Mithila art

Das Mahavidyas

This painting represents the Das Mahavidya or the ten forms so Goddess Durga. The idols are painted on cloth using Ink and coloured pigments by Mithila artist Krishnanand Jha. Click here to see how artist Poonam Devi paints the same theme Dasa Mahavidya is associated with the Shakti cult in Hinduism and through it, ‘Tantrism’.… Read more »

Untitled (Shiva)

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, and rural and natural life.… Read more »

Untitled (Ras Leela and other episodes from the Bhagwat Purana)

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 »

Goddess Bhairavi and Chinnamasta

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 »

Goddess Kaali and Tara

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 »

Maa Kaali

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 »

Farming

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 »

Untitled

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 »

Untitled (Krishna and Gopis)

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 »

Untitled

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 »

Untitled

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 »

Latpatiya Sugga

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 »

Untitled (Lion)

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 »

Untitled (Man with a Pankha)

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 »

Untitled (Dasavatar)

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 »

Untitled (Goddes Kali)

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 »

Untitled [Kohbar and Religious episodes]

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 »

“Our books are like a room out of a museum”

Dulari Devi is an artist but she wasn’t always one. This is how the story begins in her autobiographical children’s book, Following My Paint Brush, published by Tara Books, an independent publishing house that brings art by Indian women, folk and indigenous artists to young readers. Coming from a community of fisherfolk in Bihar, Dulari… Read more »

Kohbar

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 »