Madhubani Painting
Introduction
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adhubani paintings mostly depict the men & its association with nature and the scenes & deity from the ancient epics. Natural objects like the sun, the moon, and religious plants like tulsi 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 by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs. Traditionally, painting was one of the skills that was passed down from generation to generation in the families of the Mithila Region, mainly by women. Madhubani style of painting is more commonly known as “Mithila Painting�.
origin and history
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adhubani painting or Mithila painting is a style of Hindu Painting, practiced in the Mithila region of Nepal and in Indian States of Bihar. Painting is done with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks, using natural dyes and pigments, and is characterized by eyecatching geometrical patterns.[1] There are paintings for each occasion and festival such as birth, marriage, Holi, Surya Shasti, kali puja, Upanayanam, Durga Puja etc. The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts, but now they are also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas. Madhubani paintings are made from the paste of powdered rice. Madhubani painting has remained confined to a compact geographical area and the skills have been passed on through centuries, the content and the style have largely remained the same.
Mithila painting, as a domestic ritual activity, was unknown to the outside world until the massive Bihar earthquake of 1934. House walls had tumbled down, and the British colonial officer in Madhubani District, William G. Archer, inspecting the damage "discovered" the paintings on the newly exposed interior walls of homes. Archer - later to become the South Asia Curator at London's Victoria and Albert Museum - was stunned by the beauty of the paintings and similarities to the work of modern Western artists like Klee, Miro, and Picasso. During the 1930s he took black and white photos of some of these paintings, the earliest images we have of them. Then in a 1949 article in the Indian art journal, Marg, he brought the wall paintings to public attention. By the late 1970s, the popular success of the paintings - aesthetically distinct from other Indian painting traditions - was drawing dealers from New Delhi offering minimal prices for mass produced paintings of the most popular divinities and three familiar scenes from the Ramayana. Out of poverty, many painters complied with the dealers' demands, and produced the rapid and repetitious images known as "Madhubani paintings." Nevertheless, with the encouragement of a number of outsiders - both Indian and foreign - other artists working within the same aesthetic traditions continued to produce the highly crafted, deeply individual and increasingly diverse work, now known as "Mithila Painting."
different styles
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adhubani art has five distinctive styles - Bharni, Katchni, Tantrik, Nepali and Gobar. In the 1960s Bharni, Kachni and Tantrik style were mainly done Brahman & Kayashth women, who are upper caste women in India and Nepal. Their themes were mainly religious, and they depicted Gods and Goddesses in their paintings. People of lower castes and classes included aspects of their daily life and symbols of Gods and Goddesses much more, in their paintings. The Godna and Gobar style is done by the Dalit and Dushadh communities. Of course, nowadays Madhubani has become a globalized art form, and difference in styles of various castes are distinct in the same way they may have been before Madhubani received international and national attention.
theme and characteristics
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he characteristic of Madhubani art is the bold, vibrant colours and contrast patterns.The images are typical of bulging eyes, jotting nose. The drapery with colourful print and design are eye catching. It is a 'living art' that depicts living objects. Few prominent characteristics of Madhubani paintings are that generally no empty space is left in whole of the frame. Space left after drawing the images is filled with leaves,flowers,birds or even various geometric designs and forms. No shading of colors is displayed in these paintings. Double line is drawn as border and the gap is filled with small horizontal lines or sometimes with small dots.
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 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.
interesting facts These artists of this region are drawing Madhubani paintings on these trees and since the paintings mostly depict Hindu deities, people restrain from cutting them down. According to a report from BBC, “The Madhubani artists believe that they are showing the world how an art form can be used to convey a strong social message ‘in an effective way’.”
1. When Rama and Sita tied knot, Madhubani style of painting was born Mithila paintings; you hear the name and right away you know there is a connection between this style of painting and Ramayana, right? And yes, there is.The origin of this style of painting is related to the famous ‘Sita Kalyan’. It’s said that King Janaka, father of Sita, arranged quite a number of artists to create paintings of the marriage. According to history, this is when Madhubani style of painting was born.
