This is a Bharni Madhubani painting of a beautiful and rich lady with her pet cockatoos. This painting portrays the life style of rich ladies of that time- enjoying luxuries, designer clothes and jewellery; their gracefulness and down to earth nature in a unique way. On the other hand it also signifies the male dominated society and how women were kept reserved, undisclosed and non-communicative to the world.
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Mandhubani or Mithila Painting is a style of Indian Painting, practised in the villages of Jitwarpur and Ranti, near the city of Madhubani, in the Mithila region, Bihar. The origin of this painting being quite unknown, it is believed that King Janak, the ruler of the Mithila kingdom, in the 8th or 7th century BCE, asked to develop these painting in order to capture the moments of his daughter, Sita’s wedding to Prince Ram (of the Hindu epic Ramayana). This painting is a form of wall art that was practised widely throughout the Mithila region, the more recent development of painting on paper and canvas, or on cloth, mainly originated among the villages around Madhubani. These developments led to the term “Madhubani Art” being used alongside “Mithila Painting”. Characterised by its eye catching geometrical patterns, they are ritual contents for particular occasions, birth or marriage, or even festivals.
Painting on the walls of a house in Ranti.
Idiosyncrasy:
Madhubani paintings are among the most famous paintings in the world. This popular art form expresses the creativity and sensitivity of people, shows the psychology, morals, values and customs of the society in a creative way. The term “Madhubani” literally means The Forest of Honey, where “Madhu” means Honey and “Bani” means forest. This painting was predominantly created by the women of various communities in the Mithila region. The paintings were traditionally done on freshly plastered mud walls and floors of huts with the outline made from paste of powdered rice and natural colours derived from plants. The paintings use two-dimensional imagery, mostly depicting people, their association with nature and also deities from the ancient epics. Madhubani paintings are characterised by figures that have prominently outlined, bulging fish-like eyes and pointed noses. Natural objects like the sun, the moon, plants like tulsi, bael are also widely painted. Also scenes from Royal court and even social events are represented. Traditional Madhubani art has rarely any blank space left in it. The gaps are caulked by addition of paintings of flowers, birds, animals, or even geometric designs. Geometric patterns in this picture often symbolises love, valour, devotion, fertility and prosperity. In modern Madhubani paintings, its often not taken as a compulsory attribute, and the backgrounds are refashioned to uni-colour form to give prominence to the actual topic or idea.
Natural and bold colours used in traditional madhubani paintings-
The black Colour is made by mixing soot with cow dung.
The yellow colour is made from turmeric.
The white colour is made from rice powder.
The green colour is made from leaves of wood apple tree.
The blue colour is obtained from indigo.
The red colour is obtained from kusum flowers or red sandalwood.
The orange colour is made from Tesu flowers of the palash.)
Madhubani Artists who pushed out dominant narratives-
Padma Shri Sita Devi.
(Know about Sita Devi elaborately in the “About Artists” section of my blog)
Ganga Devi.
Mahasundari Devi.
Bharti Dayal.
Jagdamba Devi.
Malvika Raj.
Dulari Devi.
Pushpa Kumari.
Mahalaxmi.
1. Krishna and Radha. 2.Kohbar Madhubani.
Padma Shri Sita Devi.
Genres:
This historical and exceptional painting has five different styles with distinct features. These include-
BHARNI: The Bharni style Madhubani painting is a very profound art form, precisely known for its vibrant and bright colours. This art form was predominantly used for portraying Hindu deities and their historical contribution to Indian mythology. Bharni is a Hindi word, which means ‘filling’. The name of the art form expresses the style of painting full of colour and design. Usually, the Bharni paintings depict the pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses. But presently, it is used for any theme, which is mesmerising.
Bharni Madhubani by Jaya Dourbi.
KATCHNI: Katchni painting style in Madhubani paintings is a traditional style of picture coming from the Kayastha community. This particular art form has a unique individual style, mainly made using a monochrome or only two colours. This style of painting attracts the audience since they highlight the peculiar features of natural aspects with a limited colour range. Katchni painting style has come a long way from a small town of Ranti village in Madhubani District. The distinction in form is mainly seen in the line-work of the paintings. These paintings primarily depict animals, flowers, and other natural aspects.
