Late City ■ Vadodara ■ Saturday, November 14,1998

A passion for Madhubani paintings

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
VADODARA, NOV 13

Many may not be familiar with Maharani Paintings, but for Manisha Jha they hold a special place and a fascination from her childhood days.

While the paintings, named after a place Madhuban in Bihar, were traditionally used to decorate houses, they generally had a reference to mythological tales and characters.

Says Jha “ Earlier people used natural dyes to paint them and hence preservation was a problem for they didn’t last long”.

For Jha the paintings are a family tradition. “ I remember seeing my grandmother practice the art in the house, followed by my mother” According to her, the paintings were earlier done on the walls and it gained ground during the time of the famine in Bihar.

She says, once the paintings’ importance and beauty was realized, they were painted on paper with permanent dyes to enable preservation.

Though a student of architecture, Jha says she took up the folk art because she was in spired by their beauty and also because people were familiar with their themes.

“ Though original paintings are supposed to be made on the walls or the floor, I have experimented by using bases like wood, glass and hand-made sheets” says Jha, adding, since natural dyes were not permanent in nature, she used colours which varied from acrylic to poster colours.

Jha, who has been practicing this art since the past 18 years, claims that though she never had any formal training after practicing the art for sometime now, she was inspired to host exhibitions in various parts of the country.

“ It was only after my work was recognized by pioneers in the art like Shashikala Devi, that I gained confidence and realized my capability, she says.

Jha says, Kohbar paintings, also a part of Maharani Paintings, symbolizes themes like the union of a male and a woman, among others. Jha says artists these days also use white and black colours as they stand out.

About her plans, she says while her next exhibition would be held in Goa, which would comprise the Maharani style, some of the themes would also be related to her life.

“ Some of my paintings have nothing to do with mythology. For example, I painted the mother and child picture after my son was born. Similarly, one of my paintings portraying three girls, depicts my two sisters and me, “ She says, proudly.

Jha’s paintings are on display at the Shristi Art Gallery, Hotel Welcomegroup, R.C. Dutt Road, Alkapuri from 11am to 8 pm. The last day is Sunday.