Important Notice

Untitled (Durga)
Circa 1970s
Natural pigments and ink on paper
76.5 x 40 in (194 x 101.8 cm)


PROVENANCE:
Collection of Charles and Ratna Fabri
Property of a Distinguished Lady, New Delhi

Jagdamba Devi is credited with bringing official recognition to Mithila painting, when she received the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, in 1970.

MITHILA PAINTING

Mithila is the traditional name for the home of Sita, the wife of Rama, and is a region in the Darbhanga district of modern day Bihar. The region’s art forms flourished under the patronage of rulers such as Harisimha Deva, and the various Karnataka dynasties from the 12th - 14th centuries. Women from the Brahmin and Kayastha families traditionally painted on freshly plastered mud walls of homes in the Mithila or Madhubani style,to signify auspicious occasions such as birth, marriage, and religious rituals.

Mithila paintings are instantly recognised by their vibrant imagery. Five discrete styles- Kachni, Bharni, Godna, Kohbar and Tantric-merged to form the techniquenow synonymous with Mithila or Madhubani paintings. Each family has its own pictorial tradition, passed down from generation to generation. This lends the paintings a distinct style and character. Artists draw inspiration from a wide range of sourcesincluding social events, royal courts and the cosmos. Mythology, nature and scenes from quotidian life form the main themes of these paintings. The gods of the Hindu pantheon, namely Rama, Krishna, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Shiva and Durga, are importantreligious icons. Every part of the background is intricately decorated with flora, fauna and geometric patterns. Figures are simplified and flat, solid colours are used without any shading. Scenes are often set within ornately patterned borders, andcrosses and straight lines are used to fill negative space, heightening the vibrancy of the paintings.

Like most traditional art, locally available materials are used with precision and a deep knowledge of nature. Figures are outlined using bamboo sticks, and colour is applied by tying cotton to the sticks. The use of natural dyes yields a distinctly earthy palette which is literally rooted to its place of origin. Soot and cow dung are used for black, indigo for blue, rice powder for white, sandal wood or Kusum flowers for red, and turmeric, pollen and lime mixed with extract from Banyan leaves for yellow. Though the art form has existed for centuries, over time, new materials such as paper and canvas were introduced, and the paintings moved out of the confines of dwellings. It was in the late 1960s that Mithila painting garnered widespread recognition. The Mithila paintings in this catalogue belong to this critical period which marks the intersection of the old and the new, where tradition meets modernity.

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