MADHUBANI PAINTING

assed down from one generation to another, Indian folk art is still alive in many parts of the country. Being culturally diverse and distinct, a variety of art forms have evolved over the years... some untouched by modernisation, some adapting to new paint colours and materials. Each depict religious epics or Gods and Goddesses mostly, but they’re all unique, admirable and inimitable in their own right. As we all know, art reflects the culture and tradition of the place from which they originate, thus, they tend to be a reflection of the times in which the art was created. One such example is the Madhubani or Mithila paintings from the Land of Buddha – BIHAR. These paintings not only depicts the social structure but also the cultural identity of the land with its. representations on themes of religion, love and fertility. Keeping with the same, Awadh Art Festival WITH Bengal Art Foundation and Jaipur Art Summit has decided to promote this ancient art by means of a Virtual Art Exhibition call “MITHILA – the road less travelled” Mithila paintings are among the most famous paintings in the world. This popular art expresses the creativity and sensitivity of its people. Like any folk art, it also shows the psychology of the society to which it belongs. It reflects the moral values and customs of the region in a very interesting way. This age-old art is achieved by the use of fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks, using natural dyes and pigments, and is characterized by eye-catching patterns

Name & Origins The origins of Madhubani or Mithila paintings are quite unknown. However, it is believed that King Janak, ruler of Mithila Kingdom in the 7th or 8th century BC, had asked to develop these paintings, in order to capture the moments of his daughter Sita’s wedding to Prince Rama (of the Hindu epic – Ramayana

Modern Madhubani Paintings Though the origin of this art form dates back to Ramayana period (ancient India) as the popular oral tradition suggests. W.G. Archer, a British collector of this region (during the British colonial period of India) named it Mithila Art in the 1940s. The commercialization of Madhubani paintings began in 1962 CE, when a foreign artist travelling through this town was attracted by the murals. He persuaded women to paint those same drawings on paper, so that he could take them and show them in his country. The idea was a great success and thus began the commercialization of Madhubani paintings. Since then, the way of painting has diversified in different ways

EGG TEMPERA

Tempera also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. The technique is ancient with records as far back as 1st Century AD where it was the primary method of painting till it was superceeded by oil painting in the 1500s

Tempera is traditionally created by hand-grinding dry powdered pigments into a binding agent or medium, such as egg yolk, milk (in the form of casein) and a variety of plant gums. The classical technique uses only the diluted egg yolk( 1 part egg yolk: 3 parts water) in combination with a few drops of vinegar and an equal volume of ground pigments in distilled water. Additives such as oil and wax emulsions can modify the medium

Egg tempera is not a flexible paint and requires stiff surfaces and painting on canvas will cause cracks to form and chips of paint to peel. The paint is applied in short strokes with crosshatching technique. Tempera adheres best to an absorbent background that has a lower oil content than the tempera binder (the traditional rule of thumb is "fat over lean"). The ground traditionally used is inflexible Italian gesso, and historically wood panels were used as the substrate, more recently un-tempered masonite, later MDF (medium density fiber, but not formalin treated) and modern composite boards have been employed. Heavy paper is also used

Apart from the traditional process of mixing pigment with egg yolk, new methods include egg tempera sold in tubes by manufacturers such as Sennelier and Daler-Rowney. These paints do contain a slight amount of oil to enhance durability within the container. Marc Chagall used Sennelier egg tempera tube paints extensively

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a blended field of therapeutic practice that combines art and psychology, by utilizing the creative process, artistic techniques and external artwork to support individuals to develop self-awareness, explore emotions and address unresolved conflict or trauma. Art therapy has also been used to help individuals, particularly young children, develop social skills and raise self-confidence. It’s a fantastic addition within positive psychology as, at its core, it seeks to help individuals overcome emotional or psychological challenges to achieve a greater sense of personal well being.
A broader definition of art therapy has been established by the American Art Therapy

Association as follows: Art Therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship. (American Art Therapy Association, 2013)

To participate in art therapy, you do not need any prior experience with art or a ‘natural’ artistic ability. The process itself is one of exploration with no ‘wrongs’ and no ‘rights.’ The practice allows each individual to use creative activities in ways that support them best without judgment.

WASH PAINTING

Regarding the wash technique aspect in india we need to go back to the early twentieth century scenario in Bengal . It is considered as a primary foundation where one could trace the new artistic quest and emergence in Kolkata

Wash is basically the novel creation of Bengal school of art in Kolkata with the novel art movement

Experimentation and heterogeneous blend transforming this technique with the association of brush and ink ( japanees ) technique and the Indian traditional technique ( tempara) by giving light and superficial brush strokes . It was a beautiful and mystical fusion of Indian and japaneesartists giving way to the renaissa in the field of art

It happened due to a great artistic reformer of its times avnindra nath tagore . It would be less to call aa a father of reform in the field of art . Avnindra nath tagore was not only a significant artist of twentieth century his cult status in morden Indian art has often overshadowed and originality of its original content with a strong relation across seas , he went pillar to post to bring international Japanese artists gave " wash technique" it's face with great learning and experimentation .In 1905 to 1910 he painted his first wash series which were visuals of " Rubaiyatt by umar Khayyam

Abnindra nath tagore adaptation of the negoha wash became exactly what he was looking for as the non dual and trancilented substance of the time .Wash technique experienced a long journey from Kolkata to Lucknow and was a primery technique practised in Lucknow art collage and was widely considered by many artists with the result of their masterpieces