contemporary artists work to revive madhubani paintings art show at eca..the asia… · kali puja,...

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The Asian Age The Resource Centre Date: 28/05/2015 Page No: 15 Location: Main Circulation: 170000 Edition: Mumbai / Contemporary artists work to revive Madhubani paintings meanwhile mmm s One of the oldest forms of folk art in Bihar, Madhubani painting is a unique style of art originating in northeast India M adhubani art or Mithila painting is no dying craft but an area largely remaining unattended, says art cura- tor Shivangi Jha, who recently hosted a showcase of Madhubani art and lifestyle at Kolkata's Emami Chisel Art gallery. "I have curated such an exhibition once before in Delhi only last November at the India Habitat Centre," she adds. Belonging to the region from where the Madhubani art emanates, the art- patron has hence been in thorough touch with the exquisite art and its skilled artisans for long. "See, its vulnerability lies in the cavity of proper platforms to propagate its eye-grab- bing beauty and rich quali- ty. But surprisingly, the interest among several artists who still propound and practise this art has never subsided. They still contribute to its revival as an ethnic artform which boasts of a centuries-old historical legacy behind it. Sadly enough, owing to dearth of publicity and diversifying lucrative avenues, the art faces a hin- drance on its path of trans- fer to the next generation level, if not a threat of extinction," claims Ms Jha. One of the oldest forms of folk art in the Indian province of Bihar, Madhubani painting is a unique style of art originat- ing in the North-Eastern part of India and the adjoin- ing parts of Terai in Nepal. Tools like slender brushes with thin bristles, fingers, natural dyes, twigs, nib- pens and matchsticks are applied to create a lovely collection of paintings with enigmatic expressions. Themes vary from contem- porary issues, mythological panels to geometric pat- terns. Famous for depicting numerous festivals and auspicious occasions like Kali Puja, Durga Puja, Holi, Surya Shasti, Upanaya- nam, birth, marriage and other fiestas or social dos, a piece of Madhubani paint- ing is traditionally made using solid natural shades for bharni (filling in tech- nique) and tones for delin- eating delicate fine lines via a method called kachni (hatching) where colours are seldom used. Richa Agarwal, director, Emami Chisel Art said: "This conventionally beau- tiful artform enjoys a wide acclaim not only within a few parts of India but also among the international patrons of art. Representing the Indian heritage in its true blue light, the magical Madhu- bani opens up a prized chapter of swadeshi, dom- estic art that needs to be restored and re-instated to its former pride of glory." The participating artists on the venue were a talent- ed lot. Accomplished names like Sonam Jha, Urmila Devi, Dr Rani Jha, Shravan Paswan and Saurav Nath Jha took part in the colour- ful affair. An exhibition- cum-sale of 88 paintings by four great artists came in at a range of ?200 to ?l,50,000 and were lapped up by both foreigners and Indians alike who took a keen inter- est in the display and pur- chased a few artworks too. The dimensions of the spec- imens differed between a miniature 6x6 inches and a standard size 22 x 30 inches, varying in vertical and hor- izontal frames. Although the traditional method is to paint on handmade paper but cloths are also used. Many contemporary artists like Sonam Jha employ bamboo nips known as seekh in Hindi. "Natural colours are fine but it does have its own demerit as well. For it starts fading away after a point. It tends to lose lustre after sometime and is not sustainable for long. So I import acrylic tints, metal- lic colours and artificial pigments to immortalise the intricate motifs," shares Sonam Jha, who is the elder sister of curator Shivangi Jha. An avid art- watcher would vouch for the fact that Sonam's USP lies in her experimental efforts with the mesmeric maze of Madhubani and its vibrant palette. She draws inspiration from the forest themes of foliage, flora and the fauna. Involving tech- niques of aripan which appears asrangoli designs, Sonam's message is to con- vey the larger audience that "Madhubani is a propi- tious object and not a mere decorative art on the floor. It is a grand emblem of home-grown Mithila culture." Exponents observe that emerging from the house- holds of rural agrarian sec- tor in the hands of women- folk, this "art of interior Natkhat Kanha and his pranks by Dr Rani Jha; Shravan Paswan's Shiva Parvati (right) courtyards" gradually found its way to the exter- nal world through "paint- ings of holy places as an attractive adornment". "There is always a mention of an episode in the epic of The Ramayana that when Sita, the daughter of King Janaka of Nepal was about to be wedded to Lord Rama, then the affectionate father had ordered his kingdom to decorate the entire town with embellished items. And thus, Madhubani which can be etymological- ly unscrambled as 'forest or woods of honey', soared to its first visible prominence on earth," says Shivangi. "But even before this mythological connotation was cited, Madhubani had always actually existed in this corner in complete anonymity. I think from this big function of the great regal nuptial, it struck people's minds that instead of unabashedly splurging on gold, flowers and precious stones, it is ideal to indulge in the for- gotten, neglected native arts of one's own region," she adds. There is also a religious angle added to women's fas- cination for the craft. It is believed that in order to be in close contact with god, women had initially com- menced painting the images of idols and deities. However, apart from filling up the canvases with com- monest topics like raasleela where Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha get engaged in a playful, romantic rendezvous with gopis (cow-herd girls) and their amative feelings and expressions are conjured up at the tip of artists' paintbrush, modern-day painters like Shravan Paswan is inclined towards voicing his comments on contemporary social evils like dowry and gender bias- es. His works echo the atrocities of current times or those that are in process of changing. Talented young artist Saurav Nath Jha's WhatsApp status message reads: "Life is an art. Dark shades of failure and glow- ing effects of success make it beautiful." Having been dabbling in the art of Mad- hubani for almost 10 years, Saurav likes adopting a mix of both unorthodox and tra- ditional methods. Treating his paintings with fabric hues "as they look more appealing to the eye", the painter who is still but a student, also claims that "natural chromes have their own beauty which is obtained from sources like different types of flowers and leaves." "You know, every artist has his own interpretative designs to put forth and sell. I also move to and fro between new-age bizarre motifs and the age-old Mithila painting themes," he explains. As a result, adherence to kohbar and raas keep intermittent- ly cropping up in his works. To those not in the loop, the dominant theme of a kohbar picture is pond life, fille g organisms and abun- dance of procreative pow- ers. The painting seeks to insure fertility of the bride and the groom who, as and when a seed is dropped into a pond, should produce off- spring copiously. A paint- edkohbar ghar therefore refers to the nuptial cham- ber or a private room for the newly-weds. The water- portraits sprouting out of the Mother Nature reflect the presence of teeming ponds in and around Mithila, bursting at the seams with blooming lotus- es, water-lilies and a menagerie of aquatic life. "Generally, I like to do paintings on a new theme and don't stick to a blind copy-paste. Mythological aspects stray into my art- work only when I take orders for the same. I just draw whatever my mind instructs me. For example, if I start making a tree of life, I keep adding another theme to it which relevant- ly flows in. For instance, women-issues. It shouldn't look an odd one out like a sore thumb," he concludes. Copyright of the article is with the publication

