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Madhubani Paintings
General
Madhubani paintings have three distinguished styles which correspond to three castes;
1 . The Brahmins were the highest among these three castes and were allowed full use of vibrant colors and their paintings were inspired by the sacred texts with stories of various Gods ; Ram, Krishna, Durga and Shiva.
2 . The Kayasthas were a little below the Brahmins in the caste hierarchy and they were allowed only black and red colours. The subjects of the paintings was similar as the Brahmins. The Kayastha and Brahmin pictorial styles are known as Madhubani or Mithila paintings. The include “kohbar ghar” paintings, which are made on the nuptial chamber and are symbolic of sexual pleasure and procreation. This style goes back to the period of the Aryan invaders.
3 . The Dusadhs were a low caste group and they were not allowed to represent divinities. Their paintings themes included the flora and fauna, and of Lord Salhesh – a Dusadh cultural hero. This style is known as Tattoo or Godhana painting.
Madhubani paintings mostly depict nature and Hindu religious motifs, and the themes generally revolve around Hindu deities like Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati. Natural objects like the sun, the 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 by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs. Objects depicted on the walls of kobhar ghar (where the newly wed couples see each other on the first night) are symbols of sexual pleasure and procreation.
Traditionally these paintings were passed down over generations from mother to daughter. The girl would learn to use the brush and colours at an early age which finally culminates in the Kohbar (nupital room), which acquires great sanctity in the social life of Mithila. Within the Kohbar, a “dia” (an earthen lamp & a symbol of happy conjugal life) is kept burning for four days.
History
The origins of Madhubani painting or Mithila Painting are shrouded in antiquity. Tradition states that this style of painting originated at the time of the Ramayana, when King Janak commissioned artists to do paintings at the time of marriage of his daughter, Sita, to Lord Ram. Tulsidas gives a beautiful account of a Mithila painting which was made for the legendary marriage of Sita with Ram.
Madhubani painting has been done traditionally by the women of villages around the present town of Madhubani (the literal meaning of which is forests of honey) and other areas of Mithila.
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. The painting was usually done on walls during festivals, religious events, and other milestones of the life-cycle such as birth, Upanayanam (Sacred thread ceremony), and marriage. The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud wall of huts, but now it is also done on cloth, hand-made paper and canvas.
Among the first modern outsiders to document the tradition of Madhubani painting were William and Mildred Archer. 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 brought a severe economic crisis and forced the local women to transform their art on to paper and sell it.
In order to create a new source of non-agricultural income, the All-India Handicrafts Board encouraged the women artists to produce their traditional paintings on handmade paper for commercial sale. Since then, painting has become a primary source of income for scores of families. It 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.
In 1988, an earthquake in the region devastated parts of Darbhanga and Madhubani and the palace complex, replete with paintings done two centuries ago, as per the Mithila traditions, was also damaged.
Rarity
As Madhubani painting has remained confined to a compact geographical area of Mithila and the skills have been passed on through centuries, the content and the style have largely remained the same.
As the map indicates, the Mithila region and the villages around Madhubani are situated near the northern edge of the state of Bihar as it approaches the India-Nepal border. People of Mithila have their own language and a sense of regional identity that goes back more than 2500 years. Among the most celebrated figures believed to have been born in the region are Mahavira (a great spiritual hero of the Jain religion), Siddhartha Gautama (better known to the world as the Buddha), and Sita (the legendary wife of Prince Rama and herself a central figure in India's most popular epic, the Ramayana).
The people of Mithila in northern Bihar believe that the land of Mithila or Mithilanchal is holier compared to other parts of Bihar. The is possibly because of the historic fact that Mithila was the first region which was brought under the influence of Aryan culture. and the Maithils take a lot of pride in their culture , language and customs. They will adhere to the minutest details during rituals from birth to death according to the dictates of the “Shastras” (sacred texts on ritual worship).
The land of Mithila is covered by Muzaffarpur, Champaran, Madhubani, Vaishali, Samastipur, Saharsa, Darbhanga and parts of Bhagalpur, Monghyr, Beguserai, and Purnea. Within Madhubani, the paintings are more profuse than other places.
Process, Talent & Skills Needed
The painters use a handmade brush for Mithila or Madhubani art, which made of a bamboo stick, with its end slightly frayed.
In another class known as the Harijan style, hand-made paper is washed in cowdung. Once the paints are ready, two different kinds of brushes are used - one for small details which is made out of bamboo twigs and the other for filling in the space which is made from a small piece of cloth attached to a twig.
Materials used, durability
Traditionally, natural colours 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 colours, which come in powdered form, are easily available in the market. However, artists still use colours 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 Bel trees, orange from Palasa flower and light yellow from turmeric mixed with banyan leaf milk.
Aesthetics
Madhubani paintings use two dimensional imagery, and the colors used are derived from plants. Ochre and lampblack are also used for reddish brown and black respectively.
Madhubani paintings were traditionally made to bless the 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 colours used were 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.
The Dusadhs themes were inspired by their own tattoos, and Godhana art is simpler in design and repetitive. This is marked by drawing lines in several horizontal margins. It has an inherent charm with its intricate patterns in just a few basic colours and black.
