a British civil servant assigned to the district during the colonial era. The Archers obtained some drawings on paper that the women painters were using as aids to memory. Works that the Archers collected went to the India Records Office in London (now part of the British Library) where a small number of specialists could study them as creative instances of India's folk art. Madhubani Art gained recognition in India in the late 1960's. After a drought in the region there was a severe economic crisis. Since then, painting has become a primary source of income for scores of families.
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Style Madhubani
art has three distinctive styles, namely, Bharni, Katchni, Tantrik, godna and kohbar. In the 1960s Bharni, Kachni and Tantrik style were mainly done by Brahman and Kayashth women, who are upper caste women in India and Nepal. Their themes were mainly religious and they depicted Gods and Goddesses, flora and fauna in their paintings. People of lower castes includes aspects of their daily life and symbols, story of Raja Shailesh [ guard of village] and much more, in their paintings. But nowadays Madhubani art has become a globalised art form so there is no difference in the work of artists of the region on the basis of caste system . They are working in all five styles. Here are the Madhubani paintings distinguished styles:
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three
Brahmin Style - The Brahmins are the upper most caste in the Hindu culture and the paintings created by them were allowed liberal use of vibrant colors and their paintings were inspired by the sacred texts with stories of various Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
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Kshatriya Style - The Kshatriyas are a little below the Brahmins in the caste hierarchy and were allowed the use of only black and red colors. The subjects of the paintings were similar as the Brahmin style.
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Tatoo Style - The Dusadhs are the low caste group and they were not allowed to represent divinities but they could use bright colors. Hence their themes included the flora and fauna, and of Lord Salhesh – a Dusadh cultural hero. This style is known as Tattoo or Godhana painting.
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Traditionally, natural colors were used that were obtained from plant extracts like henna leaves, flower, bougainvillea, neem, etc. Then, to make the paint stick to the painting medium, these natural juices are mixed with banana leaves resin and ordinary gum. In recent times, synthetic colors that come in powdered form are easily available in the market. However, traditional artists still use colors derived from natural sources. The most popular natural colors in Madhubani art include deep red which is derived from Kusuma flower, black from burnt jowar, green from bels trees, orange from Palasa flower and light yellow from turmeric mixed with banyan leaf milk. Two different kinds of brushes are used - one for small details that is made out of bamboo twigs and the other for filling in the
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Color space that is made from a small piece of cloth attached to a twig. Prominent colours include pink, parrot green, red, copper blue, sulphate blue, yellow and dark blue. Double borders and a black outline are compulsory. Themes of the Maithili painting of Bihar revolve around Hindu deities like Krishna, Rama, Lakshmi, Shiva, Durga and Saraswati. The natural themes that are used include the Sun, the Moon and the religious plants like tulsi. One can also find paintings based on scenes from the royal courts and social events, like weddings. If any empty space is left after painting the main theme, it is filled up with the motifs of flowers, animals and birds or geometric designs. The brush used for Madhubani paintings of Bihar was made of cotton, wrapped around a bamboo stick. The artists prepare the colors that are used for the paintings. Black color is
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made by adding soot to cow dung; yellow from combining turmeric (or pollen or lime) with the milk of banyan leaves; blue from indigo; red from the kusam flower juice or red sandalwood; green from the leaves of the wood apple tree; white from rice powder and orange from palasha flowers. There is no shading in the application of colors. A double line is drawn for outlines and the gap is filled with either cross or straight tiny lines. The linear Maithili paintings do not even require application of colors; only the outlines are drawn.
Techniques
No shading technique is used. The outline is done with double lines. The gaps between the two lines are filled with cross or straight lines. Colors are not used in linear paintings.
