Mithila painting is a traditional mural artform from Madhubani district, Bihar. The artform is known to be a woman’s preserve, one that has roots in the wedding rituals of the Maithil community. Today, many artists from both genders create canvases filled with depictions of religious gods and symbols, socio-political issues as well as rural and… Read more »
Mithila painting is a traditional mural artform from Madhubani district, Bihar. The artform is known to be a woman’s preserve, one that has roots in the wedding rituals of the Maithil community. Today, many artists from both genders create canvases filled with depictions of religious gods and symbols, socio-political issues as well as rural and… Read more »
This Madhubani painting is an ink on paper work, made by artist Krishnanand Jha (1938-2018). Mithila or Madhubani art originated in the Mithila region of eastern India. The art form often depicts landscapes teeming with a diversity of life. In this work, Krishnanand Jha fills the canvas with details of each stage in the process… Read more »
Mithila art traditionally uses motifs from nature like birds and elephants, or depicts themes of love both eternal and mortal, or scenes from Hindu mythology. In the centre of the composition, the painting shows a bountiful tree, under which are seven women. In between and above the heads of the women, floral motifs – similar… Read more »
Mithila art traditionally uses motifs from nature like birds and elephants, or depicts themes of love both eternal and mortal, or scenes from Hindu mythology. This painting showcases an episode from the Bhagavata Purana where Krishna steals clothes of gopis (cow herding women) who were bathing in river yamuna. He is shown here seated atop… Read more »
Mithila art traditionally uses motifs from nature like birds and elephants, or depicts themes of love both eternal and mortal, or scenes from Hindu mythology. But, Santosh Kumar Das makes use of these motifs to say something new. Coming from Ranti, he was trained in the Kachni style of Madhubani art, which focuses on the… Read more »
Mithila art traditionally uses motifs from nature like birds and elephants, or depicts themes of love both eternal and mortal, or scenes from Hindu mythology. But, Santosh Kumar Das makes use of these motifs to say something new. Coming from Ranti, he was trained in the Kachni style of Madhubani art, which focuses on the… Read more »
Mithila artist Pushpa Kumari’s aesthetic genius combines the traditional with the contemporary, and the personal with the political
This is a Mithila painting of Ganesh Chaturthi is by Manisha Jha. One of the most popular Hindu festivals in India, Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Ganesh or Ganapati, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is also known as Vighnaharta (remover of obstacles) and Hastimukha (elephant-headed). He is an important deity in the… Read more »
The theme of the painting is based on a philosophical concept known as the ‘Tree of life’. This concept elevates the symbol of the tree to a sacred one, which is respected and worshipped all over the world, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism. The symbol has been found sculpted or painted in relics of ancient… Read more »
The theme of this painting is religious, it showcases the deity, Ardhanareshwar. The right side of the central figure of the painting is Shiva and the left, Parvati. In rare depictions of the Shakti cult, Parvati is shown on the right because the group believes the Goddess to be the creator of all beings, and… Read more »
Mithila art traditionally uses motifs from nature like birds, elephants, or depicts themes of love both eternal and mortal, or scenes from Hindu mythology. Santosh Kumar Das makes use of these motifs to say something new with it. Coming from Ranti, he was trained in the Kachni style of Madhubani art, which focuses on the… Read more »
Madhubani or Mithila painting was born as a ritual art form during wedding ceremonies. This Madhubani painting showcases a veiled woman in the centre. Her face painted inside a circular structure may represent a bride. The woman’s veil and big nose ring are red and she also wears a red flower painted in place of… Read more »
Mithila art often uses motifs from nature to capture the excitement of rural life. This painting depicts three elements – a sole lion, a flower and a bird but the flower is positioned high and the bird low, beside the hind legs of the lion. The artist Santosh Kumar Das is very interested in merging… Read more »
This is a painting by Santosh Kumar Das in the Madhubani tradition. His art draws inspiration from Hindu mythology and iconography, nature, events from Indian history and anecdotes from his everyday life. ‘A Man With a Pankha’ explores a theme from Das’ life, and his love for art and mythology. A Brahmin man wearing an… Read more »
This Madhubani painting is thematically religious. It showcases the dasavatars or ten incarnations of the Lord Vishnu. The incarnations are divided in small rectangles in two rows, making it a miniature of how these images would appear on the traditional wall paintings when painted almost life size. The figures are named by the artist in… Read more »
The theme of this Madhubani painting is religious. Right in the centre, it showcases a large greyish face of Goddess Kali. Her eyes wide, are outlined with red and black, her tongue protruded and teeth showing, her jet black, long hair flowing unruly, are features usually associated with the Goddess, evoking her ferocity. Yet the… Read more »
Leaping off a firm grounding of artistic legacy, Das has created a space that feels fluid, open and wholly his own. In conversation with the Madhubani artist
Sarmaya Arts Foundation conducted a virtual workshop with KK Academy, Lucknow on 26th October 2020. The workshop was held for an excited group of 21 participants between the ages of 6-8 years as well as a few teachers. It was an art based learning session introducing the students to Mithila or Madhubani, the beautiful indigenous… Read more »
![Untitled [Kohbar and Religious episodes] - Arts of India, Bihar, Kohbar, Madhubani, Mithila art, Ritual painting](https://sarmaya.in/museum/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Untitled-Kohbar-and-Religious-episodes-Unidentified-Artist-undated-Sarmaya-Arts-Foundation-1-453x375.jpg "Untitled [Kohbar and Religious episodes] - Sarmaya")
Mithila or Madhubani art originated as a ritual wall painting in Mithila region, primarily done on the occasion of marriage. Traditionally, it has been a woman’s preserve. With modern times the medium of art shifted to canvas, and on rare occasions to cloth. Depicted here is one of the most popular and iconic of these… Read more »