Katchni Madhubani by Pratibha. (PREETKRITI BY PRATIBHA)
TANTRIK: The Tantrik style of painting of Madhubani art is a very distinct style of painting. This style represents the traditional and religious texts in a very precise manner. Tantra is an original text describing the Hindu religion and its aspects. Therefore, most of the paintings of Tantrik style have the influence of Tantra in its painting patterns. These paintings traditionally depict Hindu mythological characters, which hold the strong belief of the Hindu public. People in India generally involve these paintings in their home or any special occasion for prayers with firm faith.
Tantrik Madhubani by Krishnanand Jha.
GODNA: Godna is also among the five styles of Madhubani art. This art form is a unique and beautiful style of Mithila painting. Godna painting style is considered to be one of the most straightforward methods in the race of Mithila art style. This Godna work is a form of a mandala done in concentric circles or other geometric figures. The discovery of Godna Madhubani painting is believed to be done by Chanu Devi in which she used a pen made of bamboo and kajal to make the design. This art precisely signifies natural creatures such as animals, birds, plants, tree of life, and flowers. This painting style is famously done on canvas, but people also tend to use them as a tattoo.
Godna Madhubani by Tripti. (Tripti S Art)
KOHBAR: Kohbar in Madhubani painting is one of the most popular forms of the style of Mithila art. Kohbar is a highly valued word when we speak of Madhubani art as it has a linkage with a Hindu wedding ceremony. Kohbar art also goes by the name of Tantra Raj, Yog Yogini, and Shiv Shakti, which means power with the blessing of Lord Shiva resides. This painting mainly depicts Hindu wedding ceremonies, and they are primarily made on the walls of the bride and groom’s home. Formed with many rings or puren, one on the centre, and others surrounding it (Mainly three on either sides). Some long vertical and horizontal objects pierces the central ring or puren to connect other rings with it. “Kohbar” meaning the nuptial chamber, looks like one chamber connected to many other, representing love and emotional connection.
Kohbar Madhubani by Sita Devi.
Proliferation:
Traditionally, Madhubani or Mithila painting was one of the skills that was passed down from generation to generation in the families of the region, mainly by women. Madhubani painting has remained confined to a compact geographical area and the skills have been passed through centuries. The content and the style have largely remained same. Thus, Madhubani painting has recieved the GI(Geographical Indication) status. Its still practised as a great ancient art form and kept alive in institutions spread across Mithila region. Today, National Institute of Mithila Art(NIMA) continues its mission of supporting Mithila art and the artists pursuing it. Kalakriti in Darbhanga, Vaidehi in Madhubani, Benipatti in Madhubani district and Gram Vikas Parishad in Ranti are some of the major centres of Madhubani painting which have kept this ancient art form alive. The commercialisation of Madhubani paintings began in 1962 CE, when a foreign artist travelling through this town was attracted by the madhubani murals. He persuaded women to paint some of those drawings on paper, so that he could take them and showcase them in their country. this was a great success and thus began the commercialisation of these paintings. The recent initiatives taken by the local government, NGOs and cultural organisations, have brought the Madhubani art to an even greater level of popularity and recognition. In the field of fashion, many designers have launched Madhubani designs collection such as traditional outfits (Stoles, Sarees, Salwar kameez, long skirts, etc.) which are beautifully designed in Madhubani art. Many other day-to-day usable products like pen-cases, bags, diaries, etc. are painted in Mithila art and are very popular. Special-interest tourism is a fast-growing and highly lucrative alternative to traditional mass-market travel. As motives for travel diversify, so do the number of sub sectors. Moreover, tourism today is one of the most dynamic and diversified socio-economic activities globally, capable of turning an unnoticed region into a prosperous one by generating employment opportunities for the local people as well giving due importance the local cultural heritage. Art-loving tourists from across the world have taken a keen interest in the rural tourism and heritage of India and Madhubani paintings have scaled new heights beyond the boundaries of Mithila. Madhubani painting enjoys an international popularity, especially in countries like Japan, Germany, France and the USA. The Mithila Museum in Tokamachi, Japan, founded by a famous Madhubani art lover, Hashegawa exhibits around 1000 Madhubani paintings of various themes and styles. Several books and research papers have been written on various aspects of Madhubani painting by Indian and foreign writers alike.
