Madhubani art

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Mithila painting featuring God Shiva-Parvati and the Mahavidyas Madhubani Mahavidyas.jpg
Mithila painting featuring God Shiva-Parvati and the Mahavidyas

Madhubani art (originally Mithila art) is a style of painting practiced in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. It is named after the Madhubani district of Bihar, India, which is where it originated. [1] Jitwarpur and Ranti are the two most notable cities associated with the tradition and evolution of Madhubani art. [1] The art was traditionally practiced by female members of Brahman and Kayastha castes. [2] Artists create these paintings using a variety of mediums, including their own fingers, or twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks. The paint is created using natural dyes and pigments. [3] The paintings are characterized by their eye-catching geometrical patterns. There is ritual content for particular occasions, such as birth or marriage, [2] and festivals, such as Holi, Surya Shasti, Kali Puja, Upanayana, and Durga Puja.

Contents

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 . [4] It is still practiced and kept alive in institutions spread across the Mithila region. Kalakriti in Darbhanga, [5] Vaidehi in Benipatti in Madhubani district and Gram Vikas Parishad in Ranti are some of the major centres of Madhubani painting which have kept this ancient art form alive. [6]

Origin and tradition

Madhubani paintings were first created at Mithila, the birthplace of Hindu goddess Sita. When Sita and her husband Prince Rama were to be married, King Janak, father to Sita, asked for paintings to capture moments of the marriage. Madhubani painting (or Mithila painting) was traditionally created by the women of various communities in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinents. It originated from Madhubani district of the Mithila region of Bihar. Madhubani is also a major export center of these paintings. [7] This painting as a form of wall art was practiced widely throughout the region; the more recent development of painting on paper and canvas mainly originated among the villages around Madhubani, and it is these latter developments that led to the term "Madhubani art" being used alongside "Mithila Painting." [8]

The paintings were traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts, but now they are also done on cloth, handmade paper and canvas. [9] 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. Thus, Madhubani painting has received GI (Geographical Indication) status. Madhubani paintings use two-dimensional imagery, and traditionally colors derived from nature. Traditional pigments used were: vermilion powder mixed with grounded mustard seeds for red, cow dung mixed with lampblack for greenish black, rice paste for white, Pevdi for lemon yellow, turmeric for yellow ochre, [3] Indigo for blue, palash flower for orange, [3] bilva leaf for green, [3] and red clay for indian red. Gum arabic or goat's milk formed the paint's binder, gum arabic used for painting on paper and goat's milk used mainly for wall paintings. Chemical powder pigment from Calcutta also became available in the 1940's. [3] Artists continue to utilize traditional brushes, which consist of bamboo slivers, rags, and sticks. [3]

Symbols

Mithila paintings mostly depict people and their association with nature and scenes and deities 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. In this paintings generally, no space is left empty; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs. [10] [ citation needed ]

Styles

Mithila Painting mural at Patna Junction Mithila Painting at Patna Junction.jpg
Mithila Painting mural at Patna Junction

Mithila art has five distinctive styles:

In the 1960s, Bharni and Tantrik styles of Madhubani art were predominantly created by Brahmin women in India and Nepal, focusing on religious themes and depictions of gods and goddesses. Artists from other castes incorporated elements from their daily lives, local legends like the story of Raja Shailesh, and various symbols into their paintings. In contemporary times, Madhubani art has evolved into a global art form, transcending caste distinctions. Artists now freely work across all five styles, and Mithila art has gained international recognition. [11] [12] Khobar style, also known as puren, [2] is traditionally painted on the wall of a Mithila wedding chamber, where a bride and groom spend their first night together. [2] They most often depict circular motifs made up on feminized faces, and lines drawn in red and black ink. [2] There are both Brahman and Kayastha versions of the Khobar style. [2]

Contributions

In the 1960s, Madhubani painters began to paint on canvas and paper in an effort to raise new sources of income for women in the impoverished Mithila region. [2]

