Surface Narrative (Madhubani Painting) Craft Workshop (29th and 30th November 2014)
Surface Narrative Crafts are those crafts which are essentially “two-dimensional” in nature and are applied to the surface of Interior Architecture elements and components. These crafts have been developed by communities to express their imagination and culture, and represent a specific message.
The Surface Narrative (Madhubani Painting) Craft Workshop was organized and conducted by Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University and Craft Canvas, Ahmedabad. The workshop took place over a period of two days, where the participants learned Madhubani painting under artisans Shantidevi Jha and Vijay Jha from Madhya Pradesh.
For the final exercise, the participants - a group of students from Faculty of Design, CEPT University and students from Willem De Kooning Academy, Rotterdam - in pairs created illustrations based on a story created by them which were applied to paint on some of the typical Indian day to day use products such as: 1. Chai Kitli, the Indian teapot; 2. Doodh ka can, the milk can; 3. Pan ka Dabba, the betel nut box; 4. Lassi Glass, the tall glass and 5. Puja Dish, the sacred ritual plate.
About Madhubani Painting Craft
Madhubani painting or Mithila painting is a style of Indian painting, practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar state, India and the adjoining parts of Terai in Nepal. Its main feature is the line drawings filled in by bright colours which have high contrasts and very intricate details and patterns. Madubhani painting was mainly done by the women of the region within the courtyard of the house (freshly plastered or mud walls). But lately men are also involved in this due to the commercial demand of this folk craft and now it is done on various mediums. The content of these paintings revolved around themes of nature, mythology and local stories including tribal motifs. There are paintings for each occasion and festival such as birth, marriage, holi, surya shasti, kali puja, upanayanam, and durga puja. Madhubani paintings mostly depict nature and Hindu religious motifs, and the themes generally revolve around Hindu deities like Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Natural objects like the sun, the moon, and religious plants like tulsi are also widely painted, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. Generally no space is left empty; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs. The subjects of painting are adapted to suit their style. The craftspeople use natural colors for painting.
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