Madhubani paintings have three distinguished styles which correspond to three castes;
1 . The Brahmins were the highest among these three castes and were allowed full use of vibrant colors and their paintings were inspired by the sacred texts with stories of various Gods ; Ram, Krishna, Durga and Shiva.
2 . The Kayasthas were a little below the Brahmins in the caste hierarchy and they were allowed only black and red colours. The subjects of the paintings was similar as the Brahmins. The Kayastha and Brahmin pictorial styles are known as Madhubani or Mithila paintings. The include “kohbar ghar” paintings, which are made on the nuptial chamber and are symbolic of sexual pleasure and procreation. This style goes back to the period of the Aryan invaders.
3 . The Dusadhs were a low caste group and they were not allowed to represent divinities. Their paintings themes included the flora and fauna, and of Lord Salhesh – a Dusadh cultural hero. This style is known as Tattoo or Godhana painting.
Madhubani paintings mostly depict nature and Hindu religious motifs, and the themes generally revolve around Hindu deities like Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati. Natural objects like the sun, the 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 by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs. Objects depicted on the walls of kobhar ghar (where the newly wed couples see each other on the first night) are symbols of sexual pleasure and procreation.
Traditionally these paintings were passed down over generations from mother to daughter. The girl would learn to use the brush and colours at an early age which finally culminates in the Kohbar (nupital room), which acquires great sanctity in the social life of Mithila. Within the Kohbar, a “dia” (an earthen lamp & a symbol of happy conjugal life) is kept burning for four days.
History
The origins of Madhubani painting or Mithila Painting are shrouded in antiquity. Tradition states that this style of painting originated at the time of the Ramayana, when King Janak commissioned artists to do paintings at the time of marriage of his daughter, Sita, to Lord Ram. Tulsidas gives a beautiful account of a Mithila painting which was made for the legendary marriage of Sita with Ram.
Madhubani painting has been done traditionally by the women of villages around the present town of Madhubani (the literal meaning of which is forests of honey) and other areas of Mithila.
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. The painting was usually done on walls during festivals, religious events, and other milestones of the life-cycle such as birth, Upanayanam (Sacred thread ceremony), and marriage. The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud wall of huts, but now it is also done on cloth, hand-made paper and canvas.
Among the first modern outsiders to document the tradition of Madhubani painting were William and Mildred Archer. 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 brought a severe economic crisis and forced the local women to transform their art on to paper and sell it.
In order to create a new source of non-agricultural income, the All-India Handicrafts Board encouraged the women artists to produce their traditional paintings on handmade paper for commercial sale. Since then, painting has become a primary source of income for scores of families. It 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.
In 1988, an earthquake in the region devastated parts of Darbhanga and Madhubani and the palace complex, replete with paintings done two centuries ago, as per the Mithila traditions, was also damaged.
Rarity
As Madhubani painting has remained confined to a compact geographical area of Mithila and the skills have been passed on through centuries, the content and the style have largely remained the same.
As the map indicates, the Mithila region and the villages around Madhubani are situated near the northern edge of the state of Bihar as it approaches the India-Nepal border. People of Mithila have their own language and a sense of regional identity that goes back more than 2500 years. Among the most celebrated figures believed to have been born in the region are Mahavira (a great spiritual hero of the Jain religion), Siddhartha Gautama (better known to the world as the Buddha), and Sita (the legendary wife of Prince Rama and herself a central figure in India's most popular epic, the Ramayana).
The people of Mithila in northern Bihar believe that the land of Mithila or Mithilanchal is holier compared to other parts of Bihar. The is possibly because of the historic fact that Mithila was the first region which was brought under the influence of Aryan culture. and the Maithils take a lot of pride in their culture , language and customs. They will adhere to the minutest details during rituals from birth to death according to the dictates of the “Shastras” (sacred texts on ritual worship).
The land of Mithila is covered by Muzaffarpur, Champaran, Madhubani, Vaishali, Samastipur, Saharsa, Darbhanga and parts of Bhagalpur, Monghyr, Beguserai, and Purnea. Within Madhubani, the paintings are more profuse than other places.
Process, Talent & Skills Needed
The painters use a handmade brush for Mithila or Madhubani art, which made of a bamboo stick, with its end slightly frayed.
In another class known as the Harijan style, hand-made paper is washed in cowdung. Once the paints are ready, two different kinds of brushes are used - one for small details which is made out of bamboo twigs and the other for filling in the space which is made from a small piece of cloth attached to a twig.
Materials used, durability
Traditionally, natural colours 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 colours, which come in powdered form, are easily available in the market. However, artists still use colours 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 Bel trees, orange from Palasa flower and light yellow from turmeric mixed with banyan leaf milk.
Aesthetics
Madhubani paintings use two dimensional imagery, and the colors used are derived from plants. Ochre and lampblack are also used for reddish brown and black respectively.
Madhubani paintings were traditionally made to bless the 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 colours used were 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.
The Dusadhs themes were inspired by their own tattoos, and Godhana art is simpler in design and repetitive. This is marked by drawing lines in several horizontal margins. It has an inherent charm with its intricate patterns in just a few basic colours and black.
