Madhubani, which literally translates to forests of honey, is a beautiful ages old art form, developed by the women of Mithila, a district in the state of Bihar in eastern India. Traditionally, women used their delicate fingers, nibs, twigs and matchsticks to create the lines and fill in colors made from natural material. Madhubani art has a distinct feminine flavor, and represents the fertility and proliferation of life in a very earthy palette and exceptional craftsmanship.
Madhubani art, also known as Mithila painting, is an ancient, classical and freehand art form. But its exact origins are not known. Some believe that it has its roots in the famous Indian epic Ramayana, where King Janaka, Sita’s father and King of Mithila, asked local artists to decorate the walls of his palace and create murals for his daughter’s wedding with Rama. Did you know that hardly anyone knew about Madhubani art until a devastating earthquake in 1934 hit the India-Nepal border resulting in the collapse of many buildings. These beautiful paintings were discovered among the debris as flashes of color amidst fallen walls caught everyone’s eye.
The art that saved lives
For a long time, women painters of Mithila lived in a closed society. In the 1960s a prolonged drought in the region led to a severe economic crisis. Forced to find means of making money other than agriculture, the women began to commercialize their art. The ancient tradition of elaborate wall paintings or Bhitti – Chitra played a major role in the emergence of this new art form. The original inspiration for Madhubani art came from the deep religious beliefs of the women artists. They sought to be one with God by painting pictures of gods and goddesses. Proliferation of life is a vital aspect of divinity and we can see this belief represented a very earthy palette and exceptional craftsmanship.
Years ago there was a tradition that the newly married bride and groom would spend three nights in the kohbar ghar – a nuptial chamber elaborately decorated with Madhubani paintings – without cohabiting. On the fourth night they would consummate the marriage surrounded by colorful paintings.
Truly feminine – Colorful, Bright, and Busy
Madhubani paintings have a few distinguishing features. Typically there is no area on the canvas that is left empty. Even the margins and borders are completely covered by geometrical patterns and motifs. The colors used in Madhubani art are vibrant, bright and solid, i.e. there is very little shading.
The Madhubani technique
The painting technique for Madhubani is relatively simple. Traditionally the paintings were done on walls which were that helped proper absorption of colour. Madhubani artists do not use any specific kind of brushes. They use twigs, leaves, fingers and anything else that will allow them to create the bold and precise strokes that is characteristic of the art form. Charcoal is used for the black outlines, rice powder for whites while turmeric becomes the base for yellow. All other colors are also obtained from natural elements like indigo and fruits. The vibrant colors created with natural dyes are considered a source of positive energy, energizing the atmosphere in the house
Madhubani paintings will usually feature deities, the sun, trees, peacocks, flowers, animals, fish, etc. Intricate, subtle geometrical patterns, slender bodies of the characters, sharp noses and large, bulging eyes are typical of the art. Each part of the painting is covered with fine intricate detailing that somehow does not look cluttered or messy.
Madhubani art has five distinctive styles – Bharni, Katchni, Tantrik, Nepali, and Kohbar. Bharni, Kachni and Tantrik style were mainly done by the upper castes of Brahman and Kayashth women in India and Nepal. The Brahmin style of painting lavishly deals use of vibrant colors and their paintings were inspired by the sacred texts with stories of various gods and goddesses. Krishna Radha, Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga are some of the more commonly depicted deities. The Kayastha style of painting basically was a practice of elaborate wall paintings of the kohbar ghar featuring images sexual pleasure and procreation.
Painters of lower castes and classes included aspects of their daily life in their paintings, because they were not allowed to represent divinities. The Godna style, for instance, belongs to the Dalit and Dushadh communities. Their paintings themes were based on the legend of Raja Salhesh – a Dusadh cultural hero, depicting a drawing is divided into several horizontal margins.
What is amazing is that though none of the traditional artists ever had formal art training, they were able to create spellbinding color combinations even back then. Madhubani paintings were also used, years ago, to prevent trees from being cut down. Truly an art with purpose!
About the author: Sushmita Vobbilisetty is the concept creator at Chitrapata. She has a deep understanding of old masters, modern, and contemporary artworks. Sushmita is an expert in evaluating the market value and fair value of art based on heritage, availability, sell-through rate, market performance over time, secondary sales track record, and other key factors. Sushmita frequently predicts the bidding prices for day sales and evening auctions hosted by leading art houses.
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Image credit: DreamStudio AI, StableDiffusion.