Madhubani paintings are pretty and well recognized by their distinct style of painting. Colorful and vivid in their description and get, the Madhubani art form is well appreciated by one and all. Madhubani paintings add a dash of vibrancy in the room and enhance its appeal when used as home dĂŠcor item. Madhubani painting is an expression of day-today experiences and beliefs. Madhubani painting is a traditional art symbolism, simplicity and beauty. In the Madhubani painting, the treatment of color is beautifully done. The themes of daily activities, nature, flora and fauna and Hindu Gods are the most prominent. Madhubani paintings are characterized by the vibrant and bold use of colors and traditional geometric patterns that supports
Vegetable colors are used making use of natural resources. For e.g. Black - By blending soot and cow dung Yellow - From turmeric, pollen, lime, milk of banyan leaves, Blue -Indigo Red - Kusam flower juice or red sandalwood Green - wood apple tree leaves White - Rice powder Orange - Palasha flowers •
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the main theme. Some of the main attributes of all the Madhubani paintings double line border, ornate floral patterns, abstract-like figures of deities and bulging eyes and a jolting nose of the faces of the figures. The Madhubani painting is a traditional folk art form which has succeeded in creating a place for itself in the internationally.
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Materials
It is a very simple art form of painting. You Don’t need any specialized knowledge but just a creative mind and artistic flair. No sophisticated tools are needed in Madhubani paintings. Artists are still unfamiliar with modern paintbrushes. One brush made from Bamboo Twigs. Other uses brush for filling in the space which is prepared from a small piece of cloth attached to a twig.
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Materials Required: Cloth/Handmade paper Trace paper Fabric colors (for cloth) Poster colors (for paper) Black outliner Carbon sheet
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Process
Step 1:
Choose a design or motifs.
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Step 2:
First draw the required pattern on the trace paper and copy the design into the cloth/paper using carbon sheet.
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Step 3: If using Cloth Paint using fabric colors and let it dry well. Use Poster colors for paper. The colors are applied flat with no shading. There is normally a double line drawn for the outlines, with the gap between the lines filled by cross or straight tiny lines. In the linear painting, no colors are applied.
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Step 4: Draw outlines using the black color and again leave it to dry for 24 hours. If applying on cloth iron on the back side of the cloth.
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Peacock Motif
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Sample
The first reference to the Maithili painting of Bihar dates back to the time of Ramayana, when King Janaka ordered the paintings to be created for his daughter.
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Role of Designers Universally known as the women’s art, today the creative world has witnessed a gender shift where men are seen adding their artistic touch to this traditional art form. In modern times, fashion gurus are going back to the rich textile heritage of this art and reviving this art by designing Madhubani saree, dupattas, and Indo-western dresses. At numerous fashion weeks, designers have showcased a color-filled collection of Madhubani designs. From sarees, salwar kameez, long skirts and palazzo Traditionally done on freshly plastered mud wall of huts, its now painted on every possible mediums like: On Saree Household articles Dresses Decorative trays Pillow cover And on many different products 21
Developing Beside this, some centers are playing vital role to develop the cultural scenario of Bihar. Amongst them Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) Ministry of Textile, Government of India is working under Government in Bihar state and this give chances to express their (Madhubani artisans) own cultural activity in the deferent places. Carpet training officer Bipin Kr Das says that 38 training centers in Bihar state are running on. 21 centers in North Bihar and 17 in South Bihar are located. The main objective of these kinds of centers are to develop the skill of artisans of different places of state, to give a financial assistant for capacity building and to conduct awareness-cum-training workshops/seminar for artisans, NGOs etc. office of development commissioner (handicrafts) ministry of textile, government of India has different type of schemes like design and technology up gradation, training and extension ,financial assistance SHDC/Apex societies, marketing support and service, Babashaheb
Ambedkar Hastashilp Vikash Yojona etc. up gradation of artisan skill, improvement and diversification of product, development of new design and prototypes, supply of improved/modern equipment to the craft persons revival of rare crafts to preserve the traditional heritage, preservation of traditional art and crafts of high aesthetics value, etc. A training center Upendra Maharathi handicrafts institute of Patna, bearing a six months course of Madhubani painting under the scheme of Indian government. There some selected teachers are employed to train Madhubani paintings to students. Some rare collections of painting and decorative crafts are well preserved in this institution. Sri Nagar Kishore Das a Madhubani based artists of Jitwarpur is one of the trainers in this institute.
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