This is a creative representation of fusion mandala art. Sunflower is the symbol of good luck and long lasting happiness. It also symbolises loyalty and faithfulness, hope, beauty, delight and most importantly, Renewal. Sunflower represents summer, which is the time to reap what you planted, which builds relaxation and refreshment as well. Mandala is a spiritual guidance tool which represents concentration and self acceptance. This fusion mandala represents the spiritual journey, the concentration, the dedication you give to what you need to achieve, the cosmic diagram that shows the relation between your inner self, the strength of your sub conscious mind, and the world that extends beyond various minds and bodies.
“A mandala is the psychological expression of the totality of the self.”
-Carl Jung
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A mandala is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid to meditation. In the Eastern religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Shintoism it is used as a map representing deities. A mandala generally represents the spiritual journey, starting from outside to the inner core, through layers. It represents a time-microcosm of the universe, but it originally meant to represent wholeness and a model for the organisational structure of life itself. It’s a cosmic diagram that shows the relation to the infinite and the world that extends beyond and within various minds & bodies.
Modern 3D Mandala Art- Chayan Gupta
History:
Mandala as an art form first appeared in Buddhist art. Through meditation and following a path of thought and action, Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, attained enlightenment, freeing himself from the cycle of death and rebirth. As Buddhist monks travelled a major trade route through Asia, they brought Buddhism to many other lands. They carried mandalas with them and brought the practice of creating these art works to other parts of Asia. The earliest evidence of Buddhist mandala art dates to the first century B.C. but appeared in other regions, such as Tibet, China, and Japan by the fourth century. Although rooted in Buddhism, mandalas later became present in Hinduism, and other religious practices.
Proliferation:
A) Hinduism: In Hinduism, a basic mandala, also called a Yantra, takes the form of a square with four gates containing a circle with a centre point. Despite its cosmic meanings a Yantra is reality lived. Because of the relationship that exists in the Tantras between the outer world (the macrocosm) and man’s inner world (the microcosm), every symbol in a Yantra is ambivalently resonant in inner–outer synthesis, and is associated with the subtle body and aspects of human consciousness.
A diagrammatic drawing of the Sri Yantra, showing the outside square, with four T-Shaped gates and the central circle.
Mandala of Vishnu.
B)Buddhism: In Buddhism, mandalas represent the ideal form of the universe. The act of creating a mandala represents the transformation of the universe from a reality of suffering to one of enlightenment. While Tibetan Buddhists see the centre of the mandala as an awakened being at the centre of the universe, the centre also represents the beginning of each person’s journey toward knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment. In Tibet, the mandala is called Khyil-khor, which refers to the centre of all creation where a truly awakened being lives, taking the meaning further than the Sanskrit reference. Mandala Sand Art in Tibetan Buddhism is ritually created through a long and detailed process, and each piece is then destroyed to symbolize the interconnectivity of life.
Painted 17th-century Tibetan ‘Five Deity Mandala’, in the centre is Rakta Yamari (the Red Enemy of Death) embracing his consort Vajra Vetali, in the corners are the Red, Green, White and Yellow Yamaris– Rubin Museum of Art
Chenrezig Sand Mandala created at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on the occasion of the Dalai Lama’s visit in May 2008.
C) Other: The mandala is a hallmark in Buddhism and Hinduism and also found in Christianity and Judaism. Islamic art is often full of dense geometric patterns and has many examples of mandalas.The symbolism of the mandala’s central point and its outward radiating patterns have come to represent man’s connection with the spiritual. The vast rose windows of Gothic Cathedrals are some of the ultimate examples in Western cultures.
Chartres Cathedral’s North Rose window.
The round window at the site of the Marsh Chapel Experiment supervised by Walter Pahnke
Present Unique Status:
A) Deep connection: Mandalas make it easier to connect with the most intimate parts of yourself and guiding you along the path of self-knowledge. They bring harmony, because energies flow through all their shapes and colours. These energies can transform negative things into positive ones, and bring balance to your life. the mandalas go from the centre and outwards that helps you to connect with yourself, free yourself, rebuild yourself, and create a relationship with yourself.