The Madhubani painting tradition played a key role in the conservation efforts in India in 2012, where there was frequent deforestation in the state of Bihar. Gram Vikas Parishad, an NGO, led the initiative to protect local trees in Bihar from being cut down from development and road expansion. Local painters were employed to paint trees with a mixture of lime, glue and synthetic enamel as a deterrent from deforestation. Paintings included gods and other religious and spiritual images such as those of Radha-Krishna, Rama-Sita, scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata and other epics. [13]

This art form has ties to the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) of Madhubani. Madhubani artists have been featured in multiple museum collections and exhibitions, including a UNESCO Christmas card collection, [2] and an exhibit from San Francisco's Asian Art Museum titled Painting is My Everything: Art From India's Mithila Region in 2018.

Notable artists include Karpoori Devi, Sita Devi, Jagdamnba Devi, Ganga Devi, Baua Devi, Mahasundari Devi, and Gadavari Datta. [1]

Awards

Madhubani painting received official recognition in 1969 when Sita Devi received the State award by Government of Bihar. Mamta Devi from the village Jitwarpur also received the National Award. Jagdamba Devi from Bhajparaul, Madhubani was given Padma Shri in 1975 and the National Award to Sita Devi of Jitwarpur village near Madhubani. [14] [15] Jagdamba Devi's foster son Satya Narayan Lal Karn and his wife Moti Karn are also well-regarded Mithila artists, and they won the National Award jointly in 2003. Sita Devi received the Padma Shri in 1981. Sita Devi was also awarded by Bihar Ratna in 1984 and Shilp Guru in 2006.

In 1984 Ganga Devi was awarded by Padma Shri. [16] [17] Mahasundari Devi received the Padma Shri in 2011. Baua Devi, Yamuna Devi, Shanti Devi, Chano Devi, Bindeshwari Devi, Chandrakala Devi, Shashi kala Devi, Leela Devi, Godavari Dutta, Asha Jha Tira Devi and Bharti Dayal were also given the National award. [18] [19] [20] Shree. Chandra Bhushan Lal Das (Rasidpur, Madhubani) received the National Award in 2003. Ambika Devi (Rasidpur, Madhubani) received the National Award in 2009. Smt. Manisha Jha (Raghopur Balat, Madhubani), Smt. Asha Jha (Kathalwadi Belabhor, Dharbhanga) and Shree. Devendra Kumar Jha (Jitwarpur, Madhubani) received the National award jointly in 2013. [21] In 2020, Madhubani artist Dulari Devi won the Padma Shri for contributions to art. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madhubani, India</span> City in Bihar, India

Madhubani is a City Municipal Corporation and headquarter of Madhubani district. Madhubani is situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It comes under Darbhanga Division. It is situated at 26 km northeast of Darbhanga City. The Madhuban Raj in Madhubani was created as a consequence. The word "Madhuban" means "forest of honey", from which Madhubani is derived, but sometimes it is also known as "madhu"+"vaani" meaning "sweet" "voice/language".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madhubani district</span> District in Bihar, India

Madhubani district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar, India, and is a part of Darbhanga division. Its administrative headquarters are located in Madhubani. The district has an area of 3,501 square kilometres (1,352 sq mi) and has a population of 4,487,379.

Maithils, also known as Maithili people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group from the Indian subcontinent, who speak the Maithili language as their native language. They inhabit the Mithila region, which comprises Northern and Eastern Bihar and Northeastern Jharkhand in India and some adjoining districts of Nepal constituting Madhesh Province in addition to some terai districts of Bagmati and Koshi Provinces. The Maithil region forms an important part of Hinduism as it is said to be the birthplace of Sita, the wife of Ram and incarnation of Lakshmi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mithila (region)</span> Cultural region in India and Nepal, Asia

Mithila, also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothills of the Himalayas in the north. It comprises certain parts of Bihar and Jharkhand of India and adjoining districts of the Koshi Province, Bagmati Pradesh and Madhesh Province of Nepal. The native language in Mithila is Maithili, and its speakers are referred to as Maithils.

