Madhubani Paintings, Mithila Art, Bihar

Mithila Art

Madhubani paintings or Mithila Art is a style of Indian art painting, practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar state, India. Our Madhubani paintings comes from the Indian villages of Madhubani and Mithila in Bihar. These paintings are done on various materials such as cloth, hand made paper and canvas. The main subjects of Madhubani paintings contain images of Hindu deities such as Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. You can find beautiful Madhubani paintings of sun, moon and tulsi or the sacred basil plant revered very much by the Hindus. Scenes of royal courts and social events such as celebration of wedding are also beautifully depicted in Madhubani paintings.The main categories in Madhubani paintings are:

Monochrome Madhubani Paintings
Traditional Madhubani Paintings
Modern Madhubani Paintings
Nature Madhubani Paintings

Monochrome Madhubani Paintings	Traditional Madhubani Paintings
Modern Madhubani Paintings	Nature Madhubani Paintings

The Art of Madhubani Paintings

As Madhubani paintings have been confined to a compact geographical area and the skills have been passed on through centuries, the content and the style have largely remained the same.The art of Madhubani paintings requires skill and implies a certain technique. This technique uses simple raw materials that are easily found in villages such as bamboo sticks and cotton. Firstly the cotton is wrapped around a bamboo stick to serve as a brush. Then the brush is dipped in colors and applied on to the fabric. No shading technique is used. The outline is done with double lines. The gaps between the two lines are filled with cross or straight lines. Madhubani paintings were usually done on walls during festivals, religious events, and other milestones of the life-cycle such as birth, Upanayanam (sacred thread ceremony), and marriage.