These traditional paintings are believed to be originated in rural areas of Madhubani and Darbhanga districts of Bihar. This is also known as Mithila painting which is executed by womenfolk of these areas since ages on walls of the houses. Women not merely play significant role for household chores but also contribute in keeping our age long tradition safe and alive. Women use very limited resources for making these art works like vegetable colors, bamboo sticks, cotton etc. These paintings are a group act and are carefully preserved so that all the succeeding generation of girls carry it forward.
The basic characteristic of these paintings are their simple forms with bold colors. The powerful, living shapes and bright colors make these art works vigorous and lively. The motifs used in these paintings are simple, effective and repetitive in nature. These paintings depict both religious and social themes and can be broadly categorized into four basic types:
- Color paintings: In this painting, outlines of the motifs are done with dark black outline and bold colors are used in filling those shapes or motifs. This art work uses a variety of colors and dark lines to make it alive.
- Line paintings: This is usually completed with black or red lines on a plain background. Thus, it is known as line painting. The beauty of these paintings lies in their lines.
- Godna paintings: This is also known as Harijan painting and executed by Schedule Caste women, which is done using black color and cow dung. The stories of their gods and goddesses are depicted in these paintings.
- Tantric paintings: These paintings are related to tantra and mantra and are executed by those people who are well versed in Tantra knowledge.
There are two styles of paintings: Mithila Brahman and Kayastha style. The first one is devoted to use of bold and vital colors. The vibrant scarlet and yellow colors are predominant in Brahman style. In the second style of painting, there is a tendency to minimize colors and achieve intensity through lines.
These traditional and folk paintings are well known for their creativity and simplicity, which are their main attraction. The repetition in their forms and lines help them in retaining their vitality. Each community preserves its own distinct style that can be seen in its execution. The main purpose of depicting these art works are keeping away the evil eye and spirit, to adore god and goddesses, to owe present stature to natural calamities like earthquakes and droughts.
These traditional paintings are a true picture of Indian traditional art forms that keeps our culture alive and vital. The womenfolk of our society contributed immensely in preserving and conserving our age long morals and values that can be seen in our traditional art forms. In the present scenario, these paintings are a source of income for indigenous people of related areas. We can trace a magnificent use of motifs and styles of these paintings in various clothes like suits, sarees, bedsheets, and other things of interior uses. There are many eminent artists of National and International fame like Shanti Devi, Leela Devi and so many others who contributed immensely in taking forward these traditional paintings to International level.
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