Madhubani, the art of Mithila, paintings of epic:

An exhibition titled, the Art of Mithila, is presently being held at the Contemporary Art Gallery. The exhibition is the transition of these art works from the walls of the mud to the contemporary world of interiors.

The display has the original works of the traditional artist Chandrika Devi, These works represent the colours of life taken from everyday living and anecdotal myths.

The craftsperson of Madhubani make their own indigenous colours and use bamboo sticks wrapped in cotton for painting. Painting on the wall is a communal act, joined in by all the women of a family. These patterns are, usually preserved, and care is taken to see each succeeding generation of girls continue with the art. This may be one reason why each community still preserves its own distinctive style. The paintings are very symbolic illustrating the epics and common beliefs.The art of Madhubani is purposive mythology. Not art in the sense of ‘significant form’ of the West. The paintings are legends to which the folk turn to pray in the daily ritual. The sources of folk art of Madhubani lie in the dim areas of silence, of the approximation to the heightened moments of creation itself.

There are works from the Kayastha and the Brahamin shailee. One also gets to see some tantrik influence and sometimes even the mixed shailee.

Sharad Kumar, the grandson of Chandrakala Devi is presently trying to preserve his lineage by collecting these antiquated artworks from the interiors of Mithila. The exhibition comprises partly his and Arjun Kumar’s collections.

One of the paintings represents the Khobar Ghar (or the nuptial chamber). It depicts an imaginative transfer of a traditional skill, originally employed by these women in decorating Khobar Ghar, aesthetically designed to bless the couple, as well as the inner chamber of their huts and shrines with lyrical paintings of gods and goddesses.

Republished from Asian Age