Dichotomy of Economic and Cultural Space: Re-examining the impact of ‘Madhubani Painting’ on ‘Mithila Art’
Suraj PRASAD, Department of Geography, University of Delhi, India, India
Anjan SEN, Department of Geography, University of Delhi, India, India
Popularly identified as folk art, Mithila art, a gendered art, is the artform spread from lower Terai region of Nepal in the north to R. Ganges in the south, R. Mahananda in the east and R. Gandaki in the west. The creative expression through artform of rural folk artists has always been seen as a creation of folkloric collectivity whose authenticity lies in the remoteness of space and time. Dating back to around 14th century, the evolution of Mithila art has been through wall and floor painting during domestic rites to art in paper form (as a result of commercialisation) portraying contemporary issues during globalisation. During globalisation, Mithila art has become famous as Madhubani painting on global platform. The paper tries to enquire about the journey of the artform from Mithila art to Madhubani painting. The name ‘Madhubani painting’ is taken from the name of the place ‘Madhubani’. This brand name of ‘Madhubani’ has both ‘positive’ as well as ‘negative’ impact on the Mithila art. The brand name “Madhubani painting” provided the global platform to the art on one hand but it also led to the disappearance of the artform from the larger space of Mithilanchal (region of Mithila). Over the course of time, the term ‘Mitihila art’ has come to symbolise the cultural space where this art form developed, while the term ‘Madhubani painting’ has come to denote the commercial and economic aspects of this artform. There is also a concern that growing commercialisation of this artform has led to deterioration in the cultural quality of the product. Hence, the paper tries to assess the impact of brand name on the Mithila art over time and space. The methodology comprises the extensive literature reviews, primary surveys, questionnaire, and interviews (through email, telephonic, personal as well as in groups).
Mots clés : Mithila Art|Madhubani Painting|Mithilanchal|Folk Art|Commercialisation
A104255SP