The Styles and Possibilities of Madhubani Art

Old Madhubani paintings used homemade natural colours and were were done with sticks and fingers rather than pens or brushes.
This one has a cow dung washed base.

Old Madhubani paintings done with natural colours. The contrast between natural colours and present day industrial ones is evident.

Subject matter of old paintings, like the new ones are mostly celebratory in nature.

Old paintings are a softer shade of vivid pink and the yellow reflects the turmeric colour from which it was extracted.

The late Satya Narain Lal Karn, national award-winning artist depicted the 4th Sustainable Goal of the United Nations on reducing child mortality.

It displays the natural instinct of animals to protect their young. The work has been executed in natural colors extracted by hand.

Detail of the work of Satya Narain Lal Karn showing how elements of the animal kingdom protect their young.

Even the snake, which is revered in rural societies, protects its eggs with love and care.

Madhubani painting of the Lord Krishna playing the flute while sitting on a tree.

Figures are drawn first with black ink after which the empty spaces are filled with colours, flowers and other motifs.

Madhubani painting of The Goddess Kali holding the heads of demons she has slayed. This is a popular story from Hindu mythology.

A Madhubani painting of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati.

This Godna work is in the form of a mandala done in concentric circles. The shapes and figures are outlined with black paint using nib-pens. This painting revolves around the life of women.

Lord Krishna and Radha have been added as subject matter to the repertoire of Godna artists who are today no longer restricted by reason of their caste from themes used by the upper castes.

Meticulously fine detail in Mahanama Devi’s Godna painting shows extreme devotion to the art.

Many commercially inclined artists jettison quality for quantity, but a high standard attracts a higher value in the art collector’s market.

The signature of Ranjeet Paswan’s work is the variety of finely detailed textures created in and around the figures of lord Krishna and his consort Radha.

Trees and nature are a part of most art from Madhubani, which celebrates nature. Its very name means ‘forest of honey’.

This Godna painting by Mahanama Devi is based on the Rahu puja, praying to the principle deity of the Harijan (Dalit) caste. The work took ten months to complete. This portion is only a part of a 6 ft long painting.

This painting is one of the finest examples of the exquisite art produce by Mahanama Devi.

This detail shows birds flying around in a tree celebrating the presence of their local deity.

Godna art does not shy away from time-taking fine detailing, repetitious imagery and storytelling from the epics or deities followed by their caste.

Human figures have faces that are naïve and almost birdlike in contrast to the sophistication of the detailing.

The crow dives into a shoal of fish to pick out one for its meal. When going on a journey the traveler believes it is auspicious to see fish.

Birds and fish are always present in art that conveys a blessing or an auspicious greeting in the Godna colour scheme of fine black lines against a dung washed background.

A piece of silk fabric is turned into a stole whose surface is fully hand painted, making it a collector’s piece.

Remant tried beautifying ordinary tea kettles and came up with a perfect gift for urban use

Detail of the top of a metal trunk.

Madhubani artist Hira kanth was encouraged to change the medium on which she painted. Utility boxes and travel trunks made of steel provided a perfect new base for her fine but vivid work.

Read more about Madhubani Art here:
-Bihar’s Madhubani art decorates its environment
-Madhubani: From personal to public spaces