Madhubani art has been a prominent part of the cultural heritage of Bihar for decades. As the years passed by, the art work went through a series of transitions because of factors that were cultural, social and economic in nature yet its beauty kept prevailing. Although the themes changed, the motive remained the same. Earlier, artists showcased normal village life. Today, they showcase the importance of equity when it comes to gender concerns.
The Origin
The first time this form of art was created in the Mithila region of Bihar. According to many reports, it was first brought into being during the reign of Lord Rama. In Bihar, the festivities of Chhat Puja and Diwali were really prominent so women often decorated the walls of their huts with Madhubani themed paintings. These scenes showcased how their everyday life was, as they cooked, cleaned and lived. It was a time when this art was only practiced by women and they taught each other the techniques of how to make their drawings more attractive and the ways to beautify as well as stylise the objects.
How the Art gained More Love
Madhubani paintings can be recognized by their bright colors. Only vibrant colors like yellow, pink, red, green and blue are used which makes it look attractive. One thing about these paintings is that it has very thick outlines and almost zero empty spaces. You may see Baby Krishna attempting to steal butter as Ma Yashoda catches him. You may Lord Krishna giving valuable advice to Arjun in the Bhagvad Gita. All these scenes are emblems of Indian culture.
The Art of Madhubani was commercialized when a severe drought hit Bihar in 1960s and many families were left without money to even buy food. Due to the impact of an NGO, who suggested that the women begin to sell their Madhubani art, led to the commercialization of the same art. This was a great step because it allowed the women to be economically empowered and this led to the creation of Bihar Relief Committee which provided a ton of artistic chances to the local people.
The Role of Women in Promoting this Art Form
Traditionally, this art was only practiced by women and it is because of them that this art form is still preserved this date. This was also beneficial because it allowed the women to express themselves and showcase how they were feeling and the activities that they were doing regularly. There are many popular Madhubani artists like Bharti Dayal and Sushila Devi who were internationally praised for their good work. These are the artists who worked with a lot of passion and dedication which allowed them to gain support from the government, so that they could continue to do good work.
After the year 1980, due to the hard work of the artists, Madhubani art became more popular and therefore more commercialized. Artisans began experimenting with new themes. These designs were also recognized on global platforms. Although this provided economic opportunity to many, other artists did not like it as they began to worry that the quality of the art was not as good and it does not have the same level of originality. This led to a really important question about the significance of money or art. Other than that, Madhubani art will be the pride of our country because it represents everything our culture stands for. From the heavy outlines to the natural pigments used, Madhubani art is like a breath of fresh air in a world that is dominated by market produced goods.
Author
Shreeja Mukherjee