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Page 1: Contemporary artists work to revive Madhubani paintings Art Show at ECA..The Asia… · Kali Puja, Durga Puja, Holi, Surya Shasti, Upanaya-nam, ... Devi, Dr Rani Jha, Shravan

The Asian Age The Resource Centre

Date: 28/05/2015 Page No: 15 Location: Main Circulation: 170000 Edition: Mumbai

/

Contemporary artists work to revive Madhubani paintings meanwhile

mmm s

One of the oldest forms of

folk art in Bihar,

Madhubani painting is a

unique style of art originating

in northeast India

Madhubani art or Mithila painting is no dying craft but

an area largely remaining unattended, says art cura­tor Shivangi Jha, who recently hosted a showcase of Madhubani art and lifestyle at Kolkata's Emami Chisel Art gallery. "I have curated such an exhibition once before in Delhi only last November at the India Habitat Centre," she adds. Belonging to the region from where the Madhubani art emanates, the art-patron has hence been in thorough touch with the exquisite art and its skilled artisans for long. "See, its vulnerability lies in the cavity of proper platforms to propagate its eye-grab­bing beauty and rich quali­ty. But surprisingly, the interest among several artists who still propound and practise this art has never subsided. They still contribute to its revival as an ethnic artform which boasts of a centuries-old

historical legacy behind it. Sadly enough, owing to dearth of publicity and diversifying lucrative avenues, the art faces a hin­drance on its path of trans­fer to the next generation level, if not a threat of extinction," claims Ms Jha.

One of the oldest forms of folk art in the Indian province of Bihar, Madhubani painting is a unique style of art originat­ing in the North-Eastern part of India and the adjoin­ing parts of Terai in Nepal. Tools like slender brushes with thin bristles, fingers, natural dyes, twigs, nib-pens and matchsticks are applied to create a lovely collection of paintings with enigmatic expressions. Themes vary from contem­porary issues, mythological panels to geometric pat­terns. Famous for depicting numerous festivals and auspicious occasions like Kali Puja, Durga Puja, Holi, Surya Shasti, Upanaya-nam, birth, marriage and other fiestas or social dos, a piece of Madhubani paint­ing is traditionally made using solid natural shades for bharni (filling in tech­nique) and tones for delin­eating delicate fine lines via a method called kachni (hatching) where colours are seldom used.

Richa Agarwal, director, Emami Chisel Art said: "This conventionally beau­tiful artform enjoys a wide acclaim not only within a few parts of India but also among the international patrons of art. Representing the Indian heritage in its true blue light, the magical Madhu­bani opens up a prized chapter of swadeshi, dom­estic art that needs to be restored and re-instated to its former pride of glory."

