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Among the traditional paintings, Madhubani is probably the most well known. And not without reason - its a tradition that was started in the 7th century by the women of Madhubani (Mithila region in Bihar, India) and is still being practised. They typically appear as aripana (floor paintings) and kohabar (wall paintings) in the Mithila household. It is mostly done to celebrate festivals, religious events and other milestones of the life-cycle such as birth, upanayanam (sacred thread ceremony), and marriage. The paintings are drawn directly without any preliminary sketching. Guess what, the most time consuming part of the process was the mixing of the colors! Traditionally, the paintings were done with natural colours from plant extracts like henna leaves, flower, bougainvillea, neem, etc. The natural juices were mixed with resin from banana leaves and ordinary gum in order to make the paint stick to the painting medium. Black is made from the soot deposits dissolved in gum.Once the paints are ready, brushes made out of bamboo twigs are used for delicate detailing and a twig with a small piece of cloth attached to it is used for filling in the space.
Styles and Themes>>>
Like all traditional paintings, Madhubani themes are also inspired from nature and mythology. Symbols like fish, parrot, elephant, turtle, sun, moon, bamboo, tree, lotus etc are frequently used to represent fertility and prosperity. The divine beings are usually painted at the centre and the background is embellished by related figures, symbols and floral motifs. The artist does not usually leave an empty space, all gaps are filled by flowers, animals, brids or geometrical designs. The human figures are always depicted in profile and in an abstract way. There are different styles of Madhubani, called the Bharni (filling art), Godna (Tatoo art), and Kachhni (line art). This rich tradition would probably have remained undiscovered among the Mithila women, had it not been for the prolonged drought during 1966-68 that prompted the need for a non-agricultural source of income. The All India Handicrafts Board encouraged women to paint on handmade paper and make them available for commercial sale. Though the medium has changed, and the artists sometimes replace natural colors with synthetic powders and twigs with brushes, they still stick to their traditional designs and themes. |