Mithila Painting

Mithila or Madhubani painting is a style of folk art form practiced by millions of women in the Mithila region of Bihar, India since ancient times. On the foot of Himalayas, heritage of Mithila boasts of being the land of Janak, Sita, Budh, Mahavira and strong deep rooted long lineage.

Origin

The origins of these paintings are not known, since they were traditionally drawn on walls and floors, and then redrawn over time, when they faded. They are still living because they are an integral part of any Mithila family function, and have been passed diligently through generations from mothers to daughters of Mithila. According to the popular belief the origin can be traced to the time of the Ramayana, when King Janak the ruler of Mithila ordered his kingdom to decorate the town for the wedding of his daughter Sita to Lord Ram. The whole kingdom is said to be decorated with murals on the walls and floors with themes from mythology and nature. When there was little focus on education of girls in India, Mithila paintings probably also served as an informal medium of education. Some Aripans borrow heavily from science with their depictions of Calendar etc. Holding a brush is probably the precursor of holding a pen or pencil.

Tools

As in other regions in India, the homes in Mithila too were initially made with mud walls. So women of the region traditionally painted on the mud walls and floors which were polished with cow dung. Since they had no access to modern day tools and paints they made their own tools and paint from the resources available around them. The paintings were drawn on floors or on walls, with the help of brush or pen made of bamboo. In some of the paintings even fingers were used as a drawing instrument. The brush used was made of cotton, wrapped around a bamboo stick. The artists prepared the colors from natural resources. Black color made by adding soot to cow dung, Yellow from combining turmeric 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.

Aripans are still made on the floors with soaked rice paste and vermillion sindur with help of fingers during various occasions in Mithila.

With the advent of commercialization and the growth of available media and tools, even modern coloring instruments are now being used on a variety of cloths, paper, canvas and other bases.

Themes

With themes ranging from nature, spirituality, social events and science, these are highly complex intricate paintings having elaborate structure involving different types of geometrical figures and curves. They also have very rich color patterns, with traditional painting typically utilizing natural colors made of plants. The paintings have to be understood in conjunction of folk stories, folk songs and other folk traditions linked to the occasion. There are paintings for each occasion in a man’s life such as birth, upnayan (sacred thread ceremony), rituals during marriage, and even Death (Aripans, the floor paintings are made in the prayer rituals after death too) and for various festivals such as Makar Sankranti, Kali Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Diwali, Bhai Dooj and others. These paintings are also Symbolic paintings, with widespread use of abstraction through symbols and patterns. Different motifs used in the paintings are quite rich in their meaning. The paintings draw inspiration from the folk stories, folk songs and other folk traditions linked to the occasion.

Symbols

Mithila Paintings dwell on heavy abstraction of thoughts by use of symbolism, and were probably the first modernist ideas in art, that went beyond What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get. Extensive use of natural symbols such as sun, moon, navagraha, bamboo, lotus, fish, peacock and serpent; and their interaction with each other in different contexts leave much to interpretation. The pinnacle of symbolism is the conjoined image of Shiva and Parvati in Ardhanarishwar, although it can’t be ascertained if this concept originated in Mithila Paintings.

Styles

Traditionally Mithila Paintings were made on walls locally known as Bhitti chitra and floor painting or Aripans. The Wall painting artform are painted in distinct styles by various communities in Mithila. Kachhni style or Line painting were traditionally popular among the Kayastha community and the Bharni or paintings filled with colors were popular among the Brahmin community.  Godna are simple designs of daily objects and activities which was commonly prevalent among the lower caste communities who had less exposure to education. Aripans are floor paintings with symbolic designs and patterns distinct with the occasion on which they are made. These paintings are made on various occasions in both Kayastha and Brahmin community. Tantrik style is heavily dominated by the structural symbols of yantras and tantras.

Each artist of Mithila Painting has his or her own style, and the form of art lets its participants to explore the new. Probably, this is the reason why Mithila Paintings were done traditionally, only as a transient feature and then redrawn, something on which people leave layers and layers of their own imprints.

Distinguishable Features

  • Facial Characteristics are quite Sharp and represented in a 2D way.
  • Eyes are quite large and Symmetry is important in these paintings.
  • Tantrik Symbolic Representation is used extensively in the artform.
  • 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 Mithila paintings do not even require application of colors, only the outlines are drawn.

Introduction to World

Mithila paintings were unknown to the outside world until the massive India-Nepal border earthquake of 1934, which damaged many houses. Then British colonial officer in Madhubani District, William G. Archer, while inspecting the damage “discovered” the paintings on the newly exposed interior walls of Mithila homes. During the 1930s he took black and white photos of some of these paintings, which today are the earliest images of the art. He also wrote about the painting in a 1949 article in ‘Marg’ an Indo-Nepal Art Journal. Since the paintings were introduced to the world as Madhubani Paintings it gained popularity with the name. And Mithila Paintings got the popular name of Madhubani Paintings. The drought from 1966 to 1968 crippled the agricultural economy of the region. As part of a larger initiative to bring economic relief to the region, Ms. Pupul Jayakar, the then Director of the All Indo-Nepal Handicrafts Board, sent the Mumbai based artist Mr.Bhaskar Kulkarni to Mithila to encourage women there to replicate their mural paintings on paper to facilitate sales as a source of income to ensure survival.

Commercialization

The commercialization of art form began in the 20th century with an intention to support the art workers who had no access to wider consumers and even earning a decent living was difficult for those who pursued it a full-time profession. Since 60’s the paintings were commercialized in the form of paintings on Paper and Cloth. They were displayed on Trains, Offices, Hotels, Stamps etc.  Special fairs were organized inside the country and abroad. Commercialization has also led to large scale creation of jobs to artists and promoters, and diversification of products.

New Age

With the advent of commercialization, in order to reach larger base, artists are exploring newer avenues with variety in bases (i.e.  Canvas, Paper, Fabric, Wood, Ceramic, Terra cotta, Glass etc.  and themes which are globally appealing in the contemporary world. Artists are also expanding their range of style and themes with usage of new age tools. It has also taken the digital route which is expanding the reach to a wider base.