Srinivasan on Madhubani

According to Kalidasa, the composition of painting formed an essential part of all pictorial representations. The Indian artist never abstracted the main subject of representation, from the environment of which it is a part. The same is the case with Mithila or Madhubani painting where man is invariably a part of nature like a flower or creeper. Festivals have been a dominating factor in most folk tradition of art. Typically these paintings can be seen in three different forms - wall painting (bhitti chitra), canvas painting (pata chitra) and floor painting (Bhumi shoba or aripana). In Madhubani, wall painting and floor painting are very popular. On auspicious occasions, the women decorate the inner and outer walls of their house.

Madhubani is a way of painting rather than a set of pictures. The paintings dissolve but the style goes on and the paintings are plain and devoid of ornamentation. The colours usually used in Madhubani painting are deep red (from Kusuma flower), green (from Bel trees), black (from burnt jowar), light yellow (from turmeric mixed with banyan leaf milk) and orange (from Palasa flower). The artists use a unique kind of brush which is handmade. A bamboo stick is used with the end being slightly frayed. For patches, a cloth is tied to a twig and used. This is called pihua.

The Mithilas being deeply religious, Gods and Goddesses form a majority of the subjects in many paintings. The influence of Shiva, Vishnu and Sakthi are seen in their character, while Durga and Kali (Hindu Goddesses) are also pre-dominant. Motifs include flora and fauna, circles in series, spiral or curvilinear devices, short lines and so on.

Very near to nature, the Madhubani paintings are of a class very dear to art lovers. It is not surprising that this art is admired all over the world today, fetching a significant amount of foreign exchange for India.