Madhubani Art and Painting is an ancient style of ethnic rural Indian painting that originated in Madhubani/Mithila. The Madhubani/Mithila region consists of parts of North Bihar and Southern Nepal.
Madhubani paintings can be traced to the time of the Ramayana. King Janak was the ruler of Videha and he ruled in Mithila. His daughter Sita was married to Lord Ram. Traditionally Madhubani paintings were painted on freshly plastered mud walls and on the floor. With the growing popularity of this ethnic art form, many new mediums like Canvas, Handmade Paper, Draps, Wall Hangings, Saris, are being used.
A unique feature of Madhubani paintings is that it is mainly done by women. For centuries, the skill of this ancient art form has been handed down from mother to daughter.
Madhubani paintings are very distinctive and easy to spot. A typical Madhubani painting will have some/all of the features listed below:
- They portray images and popular folklore of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, sights from everyday rural Indian life, scenes of nature - especially Animals, Trees, Flowers.
- Earthy colors like Brown, Red, Yellow, Orange are frequently used. The paint is extracted from plants; for example yellow from turmeric, blue from indigo, brown from ochre.
- Geometric designs are used extensively. Sometimes they form the crux of the painting; most times they are used in a supporting role to enhance the main figures in the painting.
- There is typically NO shading in the painting.
- Living figures (Gods, people, animals, birds...) have distinctive and large facial features like eyes, nose.
- The border of the painting is clearly marked by 2-3 lines which have designs in them. These designs are usually geometrical.
Currently there are few Madhubani artists that are well known in art circles. Since it is mainly done by women in rural parts of India, the commercial aspects are not fully exploited. As its popularity grows, it may follow similar commercial business models of established painting schools.
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