The participating artists on the venue were a talent­ed lot. Accomplished names like Sonam Jha, Urmila

Devi, Dr Rani Jha, Shravan Paswan and Saurav Nath Jha took part in the colour­ful affair. An exhibition-cum-sale of 88 paintings by four great artists came in at a range of ?200 to ?l,50,000 and were lapped up by both foreigners and Indians alike who took a keen inter­est in the display and pur­chased a few artworks too. The dimensions of the spec­imens differed between a miniature 6x6 inches and a standard size 22 x 30 inches, varying in vertical and hor­izontal frames. Although the traditional method is to paint on handmade paper but cloths are also used. Many contemporary artists like Sonam Jha employ bamboo nips known as seekh in Hindi. "Natural colours are fine

but it does have its own demerit as well. For it starts fading away after a point. It tends to lose lustre after sometime and is not sustainable for long. So I import acrylic tints, metal­lic colours and artificial pigments to immortalise the intricate motifs," shares Sonam Jha, who is the elder sister of curator Shivangi Jha. An avid art-watcher would vouch for the fact that Sonam's USP lies in her experimental efforts with the mesmeric maze of Madhubani and its vibrant palette. She draws inspiration from the forest themes of foliage, flora and the fauna. Involving tech­niques of aripan which appears asrangoli designs, Sonam's message is to con­vey the larger audience that "Madhubani is a propi­tious object and not a mere decorative art on the floor. It is a grand emblem of home-grown Mithila culture."

Exponents observe that emerging from the house­holds of rural agrarian sec­tor in the hands of women­folk, this "art of interior

Natkhat Kanha and his pranks by Dr Rani Jha; Shravan Paswan's Shiva Parvati (right)

courtyards" gradually found its way to the exter­nal world through "paint­ings of holy places as an attractive adornment". "There is always a mention of an episode in the epic of The Ramayana that when Sita, the daughter of King Janaka of Nepal was about to be wedded to Lord Rama, then the affectionate father had ordered his kingdom to decorate the entire town with embellished items. And thus, Madhubani which can be etymological-ly unscrambled as 'forest or woods of honey', soared to its first visible prominence on earth," says Shivangi. "But even before this mythological connotation was cited, Madhubani had always actually existed in this corner in complete anonymity. I think from this big function of the great regal nuptial, it

struck people's minds that instead of unabashedly splurging on gold, flowers and precious stones, it is ideal to indulge in the for­gotten, neglected native arts of one's own region," she adds.

There is also a religious angle added to women's fas­cination for the craft. It is believed that in order to be in close contact with god, women had initially com­menced painting the images of idols and deities. However, apart from filling up the canvases with com­monest topics like raasleela where Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha get engaged in a playful, romantic rendezvous with gopis (cow-herd girls) and their amative feelings and expressions are conjured up at the tip of artists' paintbrush, modern-day painters like Shravan

Paswan is inclined towards voicing his comments on contemporary social evils like dowry and gender bias­es. His works echo the atrocities of current times or those that are in process of changing.

Talented young artist Saurav Nath Jha's WhatsApp status message reads: "Life is an art. Dark shades of failure and glow­ing effects of success make it beautiful." Having been dabbling in the art of Mad­hubani for almost 10 years, Saurav likes adopting a mix of both unorthodox and tra­ditional methods. Treating his paintings with fabric hues "as they look more appealing to the eye", the painter who is still but a student, also claims that "natural chromes have their own beauty which is obtained from sources like different types of flowers

and leaves." "You know, every artist has his own interpretative designs to put forth and sell. I also move to and fro between new-age bizarre motifs and the age-old Mithila painting themes," he explains. As a result, adherence to kohbar and raas keep intermittent­ly cropping up in his works. To those not in the loop, the dominant theme of a kohbar picture is pond life, fille g organisms and abun­dance of procreative pow­ers. The painting seeks to insure fertility of the bride and the groom who, as and when a seed is dropped into a pond, should produce off­spring copiously. A paint-edkohbar ghar therefore refers to the nuptial cham­ber or a private room for

the newly-weds. The water-portraits sprouting out of the Mother Nature reflect the presence of teeming ponds in and around Mithila, bursting at the seams with blooming lotus­es, water-lilies and a menagerie of aquatic life.

"Generally, I like to do paintings on a new theme and don't stick to a blind copy-paste. Mythological aspects stray into my art­work only when I take orders for the same. I just draw whatever my mind instructs me. For example, if I start making a tree of life, I keep adding another theme to it which relevant­ly flows in. For instance, women-issues. It shouldn't look an odd one out like a sore thumb," he concludes.

Copyright of the article is with the publication