B) Psychology: Mandalas have been recognised by psychology as a therapeutic tool. In the 20th century, the birth of modern psychoanalysis also brought the mandala’s use into traditional forms of therapy. Carl Jung was perhaps the biggest advocate of mandalas, both as an archetype representing the human self and as a way to visually express this concept of self through drawing. Modern art therapy often uses mandalas both as diagnostic aids and as therapeutic interventions for conditions like anxiety and schizophrenia. There are also multiple different branches of psychology that have talked about their benefits. Transpersonal psychology perceives mandalas as a kind of exercise for deep connection. Cognitive and Behavioural psychology see it as a tool to improve things like memory, attention, perception, and visuomotor coordination. People use them in occupational therapy because the cognitive stimulation helps people do their daily activities. People also use them in educational purposes to help students with concentration, attention, and discipline. Creating mandalas offered a “safe refuge of inner reconciliation and wholeness”
Mandala painted by a patient of Carl Jung.
C) In Science: Circular diagrams are often used in Phylogenetics, especially for the graphical representation of phylogenetic relationships. Evolutionary trees often encompass numerous species that are conveniently shown on a circular tree, with images of the species shown on the periphery of a tree. Such diagrams have been called phylogenetic mandalas.
Phylogenetic tree of Hexapoda (insects and their six legged relatives). Such trees have been called Phylogenetic Mandalas.
D) In Contemporary Use: Fashion designer Mandali Mendrilla designed an interactive art installation called Mandala of Desires (Blue Lotus Wish Tree) made in peace silk and eco-friendly textile ink. The pattern of the dress was based on the Goloka Yantra Mandala, shaped as a lotus with eight petals. Now mandala is represented in new and unique forms, not only in circles but many different forms, shapes, jewellery designs, wall paintings, rangoli and even through different traditional artforms and silhouettes.
Mandala of Desires- Mandali Mendrilla
Types of Mandala Art Forms to be Learned:
A) Dot mandala: Dot painting was originated from aboriginal Australia. Dot mandala is a therapeutic fusion of this unique art form and Mandala art form. Its eye catching but requires more concentration.
Dot Mandala Art- Guncha Arora
B) Half Mandala or Fractional Mandala: Fractional Mandala is often presented in half or quarter, or can be said a part of mandala instead of the whole, is drawn which often includes more detailing or to show more creativity in a reduced space or time.
Half Mandala- Elle Dawson
C) 3D Mandala: In present times, 3D is always a new fashion and of course eye catching. 3D mandala is the mandala form with slight touch or realistic 3D effects which is often mesmerising.
3D Mandala Art- Baz Furnell
D) Contour Mandala: Mandala is more often represented in circles. But Contour mandala is the type of mandala which is represented in different shapes, physiques, profiles and formats. They are often many circular mandalas together that are cut into profiles or mandala designs represented in a specific shape.
Contour Mandala Art- Sangeeta Prayaga
E) Fusion Mandala:Fusion mandala is the fusion of traditional art forms and modern art forms both embedded in a specific mandala art. It also includes cubism, realism and perspective forms. It can also be called as the fusion of all the types of mandala mentioned before.
Fusion Mandala Art- Prasun Balasubhramaniam
Check out Creative Fusion Mandala Art done by me in the “MY WORKS” section of my site.
This is an abstract and innovative representation of a strong lady through African tribal art. The red attire of the woman represents life, health, bravery, love, romance and passion. the woman here is passionate, aggressive, energetic, strong willed and outspoken. The yellow background shows that she is delighted and happy. Yellow represents the fire in her, the force of life, her ability to destroy or even her ability to create. Women, in form of goddess, are blessings to the good, curse to the devils.
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This is an abstract silhouette on a creative background which indicates creativity; is easily recognisable, eye catching and imaginative. Here, the pink colour in the background represents love, innocency and femininity. The blue colour represents serenity, loyalty and strength in the female’s heart, but at the same time also represents grief and sadness of a broken heart or a depressed alone self. This picture of a girl in a serene background with butterflies around depicts that,
“No matter what crashes to your life, no matter how broken or alone you are, life has to go on, and so do you. Take a deep breath and start working again.”
-Soul Scribbles
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Many casual observers tend to generaliseTraditional African Art. The continent is actually full of multitudes of people, societies, and civilisations, each with a unique visual culture. Despite this incredible diversity, there do seem to be some unifying artistic themes when considering the aggregate of visual culture from the continent of Africa. Most African artworks are wood sculptures, probably because wood is a very widespread material. Many forms of African art are characterised by their visual abstraction, or devoid of representational accuracy. Because of colonialism and slavery, African art found its way around the world. First presented as curiosities of savage cultures, objects such as masks and sculptures influenced European artists who were looking for a something new that does not rely on realism.
