This art brings colours to life...

The Mithila region of Bihar is home to a rich art form that has found appreciation in various nooks and corners of the world. Known famously as Madhubani paintings, this centuries-old art form, which adorned the walls of villages and homes, was originally practised as a creative expression to welcome deities who believed to visit the homes of their devotees every day.

This indigenous art form that has got its name from the village of Madhubani where it was extensively practised, is not taught but learnt, and passed on from one generation to another. The women of the village take pride in the fact that they are the owners of this style of painting and almost maintain a matriarchal dominance over the craft.

As with most Indian folk art forms, Madhubani paintings, too, draw heavily from nature and mythology for their themes. Most often, it is the figures of gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon, while the backdrop comprises motifs from nature. Popular figures include deities like Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati, while the sun, the moon, and the tulsi plant form the backdrop along with floral, animal and bird motifs. In addition to these, Madhubani paintings also featured scenes from everyday lives, as also some special events like weddings and festivals.

The surfaces of walls and floors on which the paintings have to be done are first coated with cow dung and mud paste, followed by rice paste. Once the surface is ready, the artists use colours with brushes to paint, without preliminary sketching. The easy flow of the brush and colours creates exotic patterns that mesmerise to no end. Originally, only natural colours were used, those obtained from plants, which were mixed with resin from banana leaves and ordinary gum to make them stick to the surface painted.

However, now that the paintings have been commercialised, there’s been a shift to synthetic colours, which are mixed with goat’s milk before use. Back then, the brushes used were also sourced from nature — the one made out of bamboo twigs for tiny details, and the one made out of cloth to fill colours.

This art form would have remained hidden from the world, if not for the drought that gripped the Mithila region in the 1960s. Yes, owing to the severe drought, the residents of Mithila region had to look for alternative sources of income, and Madhubani paintings came to their rescue as that was the only craft they were familiar with. They started practising this art form on pieces of paper and selling it, thereby earning some income to keep their kitchen fires burning.

The practice that started thus continues to this day as this form of painting is appreciated by people from across the world and is highly sought after, accounting to some artisans taking to designing Madhubani paintings for their livelihood. So, Madhubani paintings are now available on canvas, parchment and cloth, while the themes have also undergone a shift to more secular ones to cater to growing global demands.

It is interesting to note that each colour and each symbol used by the Madhubani artists are symbolic representations of something auspicious. While fish symbolises good luck, serpents are seen as protectors, and the colours red and yellow are used to represent energy and passion, while green stands for fertility.

Madhubani is truly a mesmerising form of art.