Mithila culture or Maithil culture refers to the culture which originated in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. Mithila comprises Tirhut, Darbhanga, Kosi, Purnia, Munger, Bhagalpur and Santhal Pargana divisions of India and adjoining provinces of Province No. 1, Bagmati Pradesh, and Madhesh Province of Nepal.

Bihari culture refers to the culture of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari culture includes Angika culture, Mithila culture, Bhojpuri Culture and the culture of Magadha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum</span> Crafts museum in New Delhi, India

The National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum (NHHM) commonly known as National Crafts Museum in New Delhi is one of the largest crafts museums in India. It is run by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. The museum is situated on the corner of the Pragati Maidan, facing the Purana Quila complex. In 2015, the Government of India announced that a Hastkala (handicrafts) Academy would be established in the museum premises, converting some galleries into classrooms. Initial renovations destroyed one of the museum's most well-known artifacts, a room of murals painted by Madhubani artist Ganga Devi, leading to widespread criticism. As of 2019, renovations are still ongoing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manjusha Art</span> Indian art form

Manjushas are an Indian art form. They are temple-shaped boxes comprising eight pillars. They are made of bamboo, jute, and paper. They also contain paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses and other characters. These boxes are used in Bishahari puja, a festival dedicated to the Snake God that is celebrated in Bhagalpur and nearby regions, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahasundari Devi</span> Indian artist

Mahasundari Devi was an Indian artist and Madhubani painter. She was awarded the Tulsi Samman by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1995, and in 2011 she received the Padma Shri award from the Government of India.

Ganga Devi was an Indian painter, considered by many as one of the leading exponents of Madhubani painting tradition. She is credited with popularizing the Madhubani painting outside India. She was born in 1928 in Mithila in the Indian state of Bihar in a Kayastha family and took to the traditional painting craft, specialising in the kachni style. She traveled abroad with her art and was a part of the Festival of India in the United States, which yielded a number of paintings under the title, America series, including Moscow Hotel, Festival of American Folk Life, and Ride in a Roller Coaster. The Government of India awarded her the National Master Craftsman Award and followed it up with the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri in 1984.

Bharti Dayal is an Indian artist who specializes in Madhubani art.

Godawari Dutta is an Indian painter, well known for Madhubani Painting and patron of Mithila Kala Vikas Samiti. She was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award the Padma Shri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baua Devi</span> Bihar artist

Baua Devi is a Mithila painting artist from Jitwarpur village of Madhubani District in Bihar. Mithila painting is an ancient folk art that originated in the region. It is recognized as a series of complex geometric and linear patterns traced on the walls of a house's inner chambers. It was later transferred to handmade paper and canvases. Baua Devi won the National Award in 1984 and received the Padma Shri in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dulari Devi (artist)</span> Indian folk Madhubani artist

Dulari Devi is an Indian artist and illustrator, working in the Mithila art tradition. In 2021, she was a recipient of the Padma Shri, a civilian honour granted by the Government of India, for her contributions to art.

Karpoori Devi was an Indian folk artist, painting in the Madhubani art tradition and creating textile art in the Sujni tradition. She belonged to an early generation of artists who sold Madhubani art with critical and commercial success, and her work has been archived in collections in India as well as Japan, Australia, and the United States of America.

Ambika Devi is an Indian artist, who works in the Madhubani art tradition. In 2009, she received the National Handicrafts Award for her contributions to art.

Bihar is a state in eastern India divided by the Ganges river, an area which was once an important center for culture and learning. A Neolithic settlement has been discovered at Chirand which contains rock paintings similar to those found in Spain's Altamira and France's Lascaux regions. The tradition of painting has been handed down from generation to generation in the families of the Mithila and Bhojpur regions mainly by women. Painting was usually done on walls during festivals, religious events, and other milestones of the life cycle, like birth, Upanayanam, and marriage. Other styles of this region include Tikuli, Manjusha, and Patna kalam.

