India and Nepal carries rich pastel of culture

Madhubani, or Mithila, painting is a folk painting of northern
India. It is mostly practiced by women in the villages who
have passed this art to their daughters through multiple
generations. They paint pictures of nature and mythology to
depict different events like birth, marriage, and cycles of life.
Though this folk art has been practiced for centuries it
started to gain national recognition... only in the last few
decades. Now, art patrons can find Madhubani artists in
several cities of northern India, many of whom are
experimenting and adapting the traditional styles to modern
ethos and medium.
The area of Mithila lies near the border of India and Nepal and carries a rich pastel of cultural
legacy in art and literature. Its heritage goes back at least 2,500 years and its celebrated figures
include the Buddha and Mahavira. It is also the birthplace of Sita, the central character in
Ramayana. Hence, her life stories are frequently depicted in the local art.
The paintings are traditionally based on mythological, folk themes and pastoral symbols. The
central themes of most paintings are love, valor, devotion and fertility, though the approach may
vary. So it is common to find scenes of courtship and marriages and symbols of fertility and
prosperity like fish, parrot, elephant, turtle, sun, moon, bamboo tree, lotus, etc. in prominence.
The divine beings are positioned centrally in the frame while their consorts and floral motifs form
the background. The human figures are mostly abstract and linear in form.
Even though this art is centuries old, it has preserved its original style and content in its native land
of Mithila. Nowadays synthetic colors are used but traditional artists still make their own colors
by extracting them from plants. The coloring is of two styles – Kachni (hatching) and Bharni
(shading.) Kachni uses delicate fine lines to fill the painting and not much color is used. Bharni
(shading) uses solid colors to shade and fill the pictures. It uses black outlines filled with vibrant
colors. A variety of inventive patterns are made with hatching and stippling. Even now during
birth and marriage ceremonies paintings are made on walls with different symbols like bamboo
(lineage,) lotus, and fish. The designs announce the occasion of the celebration and solicit good
fortune and divine blessings.See More

 

 Ramkumar Das.

 

 

 

MITHILA PAINTING

Madhubani paintings as the name says get its name from Mithila region of Bihar where it is widely practised particularly by women. The history of Madhubani paintings goes back to the time of Ramayana when King Janak commissioned artists to do paintings at the time of marriage of his daughter, Sita, to Lord Ram. Initially women of upper castes like Brahmans and Kayasthas were using such paintings but later on followed by other castes also. Originally the painting was done on freshly plastered mud wall of huts, but now it is also done on cloth, hand-made paper and canvas.

Madhubani painting mostly depict nature and Hindu religious figures and the themes generally associated with Hindu deities, Natural objects like sun, moon, and religious plants like tulsi. Besides this scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings are also widely drawn. Madhubani Paintings has two varieties: Bhittichitra and Aripana. Generally Bhittichitra is done on the mud-walls of houses particularly at three places: room of the family god/goddess, room of the newly wedded couple and the drawing room. Also Paintings are done on the outer and inner walls of these rooms on some auspicious occasions like marriage, upnayana and festivities like Dussehra and Deepawali.

Figures that are widely used are figures of various god and goddesses depicting Durga, Kali, Ram and Sita, Radha and Krishna, Shiva and Parvati, Gauri and Ganesha, the ten incarnations of Vishnu. Besides these pictures of Sun and Moon are also painted because it is believed that they bring prosperity and joy to the family. Other figures used are figures of various animals, birds, leaves, flowers, plants along with symbols of swastika, shankha. Mostly used colours in these paintings are deep colours like red, green, blue and black. Besides, deep colours other colours like yellow, pink, and lemon are also used. All these colours are prepared by indigenous methods form some household products like banana leaves, milk and vermilion.

Ram Kumar Das

MITHILA PAINTINGSPresented by women from Mithila

                                 MITHILA PAINTING

                                 Presented by women from Mithila

 

For centuries, the women of the Mithila region of northern Bihar and southern Nepal have done wall and floor paintings on the occasion of marriages and other domestic rituals. These paintings, inside their homes, on the internal and external walls of their compounds, and on the ground inside or around their homes, create sacred, protective, and auspicious spaces for their families and their rituals. Although the images were similar, women of different castes developed distinctive styles of painting.

Many women have been recognized as artists of national and international stature. Furthermore, women of several castes, are now painting which brought diversity in designs and motifs used, along with the subject matter of the paintings has expanded to include ancient epics, local legends and tales, domestic, rural, and community life, ritual, local, national, and international politics, as well as the painters' own life stories. Artists of different castes and genders are now borrowing themes and styles from one another. Mithila painting has demonstrated extraordinary vitality and become a vibrant and aesthetically powerful tradition.

These paintings, containing sacred symbols, are believed to bring good luck and prosperity in the household.  When used on fabric, they bring style statement with a gracious combination of ethnicity and modernity. The women in Keoti, a village in North Bihar, are engaged in making these beautiful paintings, which can adorn your walls or become your style statement, while you contribute towards their livelihood with dignity.

 

To know more please contact:

 Mr. Ram Kumar Das, Email: itsrkdas@gmail.com ; Phone: +91-9570739307

 

 

Activity of Painting centre.

Activity of the centre-- in picture.

 

MADHUBANI PAINTING KID

Step by Step process of painting a Madhubani styled Fish

PS: This was a quickie project (10 mins) and I very boldly used a gel pen .. Excuse me for the imperfections

This style is typically characterized by a double border that gives it a almost 3-dimensional look. Also pay attention to the typical motifs & designs.

I hope this step by step guide is helpful in teaching young kids to make one of their own. While on this subject, Do take out time to explore other contexts
What is Folk art?
Which part of Indian is famous for this style of folk art?
Which characters are typically painted?
How similar or dissimilar it is to other folk arts near this region?
Are there different styles within madhubani . If so, whats the difference between them?
What is the typical folk attire of that region?
What is the typical food style & occupation of the region?

If art is understood in these ways, in terms of its functions, in terms of what it's for, in terms of why it's made and displayed, we have a solid and rich foundation upon which art appreciation will thrive

Source: Google..                                                                                          RamkumarDas.

Mithila Painting : Introduction and Importance For centuries, the women of the Mithila region of northern Bihar and southern Nepal have done wall and floor paintings on the occasion of marriages and other domestic rituals. These paintings, inside their homes, on the internal and external walls of their compounds, and on the ground inside or around their homes, create sacred, protective, and auspicious spaces for their families and their rituals. Although the images were similar, women of different castes developed distinctive styles of painting. In the aftermath of a major earthquake in 1934, William Archer, the local Collector, inspecting the damage in Mithila's villages, saw these wall and floor paintings for the first time and subsequently photographed a number of them. Recognizing their great beauty, he and his wife, Mildred, brought them to wider attention in several publications. In the 1950s and early 1960s several Indian scholars and artists visited the region and also became enamored of the paintings. But it was not until 1966, in the midst of a major drought, that the All India Handicrafts Board sent an artist, Baskar Kulkarni, to Mithila to encourage the women to make paintings on paper that they could sell as a new source of family income. Although traditionally, women of several castes painted, Kulkarni was only able to convince a small group of Mahapatra Brahmin and Kayastha women to paint on paper. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, two of these women, Sita Devi and Ganga Devi were recognized as great artists both in India where they received numerous commissions, and in Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States where they represented India in cultural fairs and expositions. Their success and active encouragement led scores of other women to paint. Many of these women have also been recognized as artists of national and international stature. Furthermore, women of several other castes, are now paintingmost especially the Dusadh, a Dalit community, and also small numbers of men. Over time, aside from the growing diversity of people painting, the subject matter of the paintings has expanded to include ancient epics, local legends and tales, domestic, rural, and community life, ritual, local, national, and international politics, as well as the painters' own life histories. Artists of different castes and genders are now borrowing themes and styles from one another. Mithila painting has demonstrated extraordinary vitality and become a vibrant and aesthetically powerful tradition.

Source: Google search

A GLANCE---Madhubani Paintings

          Madhubani painting originated in a small village,  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. 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 three-dimensional images and the colors that are used are derived mainly from plants. The themes on which these paintings are 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, Sita's, wedding.

Themes of Maithili Paintings
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.

Making Madhubani Paintings
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.