3. Once on mud walls, today- on canvas to bangles It is the women who live in rural areas of Bihar do the traditional ‘Madhubani art’. But today, things have changed and now this style is popular not only among the people of India, but also among the people of other countries, especially US and Japan. During the traditional times, this type of painting used to be done on mud walls of houses that were freshly plastered. Now, you would find Madhubani paintings on canvas, cushions, paper or even cloths. People are also doing Madhubani artwork on utensils and even bangles.
2. Believe it or not, Madhubani paintings prevent deforestation Artists from Bihar are using Madhubani paintings as a way to prevent trees from being cut down. But, how can simple paintings stop people from cutting down trees?
4. It is n’t just Gods you can see in Madhubani paintings Hindu mythologies and deities has always been a prolific presence in the Madhubani paintings and it still is. These paintings are mostly about Hindu deities like Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Lakshmi, Durga etc.
At times, events like weddings have also made it to the canvas of Madhubani paintings. Whatever space is left on the surface is never left alone and the space is filled with some simple paintings of flowers or even geometric designs. 5. There are Exclusive Madhubani Painting Art Galleries around the World Today, many exclusive art galleries for Madhubani paintings can be found in India and even overseas. The MITHILAsmita is an organization formed by some entrepreneurs for carrying on the tradition of Mithila paintings. This art gallery is located in Bengaluru, India. Apart from the art gallery, they also organize exhibitions for these paintings time to time. In Japan, there is one ‘Mithila Museum’, which has over 850 Madhubani paintings. The museum also conducts research and also works for the publicity of these paintings. In the town of Madhubani, there is also a ‘Mithila Art Institue’, which stands for the development of Madhibani paintings and also for the training of young artists.
community tradition
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ike most folk art traditions, Madhubani painting is also a community activity requiring lots of patience. This long process involves extraction of pigments from natural sources and preparing ground surfaces in a traditional manner. The beauty of Madhubani lies in a collective effort of communal bonding. It is an expression of rejoice in the celebrations of festivals, nuptials, procreation, change of seasons and other preoccupations of the women folk. Madhubani paintings play an important role in wedding ceremonies held in nuptial chamber called regionally as ‘Kohbar’. The entire women folk draw painted images of Goddesses in this Kohbar who bless the couple during the religious ceremonies with a happy long married life. This exclusive monopoly of Madhubani paintings by girls start at a very early age and finally culminates in the nuptial room, which acquires great sanctity in the social life of Mithila. The nuptial room is filled with paintings having a central theme. Most of them focus on love and fertility, though some may have different approach. The panel of paintings can commence with the story of Sita’s marriage or that of Radha-Krishna episode.
commerecialization
In order to create a source of non-agricultural income, the All India Handicrafts Board and the Government of India have been encouraging the women artists to produce their traditional paintings on handmade paper for commercial sale. Madhubani painting has become a primary source of income for scores of families. The continuing market in this art throughout the world is a tribute to the resourcefulness of the women of Mithila who have successfully transferred their techniques of bhitti chitra or wall painting to the medium of paper. For commercial purposes, the work is now being done on paper, cloth, canvas etc. Cotton wrapped around a bamboo stick forms the brush. Black colour is obtained by mixing soot with cow dung; yellow from turmeric or pollen or lime and 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; orange from palasha flowers. The colours are applied flat with no shading and no empty space is left. Figures from nature & mythology are adapted to suit their style. The themes & designs widely painted are of Hindu deities such as Krishna, Rama, Siva, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Sun and Moon, Tulasi plant, court scenes, wedding scenes, social happenings etc. Floral, animal and bird motifs, geometrical designs are used to fill up all the gaps. The skill is handed down the generations, and hence the traditional designs and patterns are widely maintained.
evaluation
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ow with the changing trends and requirements, poster colors are also used. The paintings appear three dimensional. And because of the easy availability many artists now use acrylic colors as well. The artists mainly women have conceived the complex Hindu icons and delivered it in simple forms.Madhubani painting is an expression of day-to-day 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 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 and is recognized world wide.
Themes revolve around Hindu Gods and mythology, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. Generally no space is left empty; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs.In this paintings artists uses leaf, Herbs, Flowers to make the colour which is used to draw paintings. Black colour is obtained by mixing soot with cow dung; yellow from turmeric or pollen or lime and 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; orange from palasha flowers mixing the colors. The colours 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 colours are applied. Only the outlines are drawn.