Sita Devi (1914–2005) was an Indian artist, specializing in painting in the Madhubani tradition. She is one of the most well-known Madhubani artists from India, and was one of the first to receive national recognition for the art form, receiving a number of awards for her work including the Padma Shri in 1981, as well as the Bihar Ratna Samman in 1984. She was influential in activism for local development in her village of Jitwarpur, in the state of Bihar, and taught Madhubani art to local residents, especially women, during her career in an effort to encourage financial stability. Her paintings have been praised for their individual style, particularly their use of color, have been widely exhibited, and are archived in India as well as in museums in France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Subhadra Devi is a Mithilia artist from Bihar and known for Madhubani Painting and patron of Mithila Kala Vikas Samiti. She is awarded India's fourth highest civilian award the Padma Shri in 2023.

Upendra Maharathi was an Indian artist who worked in various mediums including painting, sculpture, illustration, architecture, graphic design, and textile design. He was born in the village of Narendrapur in Odisha and received his art education at the Government College of Art & Craft in Kolkata under Mukul Dey and Percy Brown. After completing his studies, he settled in Bihar. His more than 900 works have been preserved by the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi.

References

  1. 1 2 3 'Nirala', Narendra Narayan Sinha (2010). "Madhubani: A Contemporary History (1971-2011)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 71: 1243–1250. ISSN   2249-1937.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Brown, Carolyn Henning (1996). "Contested Meanings: Tantra and the Poetics of Mithila Art". American Ethnologist. 23 (4): 717–737. ISSN   0094-0496.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 What's the Use of Art?: Asian Visual and Material Culture in Context. University of Hawai'i Press. 2008. ISBN   978-0-8248-3063-2.
  4. ↑ "Know India: Madhubani Painting". India.gov.in. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "Kalakriti Mithila painting - Wikimapia". wikimapia.org. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017.
  6. ↑ Tewary, Amarnath (28 November 2012). "Indian tribal art form Madhubani to save trees". BBC News. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Madhubani Painting. Abhinav Publications. 30 September 2017. ISBN   9788170171560. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Carolyn Brown Heinz, 2006, "Documenting the Image in Mithila Art," Visual Anthropology Review, Vol. 22, Issue 2, pp. 5-33
  9. ↑ Krupa, Lakshmi (4 January 2013). "Madhubani walls". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "Unleashing The Vibrant World Of Madhubani Painting".
  11. ↑ "पटना के ने में मधुबनी बनायीं". atulyabihar.com (in Hindi). 1 September 2018. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  12. ↑ Authindia. "Types of Madhubani Painting". Authindia. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  13. ↑ Tewary, Amarnath (28 November 2012). "Indian tribal art form Madhubani to save trees". BBC News. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  14. ↑ "Jagdamba Devi – UMSAS". Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "Padma Shri" (PDF). Padma Shri. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  16. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  17. ↑ Jyotindra Jain (1989). "Ganga Devi: Tradition and expression in Madhubani painting". Third Text. 3 (6): 43–50. doi:10.1080/09528828908576213.
  18. ↑ Thakur, Upendra (1981). Madhubani painting – Upendra Thakur – Google Boeken. Abhinav Publications. ISBN   9780391024113. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  19. ↑ Tripathi, Shailaja (22 November 2013). "Madhubani beyond the living rooms". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  20. ↑ "Art that subverts". The Hindu. 26 August 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013 – via www.thehindu.com.
  21. ↑ "National Award Winner Artisans of Bihar". Upendra Maharathi Shilp Anusandhan Sansthan. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  22. ↑ "Padma Shri Ramchandra Manjhi and Dulari Devi: Tale of two artists, and of art, caste and grit in Bihar". The Indian Express. 7 February 2021. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.

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