Sunday 14 November 2010

Yet another attempt

Initially I didn't understand parts of the format. The blue text is the outcome of a talk with my mentor.


Mithila Art form

A study of this art form and its future prospects ( Reword this to be more specific.)

What it means to people? How do people perceive the art form?

Which people? People like us who are not into art?

I want to put my finding to an appropriate use?

Relationship to theory – Origin and Evolution of the art form

The area I want to research is Madhubani Art. I would like to study about the art form and its origin.

Madhubani paintings or Mithila Paintings is a style of Indian painting, practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar state, India.The name is itself named on the village Madhubani

The Madhubani painting or Mithila Painting are originated at the time of the Ramayana, when King Janak commissioned artists to do paintings at the time of marriage of his daughter, Sita, to Hindu god Lord Ram.

Themes

Madhubani paintings mostly depict nature and Hindu devotional events, and the themes generally revolve around Hindu deities like Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Natural objects like the sun, the moon, and the religious plants like tulsi are also widely painted, along side scenes from the royal courts and social events like weddings. Generally no empty space is left; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs.

These paintings has been done traditionally by the women of villages around the present town of Madhubani (the literal meaning of which is forests of honey) and other areas of Mithila. The painting was traditionally done on freshly plastered mud wall of huts, but now it is also done on cloth, hand-made paper and canvas.Madhubani art is a form of traditional Indian art form.

Madhubani Paintings are an indigenous art form of a quaint village of Bihar. Here the women of the village maintain a matriarchal dominance over the craft. They paint figures from nature and myth on household and village walls to mark the seasonal festivals,for special events of the life-cycle, and when marriages are being arranged they prepare intricately designed wedding proposals , and the technique of painting is safely and zealously guarded by the women of this village, for it is to be passed on by a mother to her daughter.

Down the ages

Women of this village have been practicing this art form for centuries but it came to the forefront only in the 1960s, when a drought hit the area and people had to think of an alternative non agricultural source of earning. Selling these traditional paintings on handmade paper was the best alternative. And today they are one of the most celebrated Folk Arts of the world.

Relevance to the external environment/ Need – Lack of Indian expression

From my pre research, I gathered that there is a lack of Indian expression in the field of Graphic Design (What do you mean? ) and I would like to capture that. Its important to know what do people think of it. How has it evolved and what is the future of it.

Aslo one of the important points to be kept in mind is that how does the popularity of one craft effect the other.

Relevance to your practice – Filling the gaps as a Communication designer
I want to research in this area because I feel that it has a strong, rich Indian appeal which graphically yet needs to make a mark internationally. I am intrigued by the art form and want to know more about it, projects that have been or are being done, even the Contemporary aspect . I like the elements used and the bright color story because it communicates the depicted story beautifully, in other words it is well expressed. As a Communication Design student I would like to create something out of it to restore the Indian expression that lies in it.


Sub questions and method used to answer them:

1. What is Madhubani Art? (What is its origin? What are the elements used, color story? And Why?) What about materials? Who are the artists?

2. What does it communicate? (What do people think of the art form in current scenario? What is its relevance? Who are the Contemporary artists inspired by this form?)

3. What is the future of the art form? (Does the popularity of other art forms affect it? What can be done to take it beyond paintings?)

This is an artform you are studying. What would be its application in a graphic design scene? Justify the need for this. Or are you studying this rhetorically- Is it about meaning, cultural, identity?


Key sources:

What about original collections of madhubani paintings?

Taking people’s opinion through casual interviews or questionnaires. This is data collection, not resources.

Papers identified

?

Books identified

Books on Madhubani art form.Which books? Specify with name, author, publisher,year of publication—everything! Using Harvard style.

What are the websites you will refer to?

Any other sources I visited IGNCA, Dastkar workshop and I got a lot of insights. I looked at various art and craft forms from India.

Direct Communication with the artisians either over the phone or personal interview by visiting exhibitions/places like Dilli Haat or crafts bazaars happening in or around Delhi. This would help me get their views on Madhubani as an art form and where do they see it go with the technology and the designers coming up. (Do they consider designers an intervention? What is their take on Contemporary Art?)

Visiting art gallery in person or online.

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