African Tribal Ladies by Irina Rumyantseva– Manchester, UK.
The characteristics of African tribal art-
A.Formal Innovation – Unlike “Western” societies, where artworks tend to be produced according to strict canons of representation, many African societies encourage innovation and creativity of both style and form among their artists.
B.Visual Abstraction – African artworks tend to favour visual abstraction over naturalistic representation. This is because many African artworks, regardless of medium, tend to represent objects or ideas rather than depict them. African artists interpret human or animal forms creatively through innovative form and composition.
Lamidi Olonade Fakeye, Nigeria-1925
(Know about Fakeye in the About artists section in the menu of my site.)
C. Multiplicity of Meaning – African art tends to carry a multiplicity of meaning, a fact that can be very confusing to many Western observers. Those searching for a specific description of the meaning of a piece of African art will soon be endlessly confused by the multitude of uses, meanings, and social contexts that can be contained in a single artwork.
D.The 5 Elements of African art are used to describe the aesthetics- 1) Resemblance to a human figure for purpose of conveying ideas. 2) Luminosity representing shiny and unflawed skin. 3) Youthfulness representing vitality and fertility. 4) Reserved demeanor representing a person in control 5) Balance and proportion through material choices.
E. Elongated necks, enlarged heads and arms, pointed breasts etc., are often found in african art. These are notable dynamic forms representing vitality, power, and boldnessof humanity.
African Wood Sculpture.
In modern times, tribal art is difficult to qualify as such because while a contemporary African artist may acknowledge his tribal roots and pay allegiance to it, very frequently they may no longer live in an isolated, self-directed community situation but rather has become part of modern day society, frequently living either abroad or in urban societies. So, contemporary African artists often use aesthetic form for globalisation of their culture. Their art, still involving traditional skills, tribal culture and beliefs into their work.
Africa Tribal Lady by Sakshi Baranwal– Modern African Tribal Art.
Check out African Tribal Painting done by me in the “MYWORKS” section of my blog
A silhouette is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhouette is usually presented on a light background, usually white, or none at all.
The name Silhouette traces back to the mid-18th century French finance minister, Etienne de Silhouette. Because his name was synonymous with doing things cheaply and because he was fond of making these images himself, this art form was named after him. In America, Silhouettes were highly popular from about 1790 to 1840.
Russian Grand Duke Paul Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna with sons Alexander and Constantine, planting a tree in front of the Bust of Catherine II- Silhouette paper cut art by Johann Friedrich Anthing– 1784-85.
Silhouette (profile) portraiture was the popular way to recreate an image of oneself or loved one before the invention of photography in the mid 1800’s. During the years of 1500-1860, professional and amateur artists would either paint or cut profiles, using paints or scissors. A.Late 18th century-Early 19th century: Since the late 18th century, silhouette artists have also made small scenes cut from card and mounted on a contrasting background like the portraits. These pictures, were often, but not necessarily, silhouette images. Among 19th century artists to work in this way, was the author Hans Christian Andersen. The modern artist Robert Ryan creates intricate images by this technique, sometimes using them to produce silk-screen prints.
B. Late 19th century-Early 20th century: In the late 19th and early 20th century several illustrators employed designs of similar appearance for making book illustrations. Silhouette pictures could easily be printed by blocks that were cheaper to produce and longer lasting than detailed black and white illustrations. Illustrators who produced silhouette pictures at this time include Arthur Rackham and William Heath Robinson. C. Late 20th century-Present: Illustrators of the late 20th century to work in silhouette include Jan Pienkowski and Jan Ormerod. In early 1970s, Phillippe Derome uses the black cut silhouette in his portraits of black people. In the 21st century, American artist Kara Walker develops this use of silhouette to present racial issues in confronting images.
Hannah More by Augustin Edouart– !827
(Know aboutAugustine Edouart in theAbout Artists section in themenu of my site.)
D. Others: Presently, they are portrayed in various ways and used in shadow theatres, architectures, movies, VFX-animations, graphic designing etc. Photography has also found its new way through silhouette form. In photography, a Silhouette is an outline that appears dark against a light background. more specifically, it is where your subject is seen as a black shape without detail against a brighter background.
Picture captured by Howard High.
Part 2 coming soon...
Check out Creative Silhouette Art done by me in the “MY WORKS” section of my site.
Soul Scribbles 