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Splish! Splash! And a Dash of Color!
Want to make your own paints and splash them all over the walls? Come with me to the state of Bihar in India, to a little village called Madhuban – which means Forest of Honey. You’ll see rural women bend over intricate folk paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses created in a clear linear style. Have you read the popular epic ‘Ramayana’? Handsome Lord Rama arrives at the little hamlet of Madhuban in the North of India to marry beautiful Princess Sita. Sita’s father King Janaka orders the first Madhubani wall paintings as a decoration for his daughter’s wedding and so begins the age old folk tradition from Mithila, the birthplace of Sita that is still kept alive. Madhubani men are farmers and usually the womenfolk deck the walls with vivid murals of Hindu gods and goddesses. Every painting is a meditation offered as a prayer to the deities who visit their homes. This is how they create these works of art. A coat of cow dung gives the background a soft, rustic feel. Mithila artists never use a pencil or eraser. They paint directly with a thin bamboo reed crushed at the edge for a brush. Their paints are brilliant vegetable dyes used directly with no shading. What makes the white paint shine? Pounded rice mixed with water. For a vibrant yellow, blend some turmeric, lime and the milk from Banyan leaves. Green is the paste of wood apple or Bel leaves. Deep red or crimson is made from the juice of the kusama flower or red sandalwood. Orange comes from the palasha flowers and indigo is used for blue. These natural juices are mixed with resin from banana leaves and gum for the paint to stick. All outlines are done with black – where do they get this? Soot from the lamp or from the bottom of vessels is mixed with cattle urine or goat’s milk. Some paintings use only a single color – which means they’re monochromatic. Favorite themes include Rama and Sita’s wedding, Radha and Krishna the cowherd with a flute, Lakshmi the goddess of wealth, Ganesh the elephant-headed god who removes all obstacles in a venture, Durga, Kali and Vishnu.
The philosophy behind the Ardha-Narishwari of Shiva and Parvathi is brought out in the painting that depicts a single figure as half man, and half woman. It celebrates every human being as part masculine and part feminine clearly establishing men and women with equal rights.
The khobar or the marriage painting is the most auspicious painting Besides Hindu mythology, there is a joy in rendering nature - the sun signifies fertility, the moon is a source of heavenly nectar for long life and the sacred tulsi plant (holy basil). Snakes are drawn for protection, fishes for good luck, parrots symbolize the bride and groom and turtles bring special powers that will help you. Madhubani paintings have painstakingly detailed borders with floral and geometric motifs used as fillers. Elaborate patterns make sure there are no empty spaces left. The lively Madhubani figures are usually drawn in profile and finished with a double outline. Though innocent and humane, these figures look divine. In the prolonged famine of 1966-68 that hit Bihar, both men and women took to selling their art on handmade paper as another source of income. Artists have learnt to sign their names on a painting to be recognized and now their colorful drawings are known the world over.
Tattoo or Gondhani paintings are a different form of Madhubani art created by the Banjaras (nomads). To protect the beautiful girls of their tribe from nasty invaders, the women are tattooed with basic shapes and figures. During the drought, these tattoo designs were painted on paper and sold. The art is simple, inspired by nature and painted in strips that are repeated many times. References- Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com). Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in July, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time. More on Chillibreeze.comRelated links: The Madhubani Form of Art Other popular articles on Chillibreeze: Social Media Monitoring – Listening to Your Audience
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