Class V - Madhubani Art

Madhubani painting (Mithila painting) was traditionally created by the women of various communities in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. It originated from Madhubani district of the Mithila region of Bihar.

There are three main themes in Madhubani art: religion, social scenes and elements of nature. Hindu mythological figures and scenes from sacred texts are very common subjects, featuring popular deities like Radha and Krishna, Shiva, Ganesha, Saraswati and Laxmi.

The colours are governed by the five basic elements of life – earth, water, fire, sky, and air. These are denoted by various shades; earth by yellow, water by white, fire by red, sky by blue and air by black. These elements are also explained using three basic forms – triangle, circle and square. A triangle that has its tip towards the sky denotes fire and the one with its tip downwards depict water. Square depicts the earth. The circumference of the circle is used to denote air, while the inner portion depicts sky. Sky and air, fire and water are inter-related. All these forms emerge from a bindu, which represents Shiva and Shakti. A mishra bindu is formed when the formless Shiva visualises his form in Shakti.

The wall paintings are executed in three walls of the houses:

• Gosai ghar or room of the family deity
• Kohbar ghar or room of the newly wed couples
• Verandah outside the Kohbar ghar, used as a room for visitors

 Some significant symbols in madhubani paintings are:

• Parijat – Symbol of reproduction and fertility
• Two peacocks – Symbol of eternity
• Elephant aripana – Symbol of successful pregnancy
• Lotus aripana – Signifies sexual energy
• Circle aripana – God of creation
• Parrot aripana – Symbol of kama
• Snake – Power of regeneration
• Mandalas – To evoke love among the newly-weds.

 A few important characteristics of Madhubani paintings

• The paintings are divided into horizontal and vertical sections to imply different time and space.
• The qualities of paintings vary between frescos and miniature style.
• The bodies of gods and goddesses are foreshortened and often distorted. Common amongst them are radha-krishna madhubani, ganesha madhubani painting, etc.
• The faces are shown in profile; however, the eyes have a frontal view. The eyes are painted after the whole painting is completed.