Folk Paintings

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  Madhubani Paintings

  • Traditionally done by the women of villages around Madhubani town (Bihar).
  • It is also called Mithila Paintings.
  • The paintings have a common theme and are usually drawn from religious motifs of the Hindus, including Krishna, Rama, Durga, Lakshmi and Shiva.
  • The paintings are also made depicting auspicious occasions like birth, marriage and festivals. Flowers, trees, animals, etc. are used to fill any gaps in the painting.
  • Traditionally, these were painted on walls using rice paste and vegetable colours on a base of cow dung and mud.
  • With time, the base changed to handmade paper, clothes and canvas.
  • Since there was no shading, the paintings are two-dimensional.
  • Some of the common features of these paintings include double line border, bold use of colours, ornate floral patterns and exaggerated facial features.
  • Since the art has remained confined to a specific geographical area, it has been given GI (geographical indication) status.
Pattachitra Painting
  • A traditional painting of Odisha, the name Pattachitra comes from a Sanskrit word patta, which means canvas/cloth and chitra means picture.
  • The paintings show a mix of classical and folk elements, with a bias towards the latter.
  • The base of the painting is treated cloth while the colours used come from natural sources including burnt coconut shells, hingula, ramaraja and lamp black.
  • No pencil or charcoal is used, rather a brush is used to draw the outlines in red or yellow after which the colours are filled.
  • The background is decorated with foliage and flowers and the paintings have an intricately worked frame.
  • Once the final lines are drawn, the painting is given a coating of lacquer to give it a glossy finish.
  • The themes of these paintings are inspired from Jagannath and Vaishnava cult, sometimes from Shakti and Shiva cults also.
  • The pattachitra paintings depict images that are similar to the old murals of the State, especially the ones in Puri and Konark.
  • Patachitra on palm leaves is known as tala pattachitra.
Patua Art
  • The art form of Bengal, Patua art dates back around a thousand years.
  • These paintings are done on pats or scrolls
  • Traditionally these were painted on cloth and told religious stories
  • Today they are painted with poster paints on sheets of paper sewn together, usually to comment on political and social issues.
Paitkar Painting
  • Practiced by the tribal people of Jharkhand
  • Paitkar paintings or scroll paintings are considered one of the ancient schools of painting in the country.
  • This old form of painting has cultural association with Ma Mansa, one of the most popular goddesses in tribal household
  • These paintings are linked to the social and religious customs including giving alms and holding yajnas.
  • The common theme of Paitkar paintings is ‘What happens to human life post death’.
  • Although an ancient art, it is on the verge of extinction given the rate of its decline.
Kalamkari Paintings
  • The name comes from kalam, i.e. a pen, which is used to paint these exquisite paintings.
  • The pen used is made of sharp pointed bamboo, used to regulate the flow of colours.
  • The base is cotton fabric while the colours used are vegetable dyes.
  • The main centers for this art are Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam in the State of Andhra Pradesh.
  • The images are drawn free hand and the inspiration comes from Hindu mythology.
  • Kalamkari painting had its existence even during the Vijayanagara empire.
  • It has received GI status.
Warli Painting
  • The name of the painting comes from the people who have been carrying the painting tradition that goes back to 2500-3000 BC.
  • They are called the Warlis, indigenous people that occupy mainly the Gujarat- Maharashtra border.
  • These paintings have close resemblance to the mural paintings of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh.
  • These ritualistic paintings have a central motif of a chaukat or chowk, which is surrounded by scenes portraying fishing, hunting, farming, dances, animals, trees and festivals.
  • Traditionally, the paintings are done on walls using basic graphic vocabulary, including a triangle, a circle and a square.
  • The base is made of a mixture of mud, branches and cow dung that gives it a red ochre colour.
  • For painting only white pigment is used, which is made of a mixture of gum and rice powder.
Thangka Painting
  • Presently belonging to Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh region and Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Thangka were originally used as a medium of reverence that evoked the highest ideals of Buddhism.
  • Thangkas are painted on a base of cotton canvas (white background) with paints made from natural vegetable dyes or mineral dyes.
  • The colours used in the paintings have their own significance. For example, red standsfor intensity of passion.
Manjusha Painting
  • This art form belongs to Bhagalpur region of Bihar.
  • It is also known as Angika art, where ‘ang’ refers to one of the Mahajan Pada.
  • Since snake motifs are always present, it is also called snake painting.
  • These paintings are generally executed on boxes of jute and paper
Phad Painting
  • It is predominantly found in Rajasthan and is a scroll-type art.
  • It is religious in nature and comprises drawings of local deities, Pabuji and Devnarayan.
  • The subjects have large eyes and round faces.
  • They are of pompous and joyful narrative and scenes of procession are common.
Cheriyal Scroll Paintings
  • Indigenous to Telangana.
  • It is a type of Nakashi art.
  • The scrolls are depicted as a continuous story like comics or ballads by the Balladeer community.
  • The common themes are Hindu Epics and Puranic stories.
  • The artists use the scroll painting to narrate stories along with music, as they move to different places.
  • They are often huge in size, going upto 45 ft in height.
  • It has been accorded the Geographical Indication status in 2007.
Pithora Paintings
  • The paintings are done by some tribal communities of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and are said to serve religious and spiritual purposes.
  • They are painted in the walls of the houses to bring peace and prosperity.
  • They are drawn on special family occasions as a ritual.
  • Depictions of animals are common, especially horses.
Saura Paintings, Odisha
  • They are made by the Saura Tribe of Odisha and are similar to Warli paintings.
  •  It is essentially a wall mural painting and is ritualistic.
  • The Saura wall paintings are generally dedicated to Idital, the main deity of the Sauras.
  • The painting is done mostly in white, while the backdrop of the painting is red or yellow.
  • The colours are extracted from minerals and plants.
  • The human shapes are geometric and stick